#purifying the problematic

[vt-scribbles]

Really wish younger fandom kids/adults would be aware that if a community gets big enough, there's /always/ going to be problematic people/content in it. Like.

If you have more than 1000 people in a group, you're gonna have racists, pedos, etc. There's always gonna be shitty people in the mix. But that doesn't mean the community at-large is bad if the focus of the community is something unrelated to these harmful people.

I've seen 'this fandom/community is toxic' more times than I can count, when in the end, every fandom/community has toxic parts. Every single one. To reduce a community's whole down to one of its parts is reductive and harmful, and often chases out the good people because they feel guilty by association.

Anyways. Be kind to your communities. Allow them to grow up. Be the good parts you apparently want to see in it. But don't go tearing apart the chicken coop because of a few bad eggs.

[emmg]

Eh, I don’t usually post my writing here unless it's Dragon Age—especially not multi-chapter stuff (because I usually abandon most stuff halfway through lol). But I’m slowly returning to my roots as a one-shot enthusiast, it’s Kinktober, and, surprisingly, I don’t hate this one.

Fair warning: it’s toxic, violent, dark, angsty, and full of mutual obsession, because, of course, Tav and Raphael are the epitome of a healthy relationship.

Euh, 18+ I guess, mind the violence and the sex lol

[hypermascbishounen]

RIP people who confidentally walk into a series with a ton of incest fanart/fic assuming it will not be canon, and getting immediately flashbanged with canon incest. You are the funniest example of hubris, especially when you stay around in denial about what you got into.

[thearchercore]

okay so just bringing some serious questions to the fia. i have been around for the whole saga but didn’t really think too deeply about the ridiculousness of the fia rules around cursing. like. is this truly the problem. you host races in some of the most deeply problematic countries civil-rights wise in the world and this is where you draw the line.

also then again i go to a college where it is normal for instructors to curse in class if it’s their vibe. and yesterday our superintendent said we are going to win our football game this weekend and “kick their asses” so maybe im the not normal one.

upon a second longer of reflection, no. the fia is just weird.

i think it's a cultural issue (ben sulayem is from the UAE) and also it's very unnecessary agenda they use against drivers they have bias against - like max. who then gets bigger fines because there's really no precedent on who is getting what punishment. they just sort of decide on the spot.

it's like they also lack general agenda so they decide to pick apart drivers (jewelry, swearing, underwear) and find issues they can use as something to "purify" the sport in a way. i've also noticed he's been on multiple trips to meet with politicians and presidents where he discussed the issue of swearing in sports as an issue everyone needs to tackle. he somehow includes all these issues in the "hatecrime" and "cyberbullying category" - as if charles and max saying "fuck" about a messed up car situation is on the same level.

it's a situation that kept getting increasingly worse, and i'm glad the drivers spoke up. based on what charles said, they got no official response so we'll see. i think the media day will give us a fair share of opinions

[thunderworks]

heroes

More information:

Heroes All creatures born from the Tree start off at a human development of around 3 years old, so they can be more self sufficient right away. (Walking, language learning, problem solving.) They are never infants.

Normal shapes are like mammals, the heroes are not exactly. They are more similar to living crystals. Injury causes them to shatter like glass, not bleed. They only heal fully from the Tree or in the presence of each other.

The Heroes were not intended to fulfill their purpose until they were mature, like in their 20’s. Beetle (Blixer) getting shards from the Tree early was entirely a fluke & not anticipated.

The Heroes were not intended to be separated. The Tree was unusually weak after the corrupted Artifact was exhumed, that’s why they were born so far apart from each other. They were supposed to grow up as siblings from the start.

Cyan 🪻 he/him Special ability: offense & purification magic (functional)

Found by Heli, adopted by her & Bloc. The only hero to be formed fully functional.

Doesn’t really understand what’s happening with the Corruption, but goes along with what his group members tell him to do. He could sense Corruption magic from a very young age (why he got a bad vibe from Beetle). Theoretically he could’ve purified Beetle before anything happened, but nobody knew he was a Hero.

Most shapes are magical. They learn how to heal & summon weapons from a young age. His type of offense magic was unheard of. Pure, unaltered energy that comes in blasts of light. (He can shoot lasers from his hands.) He was suspended from school until after the Corruption because nobody knew how to train him, they were worried he was unsafe.

