Hazbin Hotel Prompts

Part I An assortment of prompts taken from the series Hazbin Hotel on Amazon Prime. Adjust as necessary to fit pronoun and/or descriptor. In case of Multimuse, don't forget to specify which one/s. Reblog, please do not repost or add.

“ Oh, shit. Did you hear all of that? ”

“ I enjoy your theatrics. ”

“ I just hope what I'm trying to do here will work. ”

“ Well hello there, you wayward sinner. Do you like blood, violence and depravity of a sexual nature? ”

“ Your last attempt at salvation starts here. ”

“ Thank you so much for making this. Seriously. Amazing. ”

“ Oh, fun. You had a little fun with it? ”

“ Sex sells, don't it? ”

“ I really don't want to exploit you in that way. ”

“ This body was made to be exploited. ”

“ I could keep goin' all night, baby. ”

“ Why do you think I'm here? ”

“ I like being forced. ”

“ I'm choosing to be here, and I think it's all stupid. ”

“ That's kind of the end of the road, ain't it? ”

“ Just because nobody made it out before, doesn't mean it's not possible. ”

“ There's just no way I could blow it, not this once in a lifetime chance. ”

“ It's a happy day in hell. ”

“ Ha! I fucking got you!. ”

“ So, I'm happy we got this opportunity to meet. ”

“ I need you to be less horny, if possible. ”

“ I ain't no actor! I can't memorize this shit! ”

“ So, anyway, we fucked and it was awesome. ”

“ Fucking love putting my name on shit. Shit's the best. ”

“ Alright, um, maybe we can try and fix it in post. ”

“ Seems like you're having a bit of trouble there, hm? ”

“ I wouldn't try that, my dear. ”

“ I don't care who or what you are. If you're staying here, you are going to make this work. ”

“ Awesome job, danger tits. Pound it. ”

“ Those are my people. You know that, right? ”

“ They had their chance and they earned damnation. ”

“ How does that feel? To know how little you matter. ”

“ Let me stop you right there, save us all precious time. ”

“ Did I hear you imply they don't deserve death? ”

“ It means we're all royally fucked. ”

“ We should just go down there now and destroy them. ”

“ Oh please, you had less than half a chance when you started all this. ”

“ Well, it's not like people are going to show up at our doorstep. ”

“ Now that's good television. ”

“ Whatever could be the problem, my dear? ”

“ Fuck my life. ”

“ I have a fire to put out upstairs. ”

“ Well, looks like you have everything under control here. ”

“ Take care of the piss baby. ”

“ That fucking slut walked out on me. ME. I fucking made him! ”

“ Which of these makes me look sexier? ”

“ What are you doing? You're not going over there. ”

“ Now that's why they pay you the big bucks. ”

“ I think he's had enough. ”

“ Thank you... For letting your guard down! ”

“ Can't let my new project fall into disrepair already. ”

“ That fucker is back! ”

“ You still pissed he almost beat you that time? ”

“ Things changed a lot since he left town. ”

“ Welcome home. I'm gonna make you wish that you stayed gone. ”

“ Did anybody miss him? Did anybody notice? ”

“ Where's he been? Who gives a shit? ”

“ You old timey prick, I'll show you suffering. ”

“ I'm gonna make you wish that I'd stayed gone. ”

“ How exactly are we supposed to stop it? ”

“ Who would want to use their last days not fucking and fighting? ”

“ I didn't come looking for a fight. ”

“ Aren't you supposed to protect this place? ”

“ I give you a week. Tops. ”

“ It's nice to have someone interested for once. ”

“ Never leave me again. ”

“ I definitely remember you now. ”

“ It's great, right? Keep going. ”

“ The only cool thing has is to say no to drugs. ”

“ I'm off to not have sexual intercourse before marriage! ”

“ You like me. You really like me! ”

“ You actually think you can change? ”

“ You slippery little shit! ”

“ I fucking knew there was something shitty about you. ”

“ Get your aggressively average body off of me! ”

“ This little bitch is a traitor! ”

“ Wait, you were caught? It hasn't even been a day! ”

“ The path to forgiveness is a twisting trail of hearts, but sorry is where it starts. ”

“ Why are you so lame? ”

“ You'll have to try better than that next time, ol' pal. ”

Okay, I’m the anon who did the part 2 for martial artist reader… And I got an idea. Okay, so like what if we have a one person army gn!reader? Like you can just hand them any weapon and they can wreck all enemies in their path? From convenient weapons like swords/spears to even unorthodox weapons like a simple letter opener/butter knife. You know those epic scenes where the character can destroy mountains or cut through giant ships? That’s the reader and they can do that at will. The catch? They might be a powerhouse and can solo a doomsday beast, HOWEVER they are a glass cannon. This is due being a fragile body due a illness. Nothing fatal, but it leaves them sick in bed. So if they push themselves or get hit by a good attack, yeah they are out of the action… Loving your work. Please keep it up. It brings a smile to my day. For this request: Dan Heng, Jing Yuan, Blade, Luocha, Gepard? Can I get an anon nickname? If so can I be called 🐉 Anon?

Cool request, thanks so much! Your kind words mean the world to me!

Welcome 🐉 Anon!

Cw:violence

Dan Heng: Dan Heng has always considered you amazing. I mean. You ARE amazing. You could basically do anything. So the first time he saw you actually take a hit, he thought you’d be able to handle it. But no, you crumpled to your knees, unable to move, gasping for air. So now your secret was out. Dan Heng is more careful around you now. He knows your powerful, knows you can handle yourself, but he’d hate to see you get hurt like that again, so he tends to hover over you when you’re fighting. It’s honestly a little annoying, but you appreciate him and his efforts to help you.

Jing Yuan: Jing Yuan can just tell you have a condition, you don’t even need to tell him. So him and Yanqing are always subtly keeping a close eye on you in combat. Your powers are impressive yes, but he needs you to be careful too. He’d really hate it if you wound up in the infirmary, or worse. So him and Yanqing always fight by your side, so they can protect you, and make your victories that much easier. It’s a system that works pretty well. You only ever got seriously hurt on One occasion, and they were there to save and protect you, so everything worked out.

Blade: is the type to push you to the absolute limit. He wants to see what a superhuman like you can REALLY do. But he really didn’t mean to push you to the point of collapse! He feels a bit…regretful about having to carry you to bed, your exhaustion being his fault. He’d probably never apologize, though you notice he stops asking you to demonstrate your power. And he’s a little more…careful with you. Honestly you miss testing your limits, but you did admittedly push yourself too far with Blade. Which was a little embarrassing, you know you’re better than that. So you continue to train on your own, without Blade. You’ll impress him someday by pushing past your limit and doing something truly incredible.

Luocha: Luocha and you are a good match. You have all the strength and the power to protect the two of you, and he’s determined to find a cure to your disease. The two of you are practically glued together, he spends his time observing you, your fighting style, your condition…trying to find any sort of clue as to what your illness might be, and if there’s any cure. And you focus on fighting, training yourself to push through your illness, despite how much he insists you should instead hold back so you don’t push yourself too far. You agree to disagree on the matter. Eventually he will find a cure to your disease. As a healer and your lover, he’s determined to do so.

Gepard Landau: Gepard and you are literally a perfect pair. He’s naturally protective, and his powers mean he can protect you. The two of you together are the perfect powerhouse, you the attack, him the defense. He’s only ever failed you once, and the sight of you falling to the ground injured is permanently burned into his memory. He won’t let it happen again. He’s Determined not to happen again. You and him both train after that day, to be BETTER, so that that doesn’t ever repeat itself. He’s always got your back, and you know you can count on him to cover your only weakness while you demolish your shared enemies left and right.

ch. 110

brutality, no survivors.... incredible suffering for the girlies (you, me, JP twitter)

and here I thought shenanigans would continue... this promo image was an immediate punch at 6AM

and yet this was all things considered the easy part...? ugh, but... please a moment to drink it in... all of my beliefs in the true power exchange... it's so satisfying to see it like this. it's easy, simple to still Tsukasa, isn't it... towering, presiding older brother.... his joudai trailing... touch your seal... the virtue by which you are kept safe, kept his. Poor Tsukasa. covetous object...!

a rascal....! uhh I love pocket-sanding Akane with old man parts ... amazing technique ahaha, Tsukasa knows how to make people lose focus huh? he's in such a good mood isn't he~ not as resentful as he was towards Mirai pestering him...

mirai explode lol.... I can't say I feel much personally, I guessed she might do this ... it's sweet of her to protect Akane, but I can't think much of it, beyond what it contributes to how we should feel about her. Noble rat after all? not so dumb as Akane had said before?

