#hh: contrary

[heromonty]

In the interest of attempting to keep his mind off his missing kid, Edward returned to his telescope. And this time, he had some visitors.

Returning a few hours later a bit more crispy and very smelly, Edward felt like shit. Thanks to the Alien Experiments Mod, Edward straight up died lol. Luckily, he was resurrected without any alterations. Which he should count his blessing because there was a chance he could've been revived as a zombie.

Fun fact: This man got abducted again right after this. Now there was no visible changes or memory loss so either a) he's pregnant, or b) nothing happened. To be confirmed next round.

Also, the police didn't find Rick so there's also that. To my understanding, teens who have run away should return on their own once they’re 2 days away from aging up. So he'll be MIA for this household, not sure if he'll pop up when I'm playing others.

[dandelionsresilience]

Dandelion News - April 22-28

Based on the results of this poll, for the next few weeks I’m gonna test out doing 5 articles a week instead of 10, as part of an effort to maintain my own mental health. If these half-sized posts get markedly fewer notes, I’ll try to figure out a different compromise.

Like these weekly compilations? Tip me at $kaybarr1735 or check out my Dandelion Doodles!

1. Turning Surfboard Waste Into Sustainable Housing

“A Hawaiian architecture firm has found a creative way to repurpose discarded surfboard foam by transforming it into building blocks for constructing homes. […] The firm also partners with local businesses to collect foam from packaging materials[….] While the materials used are lightweight, they still offer excellent insulation and durability, addressing both environmental and practical needs.”

2. HHS Walks Back “Autism Registry” Plans

“Thursday April 24th, HHS said in written statements to multiple journalists that they will not be creating an autism registry, contrary to Dr. Bhattacharya’s statements. HHS’ reversal on creating an autism registry shows that even when it seems that no one is listening, your voice matters. Public outcry seems to have caused HHS to change course and walk away from some of the most concerning aspects of the project. Right now, HHS does not appear to be creating a centralized list of autistic people that could be used against our community.”

3. Teaming up to track the Pacific walrus

“In Alaska, western scientists often collaborate with Alaska Native hunters when counting, tagging, and/or sampling wildlife. The Indigenous knowledge and expertise that these hunters bring encompasses everything from animal behavior and capture techniques, to reading the weather and sea ice.”

4. Workers in 600+ US Cities to Protest 'Billionaire Takeover' on May Day

“The protests will take place in over 600 cities in all 50 states, said organizers[….] “Across the nation, we're reclaiming May Day in the spirit it was born, in solidarity with immigrants, in defense of all working people who make our schools run, our hospitals heal, our trains move, and our cities thrive."”

5. Loos to loaves: How the ‘nervous wees’ of London Marathon runners are being turned into fertiliser

“The campaign is powered by Peequal, a company designing women’s urinals that it claims are 2.7 times faster to use than traditional port-a-loos[.…] Instead of being sent into sewage systems, the collected urine will be treated using bacteria to extract nutrients like nitrogen, a chemical that wheat craves. The fertiliser will then be trialled on test fields to evaluate its performance. According to NPK Recovery’s estimates, 1,000 litres of urine could eventually grow enough wheat for about 195 loaves of bread.”

Bonus: Wildlife livestreams!

April 15-21 news here | (all credit for images and written material can be found at the source linked; I don’t claim credit for anything but curating.)

[hamliet]

Hazbin Hotel Has Better Theology Than Most Modern "Christian" Stories

As a Christian who was raised in a fundie cult and escaped to now have a far healthier and vital faith, I genuinely really like this show. The songs are bops. The characters are well crafted and interesting, and likable too. The art design is bizarre but appealing.

And, as a theology nerd who studied theology as part leaving said cult and also has since gotten papers published in theology, I'm actually fairly impressed by the show's handling of theology.

No, I'm not expecting the story to preach or even like, be explicitly Christian in a lot of ways. But it's taking a lot of the really beautiful aspects of Christian theology and re-contextualizing them in a way designed to provoke thought: by juxtaposing them with the antithesis of what you would think, by making demons heroes. In my opinion, this makes the beauty shine brighter.

Yeah, yeah, it's designed to be offensive and obscene in a lot of ways. Yet, it's never (thus far) mean-spirited. On the contrary, it seems to have a big, beating heart at its core that is perhaps best embodied by Charlie Morningstar, its protagonist and the daughter of Lucifer and Lilith.

Critique of the Church, with Caveats

The story works best with an interpretation that heaven isn't actually heaven or God (who has been conspicuously absent), but instead as a critique of the church. Specifically, the evangelical American church, and specifically, white evangelicals. (Same as She-Ra's premise, actually).

God's absence therefore makes sense, because while Christians do believe God is present as a living reality among us, we also can't like, see him physically now. So, God being not even mentioned in HH makes it seem more like a mortal reality rather than an immortal one. Honestly I kinda hope God doesn't appear in the story, not only because I think it could cross some lines (which is admittedly personal), but also because I don't see that the story really needs it.

Adam in particular reminds me of every "theobro" on Twitter (I'm not calling it what you want me to, El*n). Basically a dudebro coopting his supposed salvation to flex in an often misogynistic way, who doesn't realize that he has absolutely no love in him and therefore is actually a worse human being than everyone he condemns on the regular.

(Which is kind of why I'm expecting Adam to wake up in hell next season...)