Very chipper all the time. The most innocent & clueless of the group.

Gold 🏵️ she/her Special ability: speed (functional)

Fast, but clumsy. The most prone to injury of the group. Does not heal as easily as the rest of them, which is problematic for that reason. The most recent to be born. Found by Skipper a few months after Cyan was found, at the Tree the day she was born.

Has a better idea of what’s happening with the Corruption than Cyan does. She knows it’s dangerous, she knows it can kill Cube, and she knows Beetle has it. Taught herself to eavesdrop on Heli & Cube’s conversations when they weren’t paying attention.

Was the very last of the children to forgive Beetle for what he did. Took about 2 more years for her to become at all friendly with him.

Citrine 📙 they/them Special ability: defense magic (stunted), team role is now strategy

Found & adopted by a family who was on vacation. Not knowing Citrine was a Hero, they were brought back to where the family lived, about 50 miles north of Paradise. That didn’t go superbly. Feeling such anxiety being away from the Tree, they ran away a few years later. (They didn’t know being away from the Tree was causing this, they just knew something felt really wrong.)

Skipper (boat) found them collapsed on the beach during one of his coastal surveys. Name comes from yellow quartz.

Gio 🍀 he/they Special ability: healing magic (stunted), team role is now strength

The first hero born. Nobody realized he was there. After a few days of waiting, wandered off into the forest in search of food. Pretty much fended for themselves until news of Corruption went around, at this point went searching for the other heroes.

The scar on their face was from an injury that did not fully heal. They didn’t know they were supposed to go back to the tree. It took a month for the shatter to reform (vs coming back instantly with magic). Gio was the only one who was aware of their status as heroes before the Corruption started. He was the only one the Tree gave any information to. He spoke with her briefly the day he was born.

Name means earth worker / farmer in Italian. (Because was the first to come from the earth.)

Lycan 🌹 Any pronouns Special ability: ???

The Tree did not intend to create more than 4 creatures. Lycan was born from a shard as Beetle was messing around with its magic.

[thelunarfairy]

Predictions of the tragedy

Aidairo left this information in the air ~

Can't understand? let me help you

"Hey do you know if hanako kun seal come off, the entire world will fall in disrray..... * that was close-!!* *heart thumping*

This reminds me of this

and this

Hanako's seal + threat of Hanako being very dangerous and difficult to control + future of the school is being destroyed + Sakura wants everything to be destroyed and uses Hanako and Yashiro to do so + Hanako is sometimes represented as a "dinosaur" or a giant monster + Hanako's own repulsion towards himself + Hanako is seen with this dark shadow on his chest that sometimes spreads across his body = Will everything be destroyed by Hanako?

I add even more The fear that Hanako seems to feel for himself if he loses the seal. He's the first one I've seen that likes being sealed, for some reason.

The ghost boy can transform into a highly destructive and out of control monster that can destroy everything in sight unless someone restrains him.

So let's think a little, what if Tsukasa is removing all the Yorishiros so that the passages between the supernatural and the world of the living are freer, and this gives strength to this "God", the more seals removed, the stronger he becomes.

What if he is doing this to release the creature living in Hanako, so that he becomes stronger and can fulfill his wish, but this could lead to a problematic future.

Yashiro has a kind of purifying power, but we saw what happened when she did that to Tsukasa.

What if Yashiro is the one who has to stop Hanako? Considering that she will only die if she takes out all the yorishiros then…

If that God grants a wish to whoever takes out all the yorishiros, which are seals, it means that this is very related to him and his power, the seals can keep that "God" contained. Knowing that the creature lives inside Tsukasa, and that it probably also lives inside Hanako, would make him stronger and he would take control again.

If all the seals are removed, including Hanako's, does the creature take control and Yashiro dies from trying to contain and save Hanako in the process?

So he would kill the girl he loves, the same way he killed his beloved brother?

It's a little crazy, but it's still a possibility.

He tries to save the girl he loves but in the end it's his fault for her death? (my heart hurts just thinking about it ;~;)

But what does Sakura have to do with it? Could she be a Kannagi who wants revenge? Why does she want both supernaturals and humans to disappear from existence? And why would Tsukasa agree to this? Many questions…

It was a random thought I had when I saw the image of Hanako worrying about his seal. It could all be nonsense in my head. Maybe someday I'll organize these theories better

[mutfruit-salad]

I am sorry.