Mirai holding the yorishiro makes sense, for why she's typically locked in their boundary without any freedom. sure... easy. another key to haunt us! more keys why NOT

I like to see Natsuhiko being cool like this ... ♥

but this is so interesting...

I'm never sure how much Mitsuba really understood about the Broadcast club's greater plans... I wonder if Natsuhiko is being literal here, and Mitsuba DID know what he had to do, but had settled on his suicidal ennui.... ah, having to analyze your life for something precious is grim... he has an issue of not appreciating what he has while he has it, and being unable to state it...

.... and there's nobody to correct him. This is such a manga about... 'reasons'....

among the things even possible.. that poor keychain was destroyed. I wonder if there were a few things going on in Mitsuba's mind even then...

I really like... that mysteries, kaii need something anchoring them... I like that it's not enough, to exist... I like that the body naturally dilapidates, 'wants' to move on or become something else. It's a great metaphor....! In this manga... the most important thing, is loving something. If you don't love something, you can't stay alive. You won't....

I'm still wondering if the original thing Kou gave Mitsuba back in vol. 7 will ever come back around... or if it just gave him a complex or curiosity about the 'old' Mitsuba (who he snoops on in PP after this, so....) ... and can't itself be precious so much as worming...

anyhow... I like this turn of events, but it is so shocking we're stacking handling No. 3 and also No. 1!!!! I can't believe it!!!! IT'S ALL HAPPENINGGGG?????!?!? We haven't stacked mysteries like this before ~~!!!! It's so exciting.... I like Natsuhiko a lot in all of this ♥ I don't know... like with Tsukasa and Mitsuba, I believe him that he found it all charming in its own way, and that he wanted to offer what he could to Mitsuba for the timebeing. It's not as if there are other options, here... Mitsuba... really was never doing the things that needed to be done.... or letting others know what he needed to do.

I suppose Natsuhiko could wake up Kou to watch this if he wanted, but I find it much funnier if Kou just has to wake up at the end of this and Mitsuba is eradicated... lol...

can't say I really understand Teru's position about the mysteries...

you understand the mysteries are a kind of structural pillar for this region, but the pressure that was weighing on Hanako at least seemed to be the Minamoto ... it was that imperative the Broadcast Club's been taking advantage of. The rumors created an excuse to justify the sense of mistrust in the mysteries. But I'll never quite know what Teru is even capable of ... since he shouldn't be able to touch yorishiro ... but directly threatens to exorcize mysteries. Can you have extant yorishiro without the mysteries utilizing them.... ??? Well, I just don't understand it yet.... must put it aside.

back to what really matters...

I love how peaceful, relieved, serene he looks here.... finally, you've been so patient, Tsukasa... every little step of this has taken so long.... holding the last yorishiro in your hands... trusting Amane to handle you, after... it must feel good. The end in sight....

I really love this reach for Amane's knife...

back in this position, are we?

ah.... poor Amane. For a moment... I appreciate what he's trying to do, here. He sounds patient... he sounds like an older brother. Explaining so cleanly...

you want to be sure Tsukasa understands... maybe you think-- he hasn't thought this through, or he doesn't get the consequences, he's being childish, or reckless, maybe he's misunderstood how it happened before ... I love to hear Amane, say something so direct as... won't see you again.... won't be able to save you ... everything he did last time! to ensure... that you wouldn't be apart! the binding of their souls! tying Tsukasa down to him like a ship in a storm! protection, mooring... keeping you, where he can see you! remaining together, at all costs! that's important to you too, right, Tsukasa? don't you want to see each other?

it's as if you're saying you don't want to be together, don't want to be saved... what do we do with people who don't ask you to save them? why must they insist on leaving you behind?

Mitsuba won't ask Kou to save him. Sumire wouldn't ask Hakubo to save her. Aoi didn't want Akane to save her. I wonder if Tsukasa didn't ask Amane to save him, but Amane did it anyway... her certainly wasn't asking for a hero in the Red House, or to live on coming back.

it's a kind of rejection, isn't it? When someone is so ambivalent about the life you love so much... the life you want with them... it's as if they're saying, "I don't want to be with you enough to live for you."

Of course, every time, they're really saying ... "I just don't know what I mean to you." Mitsuba doesn't feel valuable to Kou; only a replacement, a reminder of something he once cared about. Best to give up. Sumire imagined Hakubo was only placating her, and could only wish not for his earnest sadness, but for him to pretend to be sad for her. Best to let death happen. and Aoi didn't feel Akane knew the real her, imagined he would reject the real Aoi, only in love with his grand projection of her. Best to step away now.

Of course, Tsukasa thought his brother hated him, so...

It all feels so simple and logical! It's saving trouble, right?

Amane made such a gesture last time... in their shinjuu... he tried, he really tried, to say something ... to Tsukasa.

but, the message didn't go through...

but I can only be so sympathetic to Amane, as he's an incredible hypocrite. Of course, Amane has put Nene-chan through everything Tsukasa puts him through.

You also try to grant your beloved a wish for a future that explicitly doesn't involve you, and make her feel rejected, abandoned, given no choice...

Amane...

oh, Yugi twins....

.... why can't you understand when you're precious? Why can't you understand how bad it hurts, to abandon somebody? Amane-chan really suffered without you, Tsukasa. You're always the one leaving him, and getting to feel sacrificial about it. He's trying to tie you down....

.... it's a natural response... to lash out. Rejected... misunderstood... abandoned... why is Tsukasa asking you to give up on him? Why can't he understand, even with that seal on his cheek... even as you died with him....

兄の思いは届かず…

I really love that for the chapter's end.

Amane's feelings never did reach Tsukasa. It wasn't understood, what he had tried to do, his sadness now. But... Amaneeeee....

maybe you could use a taste of your own medicine....

we think we know just how to make someone else's wish come true, don't we?

isn't it such an insult! WHY!!!!!! """"WHY""""""??????

..... I'm out of images, so I'll continue in a reblog, for a couple more thoughts I'm having ....

but for this post... ahhhh. It's unbelievable we're at least starting to tackle... this. I feel bad for Amane, I really do... I feel bad for Tsukasa, too. It's hard to not hurt someone you love ... in an attempt to only hurt yourself. If we hurt ourselves, we hurt the thing our lover adores ... we spit on their love for us.

I can understand why and how Amane can say "I hate you" ... to Tsukasa. As much as Akane could childishly say it to Aoi ... and you know, it is that same unimaginable love which makes it possible. Years of familiarity, it makes you more liable to lash out. There is such a greater sense of betrayal, when you've expended so much effort... when you try so hard for someone... when you're in so much pain about them....! After all I've done... you CAN'T say this or that to me.... etc, etc! Those intense emotions... can make you feel entitled, to never be hurt... you can't hurt me, after all I've hurt for you!

and I do think it's being said extremely childishly... daikirai... he's just, unable to be any more constructive with his feelings, he's so... hurt, mad. As much as Nene-chan is so mad, hearing Hanako spit on all of her efforts she made to reach him... BIG SLAP!!!

Amane, he's maybe endured 50 years of effort and an awful lot of physical suffering for Tsukasa, and it's not gotten through... wwww! I'm sorry, I'm worried Tsukasa might have a PROFOUND amount of suicidal urge. Might be an uphill battle, Amane... you might just need to save Tsukasa because you are selfish, and you want him for yourself. There might be no easier reason ... to keep him by your side. We can't make Tsukasa beg to stay with you... but you won't beg him to stay, will you? I think that would actually do a lot of good, Amane... but you really won't do that....

meanwhile, I love the juxtaposition of Nene-chan's incredibly childish DAI DAI DAISUKIII and this daikirai lol... we all have big feelings don't we lol....! well...

“Popcorn is an opossum rescued two nights ago in rough shape and really struggling to survive in this weather. Did you know it’s not uncommon for rehabbers to be able to handle and even hold a wild opossum? They are so peaceful and docile in nature and are some of the most amazing creatures we have worked with. 

While we are not recommending you attempt to pick up any wild opossum you come across, we would love to spread the true facts about these awesome guys and put a stop to the common misconceptions about them that often result in unnecessary cruelty. Here are just ten amazing facts about opossums you all should know! 