Think red hats. And Mark Driscoll. And, I have a list of pastors. Sigh. They advocate for how "simple" Christianity is, except they themselves make it ridiculously complicated and don't even examine what they suppose is "simple" if it requires them to take the planks out of their own eyes. "Shallow" is a better description of what they actually preach.

But what sends people to hell or heaven anyways?

Eschatology and Atonement Theory

Hazbin Hotel combines a lot of theories, throwing not only the idea of a physical hell (albeit mixed with Dante's idea of what hell is the Inferno, but to be fair a lot of the church has adopted that idea too) but the idea of annihilation, which HH calls "extermination."

See, in Christianity, there's a lot of debate about hell. Like, since 2000 years ago. The reason is because a lot of Bible verses seem to indicate hell, but others indicate the eventual redemption and salvation of absolutely everything in the universe, so you have Christian universalism tracing itself back just as long. But, setting aside universalism, people who do believe in hell tend to fall into one of two camps:

Physical hell, aka suffering for eternity, or annihilation: the idea that souls that aren't saved end up annihilated, or snuffed from existence. HH combines both of them, wherein everyone lives in hell but then every so often heaven "exterminates" a certain number of sinners.

And then you also have Catholic purgatory, which is also adapted in HH in that... for most Christians, physical hell doesn't offer the ability to redeem yourself. Chance over, you're dead. But, Catholic Christianity, which draws on ideas of praying for the dead, has the idea that people can improve themselves or be prayed out of it and into heaven. This seems to be somewhat similar to the idea of Charlie's hotel, in that sinners can improve, redeem themselves, and rise to heaven.

And, I mean, it's already kinda worked. Sir Pentious acted out Jesus' words: Greater love has no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends (John 15:13).

But anyways, the branch of theology that deals with the afterlife is eschatology. And Hazbin Hotel takes on a related form of theology as well, a type of theology I've only seen covered in stories once before (The House in Fata Morgana): atonement theory.

Atonement theory is something I remember well from my theology 101 class, as in I remember sitting with a friend and her turning to me and being like, "okay, so we know Jesus' death and resurrection give us eternal life, but we have no idea how or why?" To which the answer was "basically, yeah."

Most of the white, American evangelical church is very "penal substitutionary atonement," but the reality is that this theory has only been popular for the past few hundred years. It's also, imo, somewhat scripturally unsound. But there are a lot of other theories, and sometimes the theories overlap. Here's a fairly decent summary. (I'm in general a believer in Christus Victor.)

So how does atonement theory tie into Hazbin Hotel? Well, essentially the scene where Charlie and Vaggie are debating with Emily, Sera, Adam, Lute, and others in heaven is them going over various atonement theories and realizing that they actually know nothing at all. How does one get to heaven? How is one saved? They don't know.

Sera criticizing Emily for asking questions was also very relatable, and I feel for Sera. She's genuinely scared but the truth will set you free, Sera. John 8:32. Anyways, the point is like... the angels are an organized religion, an evangelical church, that preaches about simplicity but mistakes shallowness for simplicity and discourages depth and discovery.

Anyways, the whole crux of theological study and atonement theories is that they should promote humility. We don't know for certain on this side of the curtain. That's okay. So what do we have to guide us?

Love. After all, God is love (1 John 4:8).

Charlie is Jesus

"Why would you endanger your immortal life for these sinners?" 

Adam, the absolute worst, says the above to Charlie in the finale.

I mean... look. That's literally the premise of Christianity. That the immortal son of God comes down to earth, lives with sinners, loves us, and dies to save us. However that happens. Charlie even responds:

"They're my family!"

In other words, she loves them. Yeah, sure, they're destined for extermination, but they are going to be exterminated over her dead body.

In a lot of branches of Christianity, and even in some creeds--though I'm going to give into my pet peeves here and state that it is NOT Scriptural and relies on the faulty assumption that God is bound by time, when I think God exists outside of it--state that Jesus descended into hell after his death and took all the souls of people who were saved prior to his coming to earth to heaven. Again, I think that's small-minded at best. But, the idea that Charlie is working among them to bring them to heaven is pretty reminiscent of this idea. And I don't hate it lol.

Charlie sees worth inherent in everyone, and no matter what they've done, thinks there's a future for them. Honestly we need people like her on this earth.

Angel Dust

Angel Dust is clearly my favorite character. Bite back your shock, I know (I have a type). But his name is also a fascinating multi-layered pun.

Angel is clearly foreshadowing his endgame. Let's be real, we all know Angel is ending up as an angel. And "angeldust" is of course a name for PCP, and considering Angel's drug habits, yeah.

But, dust also has another meaning to it. See, when Adam was created in Genesis 2:7, the words in Hebrew are "apar min ha'adamah," which is translated literally as "dust of the ground." So the dust is what creates Adam, literally "ground."

In other words, I very much expect Angel Dust to end up being foiled with Adam even more so. Adam might be the first man, but Angel is the first sinner working towards redemption. And let's be real, for all Angel's flaws, he's already a better person than Adam. And if there's any hope for Adam (not that I particularly care if there is but) it'd be through realizing that he and Angel aren't actually different after all. Conversely (and not necessarily mutually exclusively), Angel might serve as a more symbolic "adam" in that he becomes the person all sinners look to for hope. Which, y'know, since "the last Adam" is also a Scriptural term for Jesus...

And so it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. (1 Corinthians 15:45).