I enjoyed the show, I didn't analyze it critically when I should have and actively recommended it.

I realize the error of my ways and feel guilty.

Do you have any recommendations for good media in place of it?

The thing is that engaging with media isn't activism and engaging with more "ethical" media doesn't make for a better worldview. It's fundamentally impossible to purify your soul by consuming art, and the idea of purity in that way is already missing the forest for the trees.

Fallout New Vegas, along with 1 and 2, are games I love deeply. But New Vegas has horrendous problems with racism- specifically anti indigenous racism. 2 has some awful tonal problems and some downright horrifically aged humor.

The thing is, despite these works not being perfect- I still find tremendous value in them. The show, for all I have said about the ways it makes me deeply uncomfortable, is still quite often an engaging piece of art: an impressive passion project of thousands of creators and writers and filmmakers coming together to make something they believed in.

While I find the show's narratives quite troubling- I am also enraptured by the ways they're often presented. It is a show that is stylish and interesting and I think most people watching it don't notice these things.

Media analysis isn't a means of solving the ills of the world- because making media less problematic wouldn't solve any of the underlying biases that the society that PRODUCES this media has. Works like these are a branch of the tree, not a root. I'm pointing these things out as a way of countering some of these narratives- but also with the hope that it will help people notice these narratives in other places.

I'm not telling you that you can't like the show, or that liking the show makes you a bad person. I don't like it personally- and I'm wary of much of what the show is saying- but ultimately it is just a piece of art, and it should be understood as part of the current cultural landscape- created to turn a profit and entertain audiences. It is a product of its time and its culture and should be understood as such.

The things present in the show that we find offensive stem from the society that produced it- and must be understood as systemic problems and not one-off failings of the Fallout show team (not to say they are innocent, just that their particular wrongdoings are part of a larger issue.)

There are things far more important than the fallout show being problematic. Save the energy for other fights. There are a lot of people who need help right now. Take this as a learning lesson, and look out for these things in the world around you- not just on TV and in movies.

I hope this doesn't come off as rude or dismissive, and I hope it gives you something to think on.

[maxdibert]

Lily Evans and the Tragedy of Poor Character Writing: How She Could Have Been Interesting but Was Reduced to the Moral Compass for the Men in Her Life

The way Lily is used as a moral instrument for the male characters prevents her from standing on her own as a character with individual depth, aspirations, and personal struggles. While we see hints that she has agency and a personality beyond her relationships, these moments are fleeting and sacrificed in favor of reinforcing the men’s journeys. This lack of consistent development reduces her to what feminist criticism calls the “moral arbiter” or the “redeeming woman” trope, where a female character exists mainly to define or “purify” a male character’s storyline. This phenomenon is particularly evident with Lily, whose interactions serve to validate or critique the men in her orbit but rarely to explore her own motivations, desires, or struggles.

Lily’s relationships with Severus, James, and Sirius reveal moral contradictions that could have added complexity if they were properly addressed. For example, her friendship with Severus is cut off for reasons that appear, on the surface, morally justified—but she doesn’t seem to apply this same standard to James or Sirius, despite their bullying and violence toward others. Her reaction to Mulciber’s behavior is harsh and unforgiving, yet her forgiveness of Sirius’ behavior (he comites attending to murder) as they get older suggests a double standard that’s never examined. These decisions could have made her a compelling, morally gray character; instead, they’re brushed aside to uphold her as a “good person,” an infallible figure who’s somehow always in the right. This sanitizing approach dismisses her potential for growth, change, and inner conflict, flattening her character to fit the role of a flawless moral validator.

Her relationship with James, too, suffers from this one-dimensional portrayal. The narrative pushes the idea that James becomes a better person because of Lily’s acceptance, implying that he is redeemed not through personal introspection or growth but by “winning” her approval. This reinforcement of the idea that men can be “fixed” or redeemed by a woman’s acceptance or love is problematic because it perpetuates the notion that women exist to reform men, placing responsibility on women to serve as emotional caretakers or moral rehabilitators. This is a trope rooted in misogyny, as it frames female characters as moral tools rather than individuals with their own agency.