1. They're Not Aggressive Even when confronted with a predator, they will use the infamous "playing possum" technique to appear dead and avoid an actual brawl.They can stay zoned out for hours, emitting a foul odor in order to further keep any bad guys at bay, but they'll never outright attack, even if they're baring their teeth.

2. They Rarely Have Rabies Unlike most other wild animals, possums are nearly completely immune to contracting rabies or passing it along. This is due to their natural body temperature being too low to maintain hosting the virus.

3. They Kill Thousands Of Ticks According to stats reported by the National Wildlife Federation, a single possum can potentially eliminate 4,000 ticks in one week thanks to their extreme self-grooming methods (either crushing or consuming the ticks burrowing in their fur).They also aren't susceptible to Lyme disease and therefore can protect humans from contracting it, as they rid an area of the real pests.

4. They Won't Destroy Your Lawn Or Property Unlike other nocturnal animals creeping around neighborhoods, possums won't destroy your lawn or property. If you happen to see one wander into your garage (a popular spot to see them pop up), and don’t want to share your space, simply leave a door open and remove any food that might have drawn them in. They'll eventually mosey on out without making a fuss. 

5. They're True Survivors They've been around longer than any other mammal. Possums are often called "living fossils" because they've been able to survive on our planet for millions of years — over 70 million, to be exact, which really shows their ability to overcome adversity.

6. They Help With Waste Management They are not picky eaters. If it's edible, they'll eat it. Including commonly dining on animals struck by vehicles on the road (bones and all), which scientists refer to as "carrion."This basically makes them nature's most efficient waste-management team and cleanup crew.

7. They're The Only Marsupials Indigenous To North America You have to admit, it would be a shame if Australia were the only home to marsupials! Plus, it makes possums even more of a unique part of our natural environment. 

8. They Get Rid Of Garden Pests They aren’t picky eaters when it comes to troublesome garden pests like slugs, beetles, and cockroaches, but they will leave the flowers or veggies you’re growing undisturbed. 

9. They May Be The Key To Battling Venomous Snake Bites The venom of rattlesnakes, cottonmouths, and other dangerous slithery snakes that might be hiding in your yard has no effect on possums.Researchers have been looking into whether they can find the toxin-neutralizing strain in their blood, which could potentially be used to treat humans who have been struck by poisonous snakes.

10. They're Actually Quite Smart Possums tested with a higher intelligence than more domestic animals like rabbits, dogs, and cats — particularly when it came to finding good food and remembering exactly where it was to go back for more.”

By Becky Zielinski  ABC Wildlife Rehab, Inc. 

So, I've been playing the remaster of Baten Kaitos lately and for a JRPG of it's time (2003, originally) I'm actually quite amazed by how the narrative subtext frames disability. Major spoilers after the read more, and I will explain everything so you should understand even if you know nothing about the game.

In the world of Baten Kaitos, islands are kept aloft in the sky and the people live on them because of a disaster that poisoned the earth. Most of these people have wings on their back that they can make appear and disappear at will. They are referred to as 'Wings of the Heart' and their appearance is unique to each person, symbolizing their hopes and dreams and personalities. The people of the Empire do not have wings (? or perhaps choose not to use them, according to the prequel) but compensate with mechanical 'winglets'. It's also worth mentioning that the Empire is a major antagonistic force for about half the game, so even though there are friendly characters who come from the Empire, the association of no natural wings is predominantly 'evil'.

The protagonist only has one natural wing, and a prosthetic wing to compensate. It is shown that he has faced prejudice because of this - people treating him with suspicion and hatred because if his wings are deformed, it follows that his 'heart'/soul must be deformed as well.

In fact, this is a major motivation for him deceiving the rest of the party and the player themselves, aligning himself with the evil god we were trying to prevent from being resurrected the whole game. His 'payment' is a second, natural wing to match his existing one.

The plot then follows a secondary protagonist who eventually manages to confront him with a magical artifact that disrupts the evil god's power for long enough that he can choose a different path. And he does so, physically ripping off the wing he was 'gifted' and returning to the good guys and using his prosthetic (which the second protagonist had kept safe for him in the hope that he would one day rejoin them and he might need it).

While I have a lot of criticism for some elements of that plot (the one-winged protagonist should definitely have had more of a 'redemption' arc after deceiving the whole party and the player in a way that nearly destroys the entire world, but five minutes after he's rejoined the party it is almost as if it never happened), it is interesting that a game of this age does address the fantasy of 'what if I could just be magically fixed' and reject it. It actively frames the use of the prosthetic (something crafted for him with love and care from his family, later protected and cared for by the party in the hope that he'd come back to them) as something positive and better than a magical cure for him.

It's definitely not a perfect story (I would have loved to see some kind of connection between the party members - even at the end of the game, it does feel a lot like a group of strangers just happened to be going the same way and tagged along with each other), and I can't bring myself to decide whether the 'prosthetic' plotline is helped or hindered by the idea the the prosthetic is not a physical inconvenience in any way (never seems to need maintenance and works just as well as a natural wing, even adjusting as the protagonist grows) and only a social one (characters comment on it, some in negative ways and he admits he's faced that kind of prejudice his whole life). On the one hand, it's nice that he only actually faces any problems because of other people - it's a fantasy story, why shouldn't his inventor grandfather be able to make the perfect prosthetic for him? On the other hand, not having any physical ramifications (that the player is aware of) really does make his flip flop to the darkside and back for an hour seem a little cheap. Like, you've been bullied a bit, that sucks, it's still not worth screwing everyone else over, including all the people who have actively fought beside you to prevent the very thing you're doing?

But overall, the handling of his disability and the fact that the game doesn't just hand him a magical 'cure' as his happy ending? That feels pretty good to me.

the amount of trust aziraphale has in crowley's better nature is amazing, but we should also appreciate the amount of trust crowley has in aziraphale

which seems like it shouldn't be as big of a deal, after all aziraphale's an angel and a blatant sweetheart, but I mean... just look at the other angels

not all of crowley's dislike of gabriel revolves around his treatment of aziraphale. crowley actually is, I think, afraid of him for himself too. like it gets lost because of aziraphale's "smitten" line and crowley's bravery and overall protectiveness, but the lead-in to that conversation outside the bistro is crowley expressing that he is scared to go into the bookshop because gabriel could turn on them at any moment, and if he should smite crowley it would probably stick. meaning, crowley would be very badly hurt, if not destroyed

up until muriel we did not meet a SINGLE angel outside of aziraphale who was even trying to be nice! gabriel was passive-aggressive and condescending, sandalphon's a sadist, uriel is a career-focused bully who readily gangs up on people, michael's a two-faced corporate nightmare and more or less the same as uriel, the metatron is polite but in a very sort of "customer service voice" way (in S1, and then in S2 he's just a manipulative bastard), saraqael shows up the same time as muriel and is at least able to hold a civil conversation, but still almost immediately tries to turn a bunch of innocent bystanders into salt, like the demons produce more sociable characters sooner than the angels do

and crowley is under no illusions about heaven actually being good. heaven is "good" as a team alignment, but even on the wall of eden when he's talking to aziraphale, he's being mocking when he says that angels can't do the wrong thing. he already knows that most angels are huge assholes

angels are crowley's hereditary enemies, they're ruthless, and most of them have a significant advantage over him in a fight. aziraphale took out shax's whole "legion" with his halo trick in the bookshop, and he was outnumbered several dozen to one. angels can be extremely dangerous to demons

but he trusts aziraphale. he gets close to him. he lets him have information that could definitely be used against him to dire effect, and he lets him get physically near. it's very telling in S1 one aziraphale's not the least bit perturbed by crowley pushing him up against a wall and snarling at him, but I think it's equally telling that crowley can be in a closed space with an angel and a thermos full of holy water and not even look nervous about it. he seems more nervous handling the holy water alone in his apartment than he does holding the thermos in the bentley in the 1960's

because in the 1960's aziraphale hands him that thermos, so he knows it's not going to leak the least little bit

Uuuuhh so the thought posts I've written suddenly exploded lmao, but I'm glad people like reading them. Thanks a bunch :D Here's some more, and although I've seen someone explain this point in length, I hope it'll be ok to put my own spin on it:

People say that Yami setting a criminal on fire is pretty high on the 'that's kinda fked up yoog' scale of shadow murder games, and let's be real, they aren't wrong. However, my nitpick for that view comes from the narrative of the scene: both Takahashi and Toei had him under a 'he's justified' sort of light. The criminal was already on death row, and had taken Anzu hostage and attacked her. So when he gets set ablaze we're not meant to question Yami's actions, we're just meant to think "Well he had it coming trololololol"

And ya gotta admit, it's kinda messed up! But that's the entire point of Atem's character during this era: he's a powerful spirit capable of controlling the shadows, who uses them to distribute what he thinks is justice, all while protecting his friends from a dangerous world. So even if he's extreme, it should be ok, right?