I fully expect Angel's arc, alongside Charlie's, to bring life and redemption for everyone around them. Maybe, maybe even the dramatic "all" of Colossians 1:20 (which means, literally, all, everything, everywhere, in the entire universe).

Closing Thoughts

But honestly, regardless of how the story ends--besides that it will presumably end happily because HH is at its core feel-good despite being profane--season one at least has got good theology. Why? Because it's digging into the questions that theology is concerned with. It's digging into the ideas of human nature, of what it means to be a good person, of what it means to redeem oneself, of affirming how precious each individual human soul is.

It doesn't offer cheap answers, and it specifically calls out the white American evangelical church for how it purports to be simple but actually just confuses people and punishes them for things they can't help, that creates more stumbling blocks than it does shine a light. And it does it in a way that is scandalous. Offensive to many religious people.

But, y'know, Jesus was pretty scandalous too.

So I really love the story so far because it emphasizes what I find so beautiful about my religion, and criticizes the parts that have also hurt me. I don't think it's remotely aiming to be a Christian allegory or anything like that, and I don't at all think anyone has to be religious to enjoy it or gain the core message of it, but I do think that it's doing a hell of a lot more good in the world message-wise than most evangelical movies of the past 30 years.

[chaifootsteps]

So. The whole thing DJ was whining about—the “Hellaverse antis don’t care about OTHER shows’ VAs!!!!” is just. Completely untrue??

I’ve been a big fan of Sung Won Cho for years, was super happy to see him in Lackadaisy, and I’ve been really excited that he’s getting bigger and more diverse roles lately—like Senshi in “DungeonMeshi”.

He’s also been very open though about how his internet following and some wild fans have lost him job opportunities which fucking sucks. I’d be just as mad as I was when the og HH cast got sacked if he lost more opportunities because of Tracy or the casting group at crunchy roll (I don’t think actually think Tracy would ever DO that-just an example)

Voice acting is a very particular profession but it’s also very unique and requires a LOT of skill.

And man. I don’t know. I recently learned the EXACT term for what viv is doing when she hires big name stars for her shows—it’s just stunt casting. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stunt_casting

I don’t even think stunt casting is necessarily always terrible, but it is exactly as it’s described in the above link. It’s gimmicky. It doesn’t mean the stunt actor that was hired isn’t talented, but it’s a big risk to take considering the extra cost, and not knowing if the stunt will actually work.

Either way, learning the official word for what Viv’s been doing with celebrity vas made me realize that she’s just like the casting crews who decided Chris Pratt should be Mario and Garfield.

It’s frustrating b/c it’s not like Chris Pratt is untalented, but there’s a veteran voice actor who’s been voicing the character for DECADES right there. And that’s really what Viv is doing.

Again. Not saying that I don’t think Harvey Guillen or John waters will do a bad job. But they’re not voice actors. And contrary to popular belief, voice acting is a distinct skill and art that takes a lot more than just talking into a mic.

DJ's just talking out of every hole except her mouth, as usual. TADC's voice cast consists of some of the most beloved names in indie and by god, does the fandom make sure they know how appreciated they are.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Lil Kalish at HuffPost:

The Supreme Court on Monday will hear arguments in Kennedy v. Braidwood, the first significant challenge to the Affordable Care Act under the current Trump administration and a case that could strip away insurance coverage for preventive services like cancer screenings, HIV prevention and diabetes medication for millions of Americans. The case has its origins in a 2020 legal challenge by Braidwood Management, Inc., a Texas-based Christian company that sued the federal government and claimed providing coverage for PrEP — an HIV preventive medication also known as pre-exposure prophylaxis — violated its rights under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. At the time, Dr. Steven Hotze, the sole trustee and beneficiary of the Braidwood Management company, said he was unwilling to pay for PrEP or STI screenings for his employees. “They are consequences of a patient’s choice to engage in drug use, prostitution, homosexual conduct, or sexual promiscuity – all of which are contrary to Dr. Hotze’s sincere religious beliefs,” the complaint read. The central question before the Supreme Court now is not about religious beliefs. Instead, the justices have been asked to weigh in on whether an independent task force has the authority to recommend preventive services like PrEP be covered by health insurers under the U.S. Constitution.

The United States Preventive Services Task Force is an independent group of volunteer medical experts who work outside of the federal government, although they are appointed by the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services and their work is supported by an agency within HHS. Under the 2010 landmark Affordable Care Act, signed by President Barack Obama, private insurers are required to cover preventive services that are recommended by the task force. If the Supreme Court rules in favor of Braidwood, however, private health insurers would no longer be required to fully cover preventive services and in turn, would make health care more expensive by adding on copays, deductibles or coinsurance to consumers. The outcome of the case could have widespread ramifications for 150 million Americans on private insurance. Thirty-six states don’t currently already have protections for coverage of preventive care built into their state insurance plans.

SCOTUS will hear oral arguments in Kennedy v. Braidwood later today. The Braidwood case could have dramatic impacts on access to preventive services like cancer screenings, HIV prevention, and diabetes medication.

[spidr-grl-7678]

you should post your almost maine hcs into the world........ asking for myself

WOOHOO!!!! OK SO THIS MAY BE BAISED BC I PLAYED RHONDA BUT YK !!!!!!