Feminist theory critiques this kind of portrayal, arguing that it reduces women’s roles to secondary functions in the narrative. Lily becomes a kind of “reward” for James’s perceived growth, not a fully realized partner with her own arc. This approach reflects Rowling’s broader struggle with female characterization, where women often lack agency beyond their relationships with men and are rarely allowed the depth, autonomy, or moral ambiguity afforded to male characters. By framing Lily as a moral gauge for Severus, James, and even Harry, Rowling removes her complexity and potential flaws, opting instead to present her as an idealized figure who serves primarily to validate the men around her.

The inconsistencies in Lily’s portrayal have led to her being a divisive character for many fans. She’s often disliked not necessarily for her actions but for the incoherent, contradictory ways she’s written, and this is ultimately a failure of Rowling’s character development. Instead of being an empowered, nuanced figure with her own voice and flaws, Lily is molded to fit the needs of the male characters’ narratives, leaving her motivations unclear and her personality inconsistent. This reflects Rowling’s problematic handling of female characters throughout the series, where women are often defined by their relationships and reduced to supporting roles. Lily, as one of the most significant female figures in the story, suffers from this treatment, and it’s a major reason why her character often comes across as both underdeveloped and unrelatable. The narrative’s inconsistent treatment of her is not a flaw of the character but a symptom of Rowling’s broader issues with writing female characters, who frequently lack the autonomy, depth, and agency that would make them compelling and relatable in their own right.

And yes, I’ll admit it—Lily Evans really annoys me, but it’s precisely because of everything I’ve discussed here. She’s been reduced to this saintly figure, this ultimate epitome of “good” motherhood and femininity in the narrative, and it’s frustrating because her complexities and contradictions are glossed over or ignored. Lily isn’t allowed to be fully human; instead, she’s turned into a symbol, an idealized version of what a woman should be, stripped of the depth and nuances that would make her an interesting character.

Instead of exploring her flaws, her contradictions, or the ways she fails to live up to the moral standards she seemingly sets for others, Rowling chose to simplify her into a narrative tool. Lily’s personal contradictions—her selective morality, her double standards, her often unquestioned choices—are brushed aside because they don’t serve the image of “perfect womanhood” the story wants to project. Rather than treating her as a fully realized person with her own journey, she’s treated like an object, a measure of how “good” or “redeemed” the men around her are.

It’s this reduction that bothers me the most. In focusing on Lily’s role as the moral benchmark for others, especially the men she interacts with, Rowling denies her the chance to be anything more than a tool for measuring their worth. She doesn’t get to make mistakes and grow; instead, she’s held up as an unattainable ideal, and that’s not just boring—it’s damaging. It perpetuates the idea that women are there to serve as moral compasses for men, to help shape their actions and destinies, while never being given the chance to explore their own complexities or motivations.

This lack of depth doesn’t just harm Lily as a character; it harms the story as a whole. The other characters’ arcs are all defined by how they relate to her, which only highlights how little she’s allowed to define herself outside of them. Lily could have been so much more than just the woman who inspires James to be better or the woman whose approval validates their actions. She could have been a flawed, messy, deeply human character. But instead, she’s been turned into a one-dimensional ideal, and that’s why I find her so frustrating—not because of who she is, but because of how the narrative chose to treat her.

[evostrashbin]

I've come to you guys today with an important announcement, I have finally seen the error of my problematic ways and rejected them, I've broken free from the evil seduction of the Fell dragon and have pledged myself to Naga and the light instead. From now on, I shall be the #1 Fell dragon hater and invest my time into hunting and purifying any fell dragons and help save the world from their evil ways.

If you come across ANY fell dragons, please send them to me IMMEDIATELY.

[adamnablelittledevil]

Only Blood Communion and Interview With the Vampire to go now. I'll make more elaborated posts about my thoughts once I'm done with everything, but here are some of my opinions:

TVA is absolutely my favorite (I've said it before and will say it again: the most purifying cry I had in my life, it destroyed and restored me in the best possible way), TVL, TQOTD and Prince Lestat are also on my top 4, though I don't know where to place the latter on my personal ranking. The others are sort of tied and the order changes according to specific aspects. Like, Blood and Gold covers a lot of eras and places of the world, has multiple interesting characters, so it's fun in the sense there's a lot of stuff to see, even if I'm not a Marius's fan and he isn't the best narrator imo. On the other hand, something like Merrick is more packed, just her, Louis and David (and some Lestat), but I just love her as a character and the whole story of her family. I can't really choose.