It's only during Ep. 4 of the anime that it's implied such a mindset might not such be a good thing:

It's a fan-favorite screencap, this one, and I love it too. But it's the downturned look, the eye on his head, and the gaze that expresses the visual representation of someone spitting at your face. Everything in it screams fury. Anger. Maybe even high-and-mighty disappointment. It's hard to see a hero in this shot.

This episode to me, tries to set Yami no Yuugi as a force of nature instead of a force of good. (At least, not an explicit one) He's not afraid to hurt others, just has hard if not harder if it meant getting vengeance. He won't be held back by morals, nor by mercy, and the only things he has to play off of are his own instinct and whatever values Yuugi's inner self managed to impose on him. And as Shadi implied in their second bout in the manga, it's Yuugi's rage and anger that brings him out.

The aftermath is also a huge highlight for me. Because nothing in it gave a sense of glorification for what Yami did.

If I hadn't known better, then that man seems truly dead. You have his mother crying out to him, his entire watch collection destroyed, and it was... Yami's fault. Y'know, the good one.

It's just so amazing what this anime-exclusive episode managed to do (which I'm just blown away by because it's like... actually good? And adds depth to Yami's character?? And wasn't just for padding the series' length???) and it's a shame they couldn't go much further from this. Like, I wanted more. I wanted a greyer interpretation of Yami's actions. I wanted a character who's bloodlust is only soothed by the half-formed relationships he learns from his host. And I want to be a consistent, drawn-out thing, instead of a handful of moments that highlight Yami's anger at that moment (Death-T and the rooftop duel in DK)

But I also understand that it's likely because Takahashi didn't think of the 'oh they're actually 2 people lol' storyline until later in the series. So obviously, Yami couldn't develop so far as an individual because at that point, he wasn't an individual. He truly was 'another Yuugi'. And it sucks because reading further his arc felt a little weird to me, as I couldn't really reconcile Early Manga!Yami to let's say, MW RPG!Yami. It feels like there were moments we didn't get to see or some other thing.

Regardless though I'm just happy to see this view on Yami get touched on, even just a little, in Toei's adaptation. It's probably why this episode is one of my favorites :)

SPOILERS FOR RWBY VOL 9 BUT HOLY SHIT I COULD TALK ABOUT THIS FOR HOURS

sorry for the janky screen recording twitter sucks and im impatient

OKAY SO LIKE. WOW????? this is so much and its SOOOOOOO GOOD like both ruby and jaune both have completely valid points !!

ruby is finally being allowed to snap a little, shes allowed to be pissed at her friends and sister who have all done a pretty piss poor job of supporting her, despite the fact that shes the youngest and has the most weighing on her. its great that show is lampshading (something i never expected to say) the fact that ruby is usually just looked to for the answers as well as telling blake to shut up when she tries to do the old "i know things look bad but" schtick that always shows up in the show. its FANTASTIC that ruby just leaves them behind even if we know itll be temporary; i truly hope this is a wakeup call for WBY who have been passive in rubys life for FAR TOO LONG despite all ruby has done for them

and its AMAZING that ruby *CALLED BLAKE AND YANG OUT* for prioritizing their relationship NOW! like i said on twitter, rubys reaction to the bees means her "what" in reaction to weiss' "finally" earlier in the vol wasnt confusion. it was disbelief that this is the priority for her sister and teammate after everything and considering where they are; not in a homophobic way (duh) but in a "we are literally in hell and salem is still OUT THERE with two relics and a maiden and we destroyed a fourth of the known world bc of a plan crumbled as we made it AND PENNY IS DEAD and we dont know what happened to our friends and all the civilians and NOW this is a priority?!" way, WHICH IS SO FANTASTIC. i just hope that the writers let this stand and dont have ruby walk back her feelings to protect WBY's because shes 100% RIGHT.

and jaune. oh jaune. i think its easy to forget that jaune really has sort of revolved his entire life around ruby for the past few years; hes really the only one thats never left rubys side, except unwillingly. so hes really not wrong when he says that it IS all about ruby, it always has been; yes, he chose to go with her but doing that has led him to do some really terrible things and of course when he's experienced such high levels of trauma (they all have) and then is abandoned to a madhouse of the ever after, hes gonna snap, AND HE ACKNOWLEDGES THAT HES NOT WELL. he knows hes struggling, he realizes that he shouldnt have yelled, but hes VALID FOR STRUGGLING IN THE FIRST PLACE. again, i hope its something that the writers let continue naturally and not just have it walked back or dismissed as a lot of male trauma is done in the show (looking at you ren i see you)

side note, how WILD is it that yang literally *moves in front of blake* as if to protect her from RUBY?! like thats so insane to me, and it just VALIDATES rubys annoyance and betrayal that yang is prioritizing blake and their feelings over ruby and their situation here. also, yang protecting blake???? i thought blake was the fiesty one? the one that had a shouting match with weiss for hours? the one that shoved past sun and shouted "hes mine" to get at roman? then again, ever since adams death she barely been able to fight at all so maybe i should just stop being surprised that blake is a wilting wallflower even around her own friends. and BOLD MOVES from yang to act like RUBY is the dangerous one when shes rightfully showing anger and frustration, like yang isnt literally the one known to have anger issues and lash out at ppl. i guess its only okay when yang is mad, ruby really is just having a hysterical woman moment i suppose

UGH this is just so nice and i hate to praise miles about anything but hes always voiced jaune very well and this is a real standout moment from both him and lindsey. good catharsis and felt really good for a least a tiny TINY bit of my critiques of team rwby to be acknowledged by ruby and jaune; hopefully this shit can continue and let them ALL learn and honestly i hope we get even more scenes of ruby and jaune laying into others/each other and bringing criticism that rwde has been saying for years to the screen

Former President Donald Trump has become an outspoken critic of transgender women competing in women's sports, frequently discussing the topic at his rallies, but in the past welcomed them in the beauty pageant he ran.

CNN's Andrew Kaczynski resurfaced Trump's stance on trans women competing in the Miss Universe pageant, which he owned from 1996 to 2015. Trump gave several TV and radio interviews in 2012 in which he celebrated the participation of Jenna Talackova, a 23-year-old transgender woman, for partaking in a pageant in Canada, CNN reported.

Several news reports from April 2012 credit Trump specifically with reversing the pageant's ban on transgender women. Trump told CNN at the time he and the Miss Universe Organization had decided to reverse the ban even before they'd heard that Talackova had enlisted women's rights lawyer Gloria Allred to help her challenge it.

Michael Cohen, then Trump's personal lawyer, told E! News that Trump and the organization made the "fair and just decision" to allow Talackova to compete in the Miss Universe 2012 Canada pageant.

"Pageant rules have been modernized to ensure this type of issue does not occur again," Cohen said, adding: "We hope Jenna will now turn her focus to preparing for the upcoming competition. Like all the contestants, Mr. Trump wishes Jenna the best of luck in her quest for the crown."

Trump even praised comments made on stage in 2012 by Miss USA Olivia Culpo in response to a question about trans women competing in the pageant.

"I do think that that would be fair, but I can understand that people would be a little apprehensive to take that road because there is a tradition of natural-born women," Culpo said. "But today where there are so many surgeries and so many people out there who have a need to change for a happier life, I do accept that because I believe it's a free country."

In a June 2012 appearance on Fox News, Trump said Culpo "gave a great answer," CNN reported.

Trump's tone on transgender women competing in women's sports has been pointedly different on the 2024 campaign trail. In countless rallies and speeches, Trump has railed against transgender women and claimed they are destroying women's sports. Trump has also vowed to "ban men from participating in women's sports" and ban "child sexual mutilation."