STT:

- Rhonda knows EVERYONE in that godforsaken town

- Dave failed all the classes he had with Rhonda, bc he couldn’t stop staring at her

SOH:

- Daniel waited for at least a year before giving up

- he SETTLED for Suzette

- Suzette is the nicest girl in town

- Hope had Cookie Monster pajamas and lived at her grandma’s house

- Daniel was Valedictorian (contrary to popular belief that it was Dave, who was way too busy staring at that bisexual jock woman)

WIW:

- Phil isn’t a great father, not really emotionally there for his kids

- the kids are named “Beatrice” and “Manny”

- Phil has a hat gifted to him for his anniversary, whether he wears it or not is a character choice the actor should make I think lmao

TF (fem and male):

- whether male or fem, they were friends with Rhonda

- Shelly is a chronic sweater wearer and you can’t convince me otherwise

- Randy and Chad were groomsmen at EVERY wedding (same for Shelly and Deena)

GIB:

- Gayle was the craziest bridezilla I promise you

- Rhonda and Lendall holding her back at the ring shop while Dave is trying to politely explain what ring Gayle and Lendall wanted

- Lendall and Gayle were football player and cheerleader dynamic

TH:

- Marvalyn is from Vermont, she was studying to work as a nurse at the retirement home where Jimmy’s parents went

- uhhh something something marvalyn has thrown a vase at Eric b4 and Eric threw a beer bottle in response

- Eric and Marvalyn are equally toxic in my opinion lowk

SAG:

- Jimmy cried for WEEKS to Lendall abt sandrine

- Sandrine

HH:

- Glory is from California

- East has been divorced twice

[heromonty]

...or at least that was supposed to be the plan. The next day, Rick ended up running away from home and is currently MIA somewhere in town. So uh, raincheck on that date I guess.

Realizing that Rick was no longer in the house and not being able to reach him on his cell, Opal ended up reporting him missing to the police. From their response, Opal's not very confident in their ability to find her son...

[tia-amorosa]

Sunset Died - Zelda

Hidden Desire

On the same evening. At such a late hour, there are usually only a few people in the gym. Zelda likes to use this time to do a little training on her own. But there was to be no training today. As her late afternoon meal didn't seem to have been enough, she went back for a late snack.

When you entered the building, it was as if you were immersed in an invisible, pleasantly warm cloud that welcomed you with a hug. So you could take off your winter clothes for the time being. “Well, what's Mortimer doing here so late? Oh, that's…” Zelda recognized the person who was still in the room too and sitting on the bench.

She walked down the steps and came closer and closer to the person who had just lit a cigarette. “Hey… Smoking is actually forbidden here…”. Roman just looked at her briefly without a specific expression on his face. “Oh yeah? Says who?"/ ‘Those are the rules here…’/ ”Seriously? You're all leaving this town soon and you're still going to stick to any rules now?”.

She shrugged her shoulders briefly. “I'm just telling you how it is. And no…"/ ‘No what?’/ ”You don't have to stick to all the rules… It doesn't matter now anyway. Can I have one too?”. He looked at her again and scrutinized her face a little longer. “You've never smoked before, doll"/ ‘How do you know that?’. He didn't give her an answer, but simply grinned a little mischievously.

“You don't have a single wrinkle on your face. Smokers look older faster…"/ ‘aha, can't say the same about you…’. He grinned again with just one corner of his mouth. “I don't smoke all the time either, only when I'm bored and…"/ ‘And what?’/ ‘Oh, never mind… Wouldn't you rather go home to your boyfriend?’/ ‘What boyfriend?’ she just grinned.

Roman now looked at her a little more intensely, took another drag from his cigarette and then finally threw it on the floor, where he extinguished it with the sole of his shoe. Then he slowly stood up and looked at her again. “No friend, huh? I could have guessed, you were always there alone at the gatherings…"/ ”Many went there without their partners.”

“Mhm… And I didn't miss where you were looking the whole time,” he said in a slightly provocative tone. It was almost a bit of a challenge for her. “Well. It's not every day that hot soldiers come by here with… a nice bulge in their pants like that. I can imagine that… must hurt quite a bit.” / ‘oh yes,… ’. Roman looked at her lips, which glistened a little in the glow of the flames.

Seconds passed. Mortimer finally came to his senses and ran towards the exit with an apple in his hand. The sound of the door slamming shut was unmistakable in this building and echoed through the huge room. After becoming aware of the silence, no more words were needed. Just glances and apparently the same desire that the person opposite felt.

Now it was definitely too late. At least too late for the others to pay a visit to the gym. As a result, nobody noticed the storm that was brewing inside. “Hh…Don't expect a softie now…” he breathed into her ear in his deep voice. “I don't want a softie…” she replied as she pulled him closer to her with her legs. “Good…”.

Roman was indeed not squeamish when he literally tore Zelda's clothes off. He was fast, direct and dominant. But she didn't mind, on the contrary. How often she wished she could be taken like that and not treated like a raw egg. And he seemed to sense exactly what she wanted. Because he wanted it too…

The two of them spent intensly the Moment together. It was as if the night didn't want to end… A lot of energy that had built up in both of them for different reasons over a long period of time could finally be released.

A little later. “Hey, where you want to go so quickly? I can't have been that bad, as horny as you were…”. She stopped. Reflected on what had happened in the last hour. “You weren't bad either… It was good… Almost too good…"/ ‘But?’/ ‘It was just sex, wasn't it?… And… After all, you have an important job and…’/ ‘Will you give me your number?’.

She walked a few steps further, but then stopped abruptly and turned to face him. “phh…o.k., you'll get my number. but then be nice and don't carry it around like a trophy, like you might do with other girls…” There was something slightly desperate in her voice. Then he looked at her and, unlike before, smiled gently. “hnhn, don't worry, I'll call you”….

She took her smartphone, searched for her number and gave it to him. In return, she got his… “Thank you, I have your number, mh, and … what's your name? Sorry, i normally ask a woman that before sex…hn"/ ‘Zelda…’/ ‘With S or with Z?’/ ‘Don't you know the video game?’/ ”I've never been that much of a console freak, to be honest. I prefer to play the guitar in between"/ ‘You make music?’/ ‘Just a hobby…’/ ‘I like it, I'm… I was in a band’.

He put his phone back in his pocket. “You know that… When your soul leaves your body for a moment and flies off somewhere while you're making music? You forget everything around you, all the shit that goes with you. I can't wait to pick up the thing and play as soon as I get off the battlefield. That's my balance…"/ ‘I see… Maybe we'll make music together sometime’/ ‘sometime, mhm.. now I have to go to bed’/ ‘then… sleep well’.

Roman made his way back to the temporary quarters that had been provided for him and his team. “Roman Cardona…hn… I hope to see you again sometime. Tomorrow I'm going to visit Pauline, I'm sure she's excited about the trip.”

It remains to be seen whether the two of them will see each other again after the evacuation. After Zelda had gone to bed, she looked at her smartphone again to read his name. There was something melodic about it, which she liked. And she immediately had a few melodies in her head. Perhaps an inspiration for a new song? Who knows…

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

@greenplumbboblover ⭐

poses by @poses-by-bee & TIDL

[hehkshew]

[All Ears] (H/azbin H/otel) A/ngel D/ust x A/lastor [1000 Words]

Every once in a while, contrary to popular belief. Angel and Alastor actually liked to relax, a break from all the Havoc of Hell. The constant fighting and bickering, the turf wars spread from as far as the eye could see everytime you glanced out any of the Hotel windows.

Because tonight? Was-

“Movie night, Babe!” Angel chirped excitedly, bowl of popcorn in his top set of hands, remote and blankets in the other.

The lobby was deserted, tonight it would be just them. Pure quiet with nothing but each other to bask in the peace. Alastor flashing back a grin, small smile gracing his lips as he shook his head.

“You’re certainly excited for this.”

“Uh, duh. Who else am I gonna watch these shitty horror flicks with? The special effects are so bad that it’s practically a comedy.”

“Ah, of course. Nothing beats the charm of practical effects and over-acted screams.” Chuckling as Angel placed the popcorn on the table, taking a small handful for himself as they got on the couch.

Angel laid down across it, leaving no room for Alastor, who raised an eyebrow at the action. Rolling his eyes as he only received a grabby action in response. Angel signaling to cuddle.

“Very well.” Fond about it regardless. “You’re such a clingy thing, honestly.”

“Hey, you can’t be mad that I’ve missed ya’!” Alastor scoffing with a head-tilt.

“Dear you are aware I’ve been with you all day, correct? What is there to even miss?”

“The fact you ain’t in my arms. Anyway, I’m excited.” He couldn’t argue with that. The film would no doubt be awful, but the fact that they would be watching it together?

The second he even got close, Angel darted with a lean forward, multiple arms wrapping around Alastor tight enough to make unintentionally gasp, “Angel!” He huffed with amusement. 

But they got comfortable, throwing themselves into the red velvet as they snuggled into it. Blanket being draped and covering them. A sigh of comfort as Alastors head rested against Angels chest. The fluffiness of it was rather comforting. 

A flick of the television remote as the awfully bad movie began to play. The pairs attention being drawn to it. Alastors head absentmindedly snuggling closer as he focused on the pictures.

Leaning in more as his ears brushed gently with a twitch against Angel’s cheek. Angel not really minding, only pulling the blanket up over both of them further.

The film was something more modern, years and years after the pair had already departed. And as much as Alastor hated all things such as these, it was rather nice to be doing something with somebody.

And they weren’t all bad. This film was, obviously. But there had been quite a few he’d discovered he enjoyed.

Both of their attention distracted, as the protagonist got startled by a loud spark of thunder, the noise making him shift as his ear flicked harsher, brushing against Angels face.

“Hey, Radio Star. I didn’t pull you in to cuddle to get all ear-whipped” He teased, using his fingers to give Alastor’s fluffy ears a small flick.

“Well, it appears they have a mind of their own.” He shot back, a glint of mischief in his eyes as their attention diverted.

And the film continued.

Though every so often, once in a while Alastor’s ears would kept twitching– Flicking, a subtle little bout of twitching as they moved against Angel’s face. Everytime they flickered, Angel felt a light tickle, sniffling ever so slightly as it tickled his nose. But he ignored it.

Determined to get through the movie, enjoying the feeling of Alastor snuggled up against him. Shifting as he tried to stop the sensation growing.

But the more he tried to focus and devoid attention from the itching, his nose scrunched, sniffling as his breath hitched slightly. Once, twice– 

“Hh.. hhuh–!”

Angel bit his lip, fighting it back as he breathed, Alastor’s ear flicking once more against him, brushing lightly in his nose in just the wrong way-

“Hh-hHIH’kshh!”