Transgender teens rarely undergo gender confirmation surgery and more commonly receive hormone treatment. Nationally used guidelines say surgery should only even be considered for patients who are at least 15.

Last week Trump noted during a speech that discussing transgender topics worked up a crowd far more than discussing cutting taxes. "It's amazing how strongly people feel about that," he said of transgender issues, adding: "Five years ago you didn't know what the hell it was."

The American Medical Association this week strengthened its policy on protecting gender-affirming care in response to potential legal or criminal penalties adopted by states.

Trump's office did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

On Gender-critical disputes - Maya Forstater

LINK

Helen Joyce comes up with really good allegories and mental models at the rate of about one a week. But the one that I keep coming back to is one she told me the first time I met her, when I was still scrambling to keep my job at CGD, and trying to understand how it was that my smart and normally convivial colleagues had succumbed to repeating and enforcing irrational, circular nonsense.

1=0

Helen (a mathematician by training) said that pretending that human beings can change sex is like saying 1=0, and that the rules and laws we use for sense-making and decision-making are like a series of interconnected equations. When the 1=0 untruth proliferates through them it breaks things: single-sex becomes mixed-sex, fair becomes unfair, truth becomes lie. It works like kryptonite on safeguards, and causes organisations to operate in direct opposition to their purpose. People who need or want to remain inside those institutions create layers of argument (which may be impenetrable even to themselves) in order to protect the untruth and avoid being cast out.

On the sidelines of FiLiA in October, Helen and I had a long conversation with Jane Clare Jones about our respective positions in the internecine feminist wars.

I’m a feminist in the Rebecca West sense. I don’t claim to know precisely what feminism is; “I only know that people call me a feminist whenever I express sentiments that differentiate me from a doormat, or a prostitute.” I subscribe to the radical notion that women are full human beings, but I don’t subscribe to radical feminism, because I think it’s fundamentally wrong about human nature. Still, I am happy to work with people with whom I disagree where we have common goals.

I have co-founded a human-rights organisation, and I think that the human-rights framework is the way to resolve the question of how society should treat people who identify as transgender (respect their basic human rights and liberties, but don’t respect their fantasy).

Pretending that 1=0 harms everyone’s human rights. It harms women and girls (and, as Julie Bindel points out, it hurts the most powerless women and girls first and hardest), but also parents and children, religious people, people who care about truth and people who care about science. Ultimately, it harms anyone who wants to be able to do their job with integrity, and the people who depend on institutions acting with integrity (which is everyone, but again the least powerful most of all).

So I will talk with everyone who cares about this truth, and who is not seeking to destroy basic human rights (the principle of being “worthy of respect in a democratic society”).

Like most ordinary women in this fight, I think that Woman’s Place UK has done an amazing job in holding indoor events and articulating left-wing arguments, and I think that Standing for Women does an amazing job in holding outdoor events where any woman can speak. The cross-party working with parliamentarians by political activists of all stripes is also crucial.

In our long discussion with Jane in Cardiff, I encouraged her to take her beef with those she disagrees with off Twitter and to write it in long-form, focusing on the principles rather than the interpersonal conflicts and hurts. She and her colleagues at Radical Notion have had a go at that this month.

https://theradicalnotion.org/gender-critical-disputes/

The essays and articles are long and winding (some of the footnotes are long enough to be blog posts in their own right). They add up to a broadside against people who work with anyone, the religious (Christians specifically), conservatives, and those with an evolutionary understanding of human psychology and society. Mary Harrington, Helen Joyce, Kellie-Jay Keen and Kathleen Stock all come in for personal criticism (Kellie-Jay Keen most of all).

I am she-who-cannot-be-named, but clearly I am one of the women doing-feminism-wrong.

I attend Standing for Women events and wear their merch; I follow @troonytunes; I view men dressing as women as a form of “womanface” (this is racist, apparently); I want to defend the word and concept of woman, not just female; I think Matt Walsh made a good film. I don’t think men who think they are women are oppressed, and I do think they can be laughed at.

Worse than this, I have taken part in events with Alliance Defending Freedom, and have even gone for a drink with them afterwards. I refused to denounce Kellie-Jay Keen because Hearts of Oak came to the Standing for Women event in Brighton and made a video. All this puts me outside the narrow bounds of acceptability defined by the Radical Notion team. Fair enough, that’s their party. I never applied to be part of the sisterhood. I don’t see much hope for it having mass appeal, though.

The criticisms of Kellie-Jay Keen, Kathleen Stock, Helen Joyce and Mary Harrington are long, personal, wrong and tedious (I just don’t recognise much of what they are describing and it would take me far too long to explain why). The articles vacillate incoherently between “we are not the same movement” and “we are mobilizing as a collective”.

Blame it on the Patriarchy

I think the reason the authors end up making long-winded and unsatisfactory arguments is because they start out from an idea about the world that is fundamentally wrong.

The editorial piece by Rose Rickford spells out the 1=0 statement in its first line: “Patriarchy is not universal, and it is not inevitable. It was developed by people through historical processes for the material purpose of controlling and appropriating women’s bodies and labour.

I think the idea that the thing called “patriarchy” was overlaid on top of (and after) the evolution of human bodies and minds is just as untrue as the idea that men can become women, or the nonsense that the “binary system of gender” is a Western, colonial export.

Every human being who was ever born was gestated inside the body of a woman (and until 1983 that woman was in every case the biological mother of that child). A foetus “appropriates” its mother’s body progressively from the moment of conception, stripping the calcium from her teeth and bones if it needs to, squashing her organs and stretching her pelvis. A baby may kill its mother on its way out. The whole process is primal and brutal. It is inevitable, universal, and in no sense man-made. “Patriarchy”, if it means appropriating women’s bodies for the production of children, is baked-in.

We share the basics of this with other animals, but human beings have some specific features: hidden ovulation (and therefore uncertain paternity) and long, dependent childhoods. It is our long and labour-intensive childhood that enables our species to be uniquely versatile in the ecological niches it occupies, and devastatingly creative in the problems we solve and create for each other. Human behavioural and intellectual flexibility, big brains, long dependent childhoods, painful birth, uncertain paternity, intensive parental involvement and sexual politics are inherent to humanity (it’s what the Bible seeks to explain in the story of The Fall).

The mother-child dyad and the mother-father-child triad are essential parts of who we are, in the same way that women are the “big gamete” people and men the “small gamete” ones. And this is not just about infancy. For a child to survive to reproductive adulthood, it must “appropriate” resources (food, energy, attention and protection), almost always from its mother and usually from its father too, for 15 years or more. Social structures co-evolved alongside the bodies and minds built to do this (men built for the small-gamete route to the future and women for the large-gamete one).

There are no societies that do not view nuclear family relationships as centrally important. The emotions that underpin them — lust, love, shame, sexual jealousy, the parent-child bond, guilt, anger, pride and so on — are evolved and universally recognisable.

There are no societies where women are not vulnerable to rape, or where men are not capable of it. There are no societies where women do not bear the risks and physical impacts of pregnancy, and the responsibility for their infants. There are no societies where men are not on average stronger, faster and more powerful than women. There are no societies where the question of who is the father of the child, and the role of the father in providing for that child, are not viewed as important, or which lack social norms, status and structures reflecting this.

The idea that these features of “patriarchy” did not co-evolve with our big-brained, creative, flexible, language-using species is as improbable as people being “born in the wrong body”.

While I recognise the painful split that Jane describes, her division of the two teams into “true feminists” and “gender-critical identitarianism” is off the mark.

I think what we are seeing is the contradictions of a philosophy that does not make sense (it envisages a world where male violence is universal, but not biological; where women and men’s interests are negotiated on a “sex-class” basis; where family can be replaced by collective, and where prosperity exists without capitalism). It is another case of when ideology meets reality.

By contrast, what might be called “Mumsnet feminism” focuses on the messy material reality of mothers, fathers (good and bad, present and absent) and children, who need care and protection. It may be low on theory but it can see gender ideology and queer theory for what it is; an attack on the social structures that protect children (many of which are derided as part of the patriarchy by those who see the world this way).

A key theme running through criticisms of the “populists” in the magazine is disapproval at calling-out the behaviour of male sexual deviants in dresses, and at “othering” people who pretend to be the opposite sex.

But this is the dark heart of what we have not been allowed to talk about. Pronouns are rohypnol. Language is an evolved, hard-wired risk-appraisal protocol. So too is the ability to see things, say what we see and recognise patterns. The moral disgust reflex is part of this. So too is laughter and ridicule.