A sudden wet sneeze, Angel jolting forward as it sprayed. The pair tensing, Alastor a slight bit startled as Angel gasped in embarrassment. Seeing the traces of wetness sprayed against Alastor’s fluffy hair.

“Oh, fuck- Aha– Sorry, babe!” Angel snorted, hand over his mouth in shock. Partially to hide the shit-eating grin. Face flushed from the unfortunate incident. A twinge of amusement but also mortified.

“I swear I did not mean to do that.” He defended with a small snicker as Alastor pushed himself up from Angels chest, blinking slowly as he felt hair.

As his hand ran through it he brought it down to look at it, fingers coming back slightly damp.

Angel snorted, a failure at stopping his laughter as Alastor looked at him, not having said anything yet. A pause and unamused glance as his partner snickered.

After a long moment,

“Well,” Narrowing his eyes slightly, No malice behind the look. “I suppose you can’t control such… Involuntary responses.” 

His smile was thin, but it didn’t disappear, “Although, I do hope this isn’t something that’s going to become a habit...”

Angel snickered, raising a hand to his chest in a mock vow, “Cross my heart,” Breathing out a small laugh. “But I’m  blaming you and your stupid deer ears for flickin’ me, that shit tickles! Anyway, they were askin’ for it. And so were you, smug bastard.”

Alastor huffed, smirk betraying him despite the situation. 

“Well, At least you got somebody entertainment out of this. Do you really need to keep laughing?” He remarked dryly, small slip of a laugh coming through as Angel glanced away with a snicker.

“Sorry- Sorry, it was a little funny.” Finally calming down as he flopped back down into the couch, Alastor following him as he snuggled back into him. 

“Alright, but please do try keep your nose in check this time, hmm?”

“Sure thing, Bambi. But only if ya’ watch the ears. Now shh, the movie’s gettin’ good.”

And for once none of it mattered. Because for tonight? it was only them.

[krystal-kade]

What's your opinion on the hazbin hotel songs?

(I've heard a few and i think they're okay..)

I'm so glad you asked bc I have some OPINIONS

(I'm not gonna talk about the pilot, just the episodes)

I've watched the first four episodes and they're better than I expected, but my expectations were on the floor

The first song is "Happy Day in Hell" from "Overture." Although this song/plotpoint should have been WAY later in the series, I like it. It feels like "Inside of Every Demon is a Rainbow" from the pilot, however both songs are on my playlist. It's a good song that serves as a recap of the pilot, showing Charlie's personality, motives, and her relationship with Vaggie (a little). It's a nice song with little substance, and feels like a Disney Princess' "i dream of something more" song. 7/10

In the same episode, we get "Hell is forever" sung by Adam. THE Adam. The first man Adam. Charlie meets with the Angels (just Adam and Lute, a girlboss exterminator who I think is in love with Adam?) and discusses her plan to redeem sinners. Adam laughs her off, singing "Hell is Forever," trying to convince Charlie that sinners can't change. Adam is such a dickbag that it's hard to like any part of this scene. He is really disrespectful towards women, grossly sexual, swears more than most characters in the show, and talks about being the "original dick." It wasn't unbearable, but it's probably the most forgettable song so far. 2/10

Next is "Stayed Gone" from the episode "Radio Killed the Video Star." It feels like a rap battle. It's a competitive song between Alastor and Vox that takes place over the radio and on TV respectively. A basic rundown is that Vox is kind of horny and down bad for Alastor, won't admit it. Vox is really pissed that Alastor came back (he was gone for 7 years) and is basically going on TV to shit on him. However, before he left, Vox had asked Alastor to join the Vees, (an influential group of overlords with names that start with 'V'; it's giving middle school popular girls) and Alastor refused. Vox is mad that Alastor didn't join, which leads Alastor to drop the iconic line "I said no and now he's pissy, that's the tea." This is probably one of my favorite songs in HH. It's catchy and unproblematic (which seems to be difficult for Viv). 8/10

"It starts with Sorry" is a song Charlie sings to Sir Pentious, telling him she'll accept him into the hotel if he owns up to his mistakes. It's an okay and forgettable song, but it's super ironic. A song about acknowledging you've hurt people, apologizing, and becoming a better person? In Vivienne fucking Medrano's show? Absolutely hilarious to listen to, if you go at it with a different perspective. Viv should take her own advice. 3/10

The episode "Scrambled Eggs" is based more around women (shocker, it wasn't written by Viv or Adam). The first song in this episode is "Respectless." It's sung by Velvette, one of the Vees, and Carmilla Carmine, an overlord. Velvette brings a decapitated angel head to an overlord meeting, and announces that angels CAN be killed, contrary to their previous belief. Velvette suggests they fight back against the angels and the exterminations, while Carmilla is adamant against it. The song's fine, but I especially love Velvette's lines. She has an English accent (Essex? I think?) and basically says "I'm not just a bitch. I'm THE bitch" and I love her for it. 5/10

Right after that, we find out that Carmilla killed the angel, which would have been shocking, but we only knew her for like, 5 minutes. The meeting's over, and it's just her and a few others. She says that she killed the angel to protect her daughters, and that going to war would endanger them again (basically "going to war endangers the people we started killing for"). She sings "Whatever it Takes" about protecting those she loves? I think, the song wasn't good enough to pay attention. This song's got a side-by-side with Vaggie, who's singing about wanting to protect Charlie. It's a sweet and nice song, but was just kinda mid. There's also a problem with Vaggie's singing, in which her voice is deep and monotonous, but her singing is light and high-pitched. 4/10