Jane argues that we should try to repress feelings of distaste, disgust or mirth at men in women’s clothing (and sometimes that is the polite or prudent thing to do). But encouraging people to repress the tools of pattern recognition and risk appraisal, and cast-out those who don’t is how the gender ideology movement works. It make things unsayable and lowers people’s barriers. Men in women’s spaces should raise alarm. This is the practical truth that the thought-control and language-control has been trying to obscure.

Freedom of expression, the ability to make arguments and observations in plain, simple language is crucial. So too is the ability to mock and laugh (which is a means of saying that something isn’t right). None of this should be forbidden.

I hope that when the battle for clarity about biological sex in law and policy has been won, a new Darwinian feminist synthesis might develop. Understanding how we came to be does not mean accepting that we cannot change anything.

Right now, though, I am busy trying to work with and communicate with whoever is concerned by gender ideology. Jane Clare Jones and her colleagues may choose to work with a smaller circle that doesn’t include me, or Helen, Kellie-Jay, Kathleen Stock or Mary Harrington, or religious women and men, or conservative women and men, or so many ordinary people who just want to say men are not women, and children need protecting.

In a choice between being part of an ideologically pure sisterhood and pragmatic and effective impact, I would chose impact.

Ruin was an amazing villain, but he could’ve done more. The way Sanderson wrote the scope of his actions has Ruin feeling mediocre compared to Preservation's grand plans, despite Preservation dying for millennia unlike Ruin.

One of the flaws I have with The Hero of Ages is that Ruin didn’t manipulate the kandra. I understand he’s a god trying to destroy the world, but he TAUGHT Rashek how to use Hemalurgy. Ruin was essentially responsible for creating kandra. And we saw how efficiently he controlled koloss and Inquisitors, and those who’ve had spikes for exponentially less time.

IMO the kandra should’ve been his pawns throughout their 1000 years of life, manipulated in a similar way as TLR and Vin. I imagine he could influence the Generations to grow more complacent and KanPaar to start a revolt. Even if the kandra still pull out their spikes (which makes no sense imo), at least this enhances the threat of Ruin. We canonically know that Ruin was responsible for manipulating Shezler and fabricating fake stories, in order to lead Kelsier to the Eleventh Metal's existence. Why not take it a step further, and have Ruin lead OreSeur into Kelsier's rebellion. He could even mold OreSeur and TenSoon into rebellious kandra, and explicitly manipulate Zane into a position that would goad chaotic situations and Vin.

I was discussing with a friend about Ruin’s influence on the world of Scadrial, and we agreed that Ruin should’ve done more with his Apocalypse. It would’ve been better if Ruin enveloped Scadrial in more natural disasters - floods, hurricanes, more earthquakes, tsunamis, thunderstorms, blizzards etc… Granted, it’s possible Ruin didn’t create more natural disasters because he wants humanity alive to benefit his search for atium. But if that was the case, Sanderson should've made it clearer.

I've realized that Ruin’s nigh-omniscience seems more limited than it should. The amateur Vin could sense the humans that are within the storage caverns, and hear Elend's voice from the Trustwarren. The amateur Sazed could sense the inhabitants within the metal-covered Trustwarren and storage caverns, protect them and move them around. According to a WoB he healed everyone in them. I know that Ruin could probably see through places like Fadrex's cavern, considering he interacted with Vin, But it sounds… off that Ruin couldn’t sense his atium, or at least not be aware of the Kandra Homeland.

Also, I'm not sure I like that Ruin’s personality is mainly a representation of death and entropy. I understand he’s supposed to be a force of change, so I wish his actions showed a side focused on change. We know he guided Kelsier towards crafting his rebellion, so he could’ve been responsible for other rebellions throughout history. The Crescent and Remote Dominances, and the Southern islands, seems to have been outside of Empire control. So Ruin could’ve taught them how to make advancements in technology. Since he’s a being of change, perhaps his goals could remain the same but his _personality_ is more neutral and calmer than canon. I don’t think Ruin is truly malicious, but his gloating(ugh) comes across that way.

Alternatively, he could've been just as destructive as canon, while intelligently planning things out to achieve multiple avenues for death. Manipulate people into destroying kingdoms and empires in the past, advance technology to breed war, create brand new Hemalurgic constructs after his release etc... There are so many avenues Sanderson could've taken for Ruin to consistently be this competent, subtle schemer he was during Alendi's era and WoA.

And according to Cosmere fans I've talked with, Ruin is one of the worst Shards at seeing the future. I have a big problem with that. Ruin is supposed to hasten and represent the inevitabilities of death and entropy and change. Preservation only wants to keep the universe the same. Even if Ruin is worse at precognition there shouldn’t be a big gap. Not only that, but he was surely setting up long-term and impossible to track schemes centuries in advance, like the Eleventh Metal fabrications and warping the Terris Prophecies. So he must've been seeing into the future to make them possible.

I know there's something something Secret History, something something Intent. But I can only take so much BS from a main antagonist before their threat feels neutered. Though I can’t speak about the other Shards until I read more. I've read Elantris and The Emperor's Soul, so I can at least see Devotion and Dominion being better at future sight than Ruin. Hopefully there are Shards that justify Brandon’s perspective on Ruin’s precognition.

to find what we were chasing after (I believe I found it here, in your love)

ao3

Summary:

He loved, and loved, and loved. He loved until his fingers were stained red and purple and splotchy green with it, loved until his heart only beat in tandem with another.

or

A few times Castiel felt love and all that entails.

Ship: Dean/Cas

Word count: 1,287

you called me Angel for the first time, my heart leapt from me

The first real emotion Castiel felt in his eons of existence was love. Love for Dean Winchester. It stung in his grace, burrowed it’s way down until it became a fundamental part of him, the pillar of his heart, that if one were to remove his love for a singular human, a speck on the earth and in all the years he has roamed the universe, he would crumble with it. He first felt it in a windswept barn, bloodstained and new to this vessel, new to this world. He felt it stab into his very core, burn him like acid, tear deep into him when the most wonderful soul he had ever seen told Castiel it didn’t deserve to be saved. He felt love wrench his heart open, but he did not know it was love. He thought perhaps it was pity, perhaps it was sympathy. He wrote it off as a single occurrence, a fluke in the fabric of the universe, a fluke in the fabric of him.

you smile now, I can still see it’s pieces stuck between your teeth. and what’s left of it, I listen to it tick. every tedious beat going unknown as any angel to me

The second time Castiel felt love, it was on a windy park bench, invisible to all but himself. He mulled over Dean’s words, the ones calling him, no, accusing him of being a soldier, of not thinking before firing. Of not doubting an absent father, of not trying to rebel. He had doubts. He wondered, he theorized, he questioned. But never had he thought to directly disobey orders from heaven. He trusted their intentions, if not their methods. Dean had changed that, made him wonder, made him think things an Angel was never supposed to. He watched the children on the playground run and holler, watched one fall and another help her up. They did not know each other until ten minutes ago. Castiel had watched them meet, their tentative first conversation to their new invention of a game. He wondered if Dean ever got the be so carefree. He felt love in his fascination, in the pure beauty of human nature. That a child would so help another they barely knew. He was enraptured in the way this love seemed to lift him higher than his wings ever had, up, up, up, a balloon of sorts. He did not notice when Dean Winchester sat beside him. Instead, he thought, I can’t believe Uriel would destroy this town, destroy these children and these wonderful, amazing, beacons of humanity. And when he gazed around him, at the frolicking children and hovering parents, he turned and saw Dean. Dean, who had helped him realize just how amazing humans truly were, who had commanded him to keep this town, who had stood up to an angel of seemingly infinite power and that he had no way to harm, no way to kill, should Castiel turn. Dean, who still thought Castiel a simple tool of heaven. He suddenly felt the insatiable, unexplainable urge to let Dean know, that no, he was not simply a soldier following orders. He had his doubts, he had his faults. So he appeared and told him. When the conversation was seemingly over, he flapped his wings but did not leave. He stayed, invisible and instead of observing the park, he observed Dean. He watched the fondness and longing in his gaze as he scanned the park, the yearning. Castiel wondered what he yearned for. Was it a friend? Another accomplice? Perhaps Castiel could fill that gap for Dean, another way to protect him. He decided then that it would be his life mission too, the twin mantras of Protect Dean Winchester and Provide for Dean Winchester ringing in his bones. That was the third time he felt love, ringing in his skull and sanding down his battle-hewn edges, unknowing of the human before him but instinctually knowing he must provide, must protect.

you know the distance never made a difference to me. I swam a lake of fire, I’d have walked across the floor of any sea

And so it goes. Castiel loved humanity, Cas loved Dean. Cas. No longer a soldier of god, simply a shield. It took him years to finally recognize the love in him, the most foreign feeling he knew. It took until he had fallen twice, until he had experienced as much human emotion as he could, to finally pinpoint the strange flutter, lilt, or tug. Love was a tidal wave, hitting him with such force he feared he would drown. Love was a hurricane of cursed intent, the inane way he would tear apart the world for one soul. Love was Helios, so bright and burning Castiel feared that his wings would melt. Love was his trench coat, dry and smelling of Dean, taken back from the box in the upper right corner of the Impala’s trunk. The box where Dean placed his most important belongings, where he kept his whiskey-worn leather jacket and mother’s old oxidized jewelry, the objects he couldn’t bear to part with. Love was the Devil, but perhaps Lucifer had been more merciful than love ever could be. Castiel learned what love was from a broken man with a gleaming soul, who looked at you with shattered eyes and walked like he felt the burden of the world on his shoulders.

funny how true colors shine in darkness and in secrecy, if there were scarlet flags they washed down in the mind of me

Angels did not feel. Well, they did, but only ever the simple base emotions simpler creatures did. They did not love, they did not regret, they did not guilt. Most thought themselves simply unwilling to, some did not think angels were capable of love. None bothered to try. If they loved, what distinction would they have with measly humans? Power was not such a great divide as asininity and apathy was. They didn’t try to love because they didn’t want to love. All except Cas. He loved, and loved, and loved. He loved until his fingers were stained red and purple and splotchy green with it, loved until his heart only beat in tandem with another. He was awed by it, awed by all that love could do. He loved and loved and did not expect anything in return, how could he? The first thing all angels had been taught was to not be selfish. So he loved and did not know if the love was returned, did not know if Dean loved back. He never planned to find out. Not until he had been flayed open and laid bare and had no other choice. “I love you,” he had told Dean. But perhaps love was too small a word for all he felt. He felt no word would be able to communicate all he wanted to say, so instead he tried to tell his love in his eyes. The humans said they were the windows to the soul. They were correct. Dean had told him once that to know if someone was in love, you had to see their eyes. So Castiel poured all of his years and years and years of love into his gaze, the last one he would ever give Dean. And when the Empty took him, his last thought was I hope he understands the magnitude of my love.

do you know, I could break beneath the weight. of the goodness, love, I still carry for you. that I’d walk so far just to take the injury of finally knowing you

Our Lady's Medjugorje Mission of Peace

In this video we share Our Lady's Medjugorje Mission of Peace.   Please support my channel by liking, sharing and subscribing!   Our Lady's mission in Medjugorje is one of peace.   She has come to earth to reeducate us and to help us convert and recenter our lives back to God.   Our Lady's role has always been one of guiding people to Her Son, Jesus.   What an amazing opportunity we have before us!   Our Lady's call to conversion is urgent, and we should respond with all our hearts.   Once Our Lady has stopped appearing there will be three warnings given to the world.   These warnings will be in the form of events on earth.   They will occur within Mirjana's lifetime, and Mirjana will be a witness to them.   Ten days before each of the warnings, she will advise the priest she chose for this task (Father Petar Ljubicic), who will then pray and fast with Mirjana for seven days.   Then, three days before each warning is to take place, Father Petar will announce to the world what, where, and when the warning will take place.   Father Petar has no choice, and must reveal each warning.   After the first warning, the other two will follow in a rather short period of time.   That interval will be a period of great grace and conversion.   After the permanent, visible, supernatural, and indestructible sign appears on the mountain where Our Lady first appeared in Medjugorje,  there will be little time for conversion.   For that reason, the Blessed Virgin invites us to urgent conversion and reconciliation.   The permanent sign will lead to many healings and conversions before the secrets become reality.   According to Mirjana, the events predicted by the Blessed Virgin are near.   By virtue of this experience, Mirjana proclaims to the world: 'Hurry, be converted; open your hearts to God.' ​ The ninth and tenth secrets are serious.   They concern chastisement for the sins of the world.   Punishment is inevitable, for we cannot expect the whole world to be converted.   The punishment can be diminished by prayer and penance, but it cannot be eliminated.   Mirjana says that one of the evils that threatened the world,   the one contained in the seventh secret,   has been averted,   thanks to prayer and fasting.   That is why the Blessed Virgin continues to encourage prayer and fasting: "You have forgotten that with prayer and fasting you can ward off wars,   suspend natural laws." ​ In addition to this basic message, Mirjana related an apparition she had in 1982, which sheds some light on certain aspects of Church history.   She spoke of an apparition in which satan appeared to her,   and asked Mirjana to renounce Our Lady and to follow him.   By doing so she could be happy in love and in life.   He added that following Our Lady would only lead to suffering.   Mirjana rejected him, and immediately Our Lady appeared and Satan disappeared.   Then Our Lady gave Mirjana the following message: ​ "Excuse me for this, but you must realize that Satan exists.   One day he appeared before the throne of God and asked permission to submit the Church to a period of trial.   God gave him permission to try the Church for one century.   This century is under the power of the devil; but when the secrets confided to you come to pass, his power will be destroyed.   Even now he is beginning to lose his power and has become aggressive.   He is destroying marriages, creating divisions among priests and is responsible for obsessions and murder.   You must protect yourselves against these things through fasting and prayer,   especially community prayer.   Carry blessed objects with you.   Put them in your house,   and restore the use of holy water." ​ According to certain Catholic experts who have studied these apparitions,   this message of Mirjana may shed light on the vision Pope Leo XIII had.   According to them, it was after having had an apocalyptic vision of the future of the Church that Leo XIII introduced the prayer to Saint Michael,   which priests used to recite after Mass up to the time of the Second Vatican Council.   These experts say that the century of trials foreseen by Leo XIII is about to end.   ​ Since the apparitions began in 1981, approximately 40 million people of all faiths, from all over the world, have visited Medjugorje and have left spiritually strengthened and renewed.   Many bring back stories of miracles in the form of healings (of mind, body and spirit), supernatural visual signs, and deep conversions back to God.   You owe it to yourself and your loved ones,  to investigate with an open mind and heart the messages which are given to us by Our Lady of Medjugorje.   I invite you to read these messages and decide for yourself how they will affect your life and that of your family.      

'Can a weapon be inherently evil? A pistol used to shoot a Nazi in France in 1944, brought home by a demobbed GI and later used to kill a bank teller during a robbery in 50s New York is the same device in both instances.

The mechanism functions the same way – the trigger, firing pin and magazine co-operate in oiled unanimity to ignite a cordite charge and propel a bullet of identical mass from the barrel at the same velocity. Regardless of whether the trigger finger belongs to a citizen soldier, defending civilisation by killing a fascist occupier, or a thief, murdering an innocent civilian for a bundle of bank notes, the pistol is coldly adaptable.

Small arms are responsible for around 40 per cent of global violent deaths, excluding suicide according to the Small Arms Survey. Despite the focus on weapons of mass destruction, we should not forget this.

This is not an argument that weapons are neutral – that “guns don’t kill people, people kill people”, as the inane NRA (National Rifle Association) bumper sticker claims. Obviously, people choose to kill people, but it’s self-evidently easier with a gun than with something less suitable. Gun control introduced after Dunblane has protected this country from the school and other mass shootings that the United States continues to suffer from, and thank goodness for it.

Rather, my question explores whether there’s a moral quality to a weapon. A gun – which can be used to defend the innocent just as easily as to harm them – is a controversial creation, but pales in comparison to the atomic bomb, which Christopher Nolan’s new film, Oppenheimer, invites us to consider this, by following the agonies of its creator.

The Bomb changed the world in a blinding flash. It did so with such shocking force that even now, almost 80 years after its two deployments in anger, the very concept of a weapon so powerful continues to distort our assessment of its moral nature.

In particular, it remains hard for us to acknowledge, and to fully accept, that the most destructive device ever invented – something so elemental that its inventors feared that testing it might accidentally ignite Earth’s atmosphere and destroy the world – has proved to be humanity’s most effective force not for death and war but for peace.