Oh boy. The next episode. "Masquerade." The first song is "Poison," sung by Angel Dust. It was released early, and got lots of hype and controversy. Similar to "Addict," it's a song where Angel talks about his struggles with addiction and his sexual abuse at the hands of his pimp, Valentino. Both of these songs are also on my playlist. It's catchy and fun to listen to, while also tackling deeper topics. Angel feels like his sexual abuse is his fault, and although he absolutely hates it, he feels like he has no choice but to stay. The song on its own? 9/10. Then the episode came out. The song shows Angel dancing and singing this song while graphic images flash behind him. Images of his rape and sexual assault. This episode had ZERO trigger warnings. The creators of this song were Viv and Raph (I can't find his last name right now). We can only speculate for Viv, but Raph 100% has a Rape kink. He ships Angel x Valentino, posts cosplay and art shipping them, publicly sexually harassed (asked for the nudes of?) a 15 year old, and essentially has admitted he finds rape and SA hot. He also lied about being an SA victim. Neither Viv nor Raph are SA victims. This song is just to fuel their rape kinks. Viv and Raph have yet to apologize for sexualizing SA, and have since doubled down on why this is "good representation." Truly disgusting, I have no choice but to say 0/10

"Loser, Baby" is similar to "Poison" in the sense that's it's fine until you REALLY think about it. In this song, Husk tells Angel that he used to be an overlord, but lost his power to Alastor. He says that he understands how Angel feels, since both their souls belong to overlords. The song is supposed to portray a "you're not alone, I understand what you're going through" message, but instead feels victim blame-y, with Husk kinda telling Angel that he should just try to ignore and move past it because everyone struggles. 6/10 song, 0/10 message

The songs were kinda disappointing, especially the last two. Fuck Vivienne Medrano

[darkmaga-returns]

The Big Freeze at HHS, CDC, and NIH

by Jeffrey A. Tucker | Jan 28, 2025

Part of the sweep of government in the first days of the Trump administration has been a freeze on communications. The explosion has hit the whole of public health bureaucracies, which Trump personally blames in part for the meltdown of his previous term of president in his last year. The pause in operations is designed to figure out exactly what is going on. 

It is certainly not the case that Donald Trump wants you to die, contrary to Paul Krugman’s claim. No longer writing at the New York Times, he reserved his rather extreme view for his Substack account. 

Recall that Krugman was 100 percent for lockdowns and all the rest including the fake science behind vaccine mandates. While most of the world was in cages, he was proclaiming the dawn of the great reset. With that reversed, he has reverted to form.

[yetisidelblog]

If Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is confirmed as Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), it could spell disaster for public health in the United States and beyond. His controversial stances on vaccines and other health issues directly challenge decades of scientific evidence and advancements in disease prevention.

As the head of HHS, Kennedy would oversee essential agencies like the CDC, NIH, and FDA -- institutions that play critical roles in vaccine research, approval, and distribution. Despite claiming he is not “anti-vaccine,” Kennedy has consistently promoted the thoroughly debunked idea that vaccines cause autism, ignoring overwhelming evidence to the contrary. He also described COVID-19 vaccines as “a crime against humanity,” even though studies show they have saved millions of lives. Under his leadership, the country would be dangerously ill-equipped to handle another health crisis.

The HHS is also responsible for programs like Vaccines for Children, which has protected millions from deadly diseases like polio and measles. If Kennedy continues to spread distrust about vaccines or takes steps to restrict their availability, we could see the resurgence of these once-controlled illnesses. Measles, already on the rise due to vaccine skepticism fueled by rhetoric similar to Kennedy’s, could spiral into a significant public health threat.

Take action now! The safety of millions depends on informed, science-based leadership. Urge the Senate to reject Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s nomination for HHS Secretary.

Kennedy’s troubling health views don’t stop at vaccines. He has suggested that heroin use improved his academic performance, speculated that chemicals in water could influence children’s sexual orientation, and once planned to eat a dead bear he found on the side of the road -- though he ultimately left it in Central Park. These incidents raise serious concerns about his judgment and ability to lead such an important agency.

Dr. Scott Gottlieb, former FDA Commissioner under Trump, has warned that Kennedy’s policies could reverse progress against preventable diseases:

“I think if RFK follows through on his intentions, and I believe he will, ...it will cost lives in this country. You’re going to see measles, mumps and rubella vaccination rates go down. And... if we lose another 5%, which could happen the next year or two, we will see large measles outbreaks. For every 1,000 cases of measles that occur in children, there will be one death.”

There is growing skepticism about Kennedy’s nomination among Republican senators, creating an opportunity to push back. Let’s ensure they hear our concerns loud and clear.

Contact your senators today to oppose this dangerous nomination!

Our public health infrastructure and the lives of countless individuals depend on decisions guided by science and reason, not conspiracy and misinformation.

@upontheshelfreviews

@greenwingspino

@one-time-i-dreamt

@tenaflyviper

@akron-squirrel

@ifihadaworldofmyown

@justice-for-jacob-marley

@voicetalentbrendan

@thebigdeepcheatsy

@what-is-my-aesthetic

@ravenlynclemens

@thegreatallie

@writerofweird

@anon-lephant

@bogleech

@mentally-quiet-spycrab

[chaifootsteps]

Howdy! Odd has arrived! ^^

Here is Viv practically encouraging/congratulating fans for pestering someone over a goddamm meme. Regardless if they presented a good argument or not, they very much mocked and flooded this person with their own opinions, took the meme too seriously, and so on.

Btw not all the fans were rude about this opinion, I would like to clarify, some were pretty chill and understood WHY the appeal wasn't to the individuals liking and pointed out a bad decision the person made, reasonably might I add.

But of course there were those who flooded this person with their opinions and treated it as though it is fact.

Some would even use the argument that HH was independent and had no funding from a company like SU and other shows and so should not get criticism or be compared to other shows.

Observe how bs that argument is

So yeah, that argument is trash.

I like how the person who made this meme specifically said not to harass anyone involved with the show, and Vivzie expressed her appreciation for this (while getting in another jab), but she almost never makes a move to call off her fandom when they're harassing someone. On the contrary, she encourages it.

[binarybitex]

If you could make HH into a TV show/movie would you want it to be animated or live action

ooooh I love this question!!

HH is definitely designed with a TV format in mind. I honestly have to fight myself when referring to them as "chapters" and not "episodes" lol

as someone that enjoys all media formats, either animated or live action would be solid choices.

the story itself can get very serious at times and handles very human situations. I don't think this would be lost via the animation format (thinking of the serious side of Bojack Horseman) but I would need to cut it with a lot more comedy than I do.

also....... if I could do 3d art, I would absolutely make them in an animation style like Dog Man/Captain Underpants. I think it'd do my style justice!! I'd deff be interested in seeing my style 2d animated too though

on the contrary, live action would be neat. I'd be able to capture the realism of the story a lot more. I think it would better convey the details and my attention to scenery/sensory things irl. it would be interesting to see how we would pull off the set design. how would the Hotel's design change if built as a set? what little details could be added to capture that realism? casting the characters would be interesting too. obviously they wouldn't look 1 to 1, and I think that might bug me a bit in all honestly lol

sooooo. yeah!! I'd honestly probably go for live action :] ever since I was a kid, I've wanted to make movies. I took classes on film production and screen writing at school, and I have been making video projects since my mom let me borrow her VHS camcorder back in the early 00s.

it's a pipe dream, but I stay daydreaming!

[mahayanapilgrim]

Be kind and Compassionate to all sentient beings

There is nothing more precious to a being than its own life, and therefore killing is the most heinous negative action and saving life, the greatest virtue.

(HH Chatral Rinpoche)

According to the buddha dharma, our life in this samsara parents win care and nurted us with love and affection in each of our infinite past lives. Without parents we could not have come into existence. There is no single being who has not been our parent at one time or the other. Even the terma teachings of the great Guru Padmasambhava which were discovered later has it mentioned repeatedly by the great Guru to his followers that every sentient being had been our parents in our past lives that we need to treat them with love and compassion. Therefore, we should generate genuine compassion towards the pathetic plight of the motherly sentient beings who are caught in the whirlpool of the ocean of suffering in the six realms filled with inconsiderable pain and sufferings. Realizing these should help induce in each of us an ardent wish to liberate all sentient beings from the ocean of suffering and place them in the state of buddhahood through selfless devotion.

Thus, it's very important to see every being with eyes of love and compassion, and treat them with kindness. This entails not eating them for food, not inflicting harm on them, and not exploiting them for one's own benefits. We should take every opportunity we can to save them from their sufferings and give them a new lease of life. This can be done by saving the lives of beings, be it as big as elephants or as minute as insects. Saving lives isn't limited to saving from a butcher's hand but also includes saving any being which are caught in any life threatening situations that we come across in any time of our lives.

There are immense benefits of doing these life saving activities. These are mentioned in the sutras. Those who save lives will get to live long healthy disease free lives in future. They will not die from deaths involving extreme fears and disasters. They will be born beautiful and as people of authority etc. On the contrary, if we engage in killing or inflicting pain and suffering on others, then, we will have to undergo immense sufferings in our many future lives.

The sutras have mentioned that those who kill others will have to repay with 500 lifetimes dying in similar death for every being they have killed. Moreover, one will suffer numerous lifetimes in the hell realm. And even if out of one's good karma through other good actions, if he is reborn as a human being, then, he still will live a very short life having many enemies, and will suffer from numerous diseases. Even his death during that short lifetime will be from extreme disasters like floods, earthquakes, fire etc which involves great fear.

Therefore, though it might seem like negligible action for now, but, when one has to face the karma of his actions in future, it comes in manifolds be it good karma or bad karma.

Thus, it's very important to be mindful of our every action towards other beings no matter how small it may be.

MAY ALL MOTHER SENTIENT BEINGS BE BLESSED WITH PEACE AND HAPPINESS, MAY ALL BE SAVED FROM THE OCEAN OF SUFFERING.

[heromonty]

Edward's interest in science has expanded beyond the simple chemistry, space, etc. He wants to know more, he needs to know more. So he set himself up in the backyard with his telescope and his trusty flashlight. Unfortunately, no luck. He'd have to try again another night.

While Edward was doing that, Rick had invited Violet over to confess his feelings. Luckily for him, they are very much reciprocated - Violet had even told him she wondered when he was going to stop beating around the bush. Wanting to make their relationship official in a nicer, more private setting, they agreed to go on a date tomorrow night....