Oppenheimer’s team did an amazing thing in ensuring that the forces of democracy and civilisation won that technological race. They were under little illusion that they were working towards delivering the end of the most dreadful conflict in human history by the most blunt force possible, but they also knew the alternatives were vastly worse.

At best, many thousands more allied soldiers, occupied civilians and slave labourers would have perished in a grinding out of the war by conventional means. At worst, if the Axis powers secured this technology first, a lasting darkness would have settled over the world which we can only begin to imagine.

So they worked, and they succeeded, and history took this path instead. Their moral dilemmas at the concept and then the reality of their work, and at the obliteration of Nagasaki and Hiroshima are well-documented, and will no doubt be explored further in Oppenheimer.

What came after deserves consideration, too. The nuclear bomb became, and continues to be, an amazingly successful deterrent to war. Nato, underpinned as the most successful force for peace in human history because of the dreadful reality of the atomic bomb, has kept its members safe to live their happy and comfortable lives since 1947 and continues to do so today.

This is all too easy to disregard. At the weekend I encountered a stall run by the local branch of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament. How, I asked, could they still bang this drum even while Ukraine – a country which gave up a nuclear arsenal only to be invaded by one of the nuclear-armed countries which agreed to respect its borders in return – is wracked by the very horrors the nuclear deterrent has protected us from?

The response – once they’d recited the usual dogma about poor Russia being provoked to murder Ukrainians by Nato aggression – was outrage. Peace? How could a weapon, a hugely destructive weapon of unparalleled force, possibly bring peace?

I can understand that it’s counterintuitive that a bomb might be a force against war, but it remains true nonetheless, and a truth that it is vitally important that we do not overlook.

Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and more are just as “guilty” as Ukraine – in the twisted worldview of Kremlin imperialism – of supposed crimes against Russia.

Each condemns the crimes of their former Soviet occupiers, each looks westward for its future to democracy and reason rather than east to violence and paranoia, and each celebrates a culture and an identity which Russia previously sought to suppress. And yet those in Nato have not been subjected to punitive invasion for their defiance, while Ukraine, denied Nato membership even now, has been invaded twice, her cities bombed and occupied, and her children kidnapped and deported to Russia in their thousands.

What is the difference between these nations? Only one: those at peace are sheltered beneath the nuclear umbrella, while their unfortunate neighbour, forced to suffer war, is not.

If we recognise that there are no inherently good or evil weapons – if the gun fired in liberation is no different to the gun fired in greed – then we must also acknowledge that, although a nuclear bomb is the most terrifying weapon in history, the Western allies actively chose to do such good with it. Deplore the bomb, by all means. Lament its possibility, its existence and its toll. But be thankful, too, that it has been used for such a beneficial cause as to protect us all.'

Glass Spice Bottles Vs Plastic Spice Bottles

If you are a lover of spiced food, you must have several spices in your kitchen. How you store your spices will determine whether they will stay fresh for a long time. For your spices to retain their freshness and spice your food as expected, you must store them in spice bottles. However, spice bottles are made of different materials, so you must choose the best. In this article, we will discuss glass spice bottles and plastic spice bottles. Which ones are the best?

Even though both plastic and glass spice bottles are good for storing spices, one performs better than the other. Many people prefer glass spice bottles over plastic ones for the following reasons.

Protecting Spices From Moisture

One of the reasons for storing spices in a spice bottle is to protect them from moisture. Unfortunately, some plastic spice bottles are porous, which allows some small amount of air into the container leading to contamination of spices. Once air enters the bottle, the freshness of the spices is lost, and the spices expire even before the expected expiry date. Glass spice bottles do not allow air into the bottle, and therefore they protect the spices from moisture. This makes the spices stay up to the expiry period.

A Secure Seal

When buying spice bottles, you should look for a bottle with a secure seal to ensure your spices will be free from contamination and spillage. Glass spice bottles are more secure than some plastic spice bottles since the glass bottle’s cap has good contact with the bottle hence closing it tightly. But there are also some plastic spice bottles with a secure seal, so if you decide to buy plastic spice bottles, you must ensure you buy a spice bottle with a secure seal. Whether buying plastic or glass spice bottles, you must ensure in case the bottle falls, the spices will not spill.

Protection From High And Low Temperatures

When plastics are exposed to extreme high or low temperatures, it tends to leach hence introducing plastics into the spices. In addition, spices put into plastic spice bottles have the taste and smell of plastics, which make them lose their natural flavor and aroma. On the other hand, glass doesn’t leach chemicals into the spices, which will keep them natural and healthy for use. However, all spice jars should be kept in the dark and not directly exposed to the sunlight.

Reusability

Glass spice bottles can be used repeatedly without degrading in quality. Plastic spice bottles can be reused but with time, they warp, melt or degrade. You need to be extra careful when storing plastic spice bottles, so ensure you do not place them in a place with high temperatures like near or above heated kitchen appliances such as a stove, dishwasher, oven, or microwave. Glass spice bottles are preferred since they offer long service and don’t need extra care when handling them.

Durability

When comparing a glass spice bottle with a plastic bottle, a glass spice bottle lasts longer than a plastic spice bottle. This is because plastics are malleable; hence some can get dents, and their shapes distort. When their normal shapes are interfered with, it is hard for the lid to close the bottle tightly, which will endanger your spices in case the bottle drops. Besides, it also creates a good condition for moisture to destroy your spices.

Conclusion

Environmental factors, such as moisture, sunlight, etc., can affect spices. Therefore, buying a spice bottle that will protect the spices from damage and all the environmental factors is essential. Glass spice bottles have proved to be the best for spices for their amazing qualities. In addition, storing spices in a glass spice bottle is safer and healthier.

Glass Spice Jar Set Manufacturer

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The Effects of Cold Weather on Your Apple MacBook Pro

The sky is clear and the sun is out in full force. And now we reach the end of the discussion. Smiling. A feeling of familiarity emerges inside you. Possessing this feeling is a treat. Some optimism about the future. There hasn't been this much hope for your creative future in years, maybe even decades. Exactly what has changed to make you feel so great now? For what reason do you feel as if an onslaught of productivity is about to hit you out of the blue? This is because you just walked out of the local Apple store with a shiny, brand-new MacBook that looks just amazing. Congratulations on your new Mac purchase.

Oh, but hold on a second. Just what is it that you're feeling at this very moment?

There's a constant, unrelenting force pulling you and your shiny new MacBook to the ground. It's like you and your shiny new MacBook are being dragged to the floor by an invisible hand. Specifically, what is it? Why do you feel it now, when you clearly should have felt it a long time ago? Have you only just seen it, or has it always been there? Wait a minute, could it be yes! Gravity! What you just experienced was the weight of gravity pulling you down. This is the force of nature that attracts flooring and destroys your beautiful new MacBook. We don't see why this is such a horrible penalty. How come it always plays out the same? To what does it attribute its extreme aversion to your brand-new Mac's display? It's dragging it over the floor in the hope that maybe, just maybe, it'll crack it, but why? Just how can we get even with them!?

You do not have to constantly worry about being crushed by gravity anymore

A Macbook Air M2 Screen Protector is the answer to protecting your MacBook's display. Taking the drama out of the scenario, however, it is still neither fun nor cheap to have to fix the screen of a brand-new MacBook or MacBook Pro that has suffered a screen break. Professional screen repair might cost as much as $299 without Apple Care. Putting in a screen protector for your MacBook right away will keep your investment protected and give you the peace of mind you need to go on with your day.

MacBooks Can Discreetly Fit Into

The sleekness of MacBooks is well knowledge. Because they are enclosed in aluminum all the way around, they are both aesthetically pleasing and technologically advanced. But there's always a catch, so to speak. All of that alluring slipperiness comes with a substantial threat. Most of us, even the most careful among us, have misplaced our phones, keys, or wallets at some point or another. Even a little mishap, such as dropping your MacBook, may result in an expensive repair cost and a lot of stress. An unintentional "Crap! I'm already late to class," a hasty "Throw my MacBook under my arm," a dash down the stairs and out onto the sidewalk, a tripped foot on the edge of the curb, the realization that you really should have purchased a Macbook Air Screen Protector for your MacBook, and a bigger "Crap!" are all it takes to ruin your day.