Memnoch would be the last because it was the one I struggled with (tho I loved Armand on it), I thought the concept was great and I could've loved it with a more active, intense and eventful execution. Prince Lestat and the Realms of Atlantis is second-to-last because most of the plot was dumb to me, the part that made sense was solved in an unconvincing way, I had to do a lot of suspending disbelief even for a supernatural/sci-fi story... But it was nice to have so many characters I love reunited, even if some didn't have lines, it's nice to know they're around and I enjoy the vampires having sort of a healthy little community.

Favorite character is definitely Armand, then Lestat, then Pandora, Maharet, Mekare, Flavius, Merrick, Bianca, Gabrielle, Mona, Benji, Avicus and Petronia (they didn't appear much and did awful brutal stuff, yes, but having an intersex/gender-fluid character was great and they had so much baggage I could empathize with them). Most after Armand and Lestat are tied. I don't know if I'd call Benedict a fave, but I'm somewhat attached to him (and I KNOW about those spoilers). I LOVE Vittorio and Ursula too and I hope they can appear in some shape or form on the show. I don't looooove Antoine, but he's alright to me. He just seems to be a poor/broke dude who wants to live, have friends and dedicate his existence to his hyperfixations and I can relate because same lol. I get him.

Favorite pairings (either as an OTP or brotp): Lesmand (👑👑👑), Pandora and Flavius (👑👑), Maharet and Mekare (👑, they just don't get more crowns because they don't appear as much as I wanted 😔), Armand and Benji and Sybelle (as duos and a trio), Armand and Riccardo, Armand and Bianca (pretty much Armand and everyone that isn't Marius lol), Lestat and Mona (their childish siblings-coded beef entertains me), Maharet and Jesse and Vittorio and Ursula (👑👑). I wish I had seen more of some characters/dynamics, tho.

MAYBE I could tolerate Marius and even love Magnus (he seems to have a sad and interesting story) if all I'd seen of them had been the content of the last trilogy, but given the previous books, I'm not sure I can enjoy Anne's decisions. I have a lot of mixed feelings about Magnus apologizing and Marius's behavior not even being seen as something to apologize for in the first place, but that's for another post.

Some of the books I would've been able to read and love with or without the show, some I only read to get information, but I'm mostly glad I'm equipped with so much of the lore now. That's not to say there aren't problematic things even for the genre that I need to compartmentalize and ignore (to some extent and not completely) for my enjoyment, because there is a lot of that, but it hasn't been a waste of time. And I'm glad I know what can happen in the future, make silly little fancasts and have events to look forward to seeing on the series. Obviously, opinions can change with the next books, when I re-read the novels or even with conversations and discussions... And that makes me excited as well.

[princess-of-the-corner]

So I've been having thoughts on developing a proper Rogues Gallery for miraculous. This is going to be long and a little convoluted, I apologize in advance.

The first thing I was thinking about was how there is something of a civilian rogues gallery that already exists. As in, threats Marinette and Adrien regularly has to deal with, but not Ladybug and Chat Noir. These people include Bob Roth, Roger, Andre/Audrey, pre-redemption Chloe, Lila, Felix depending on the day, and occasionally less maligned but incompetent adults like the principal or Bustier. Due to the nature of ML, these are also some of the more frequent targets of akumatization. Gabe and Nathalie can actually also fall on this list, since they manage to be plenty problematic even when it's not part of an evil scheme.

So the issue lies in creating a separate superpowered Rogues Gallery that threatens LB and CN as heroes but not so much as civilians. Like, there's going to be overlap, but a lot of what, Bob Roth for example, does pre-akumatization had little to no bearing on the superhero shenanigans. So there needs to be some villains that do the reverse.

To use a Spider-Man analogy, they have their Flash Thompsons and their JJJs and even their Eddie Brocks/Venoms in the form of Lila, but they don't have, like, a Doc Ock or a Vulture or the rest of the Sinister 6, who don't really give a shit about Peter Parker.

So my next thought was, "what's the path of least resistance to creating a group of consistently present superpowered villains that don't really care about Marinette or Adrien?" And my answer to that was just take some existing akumas and revamp the butterfly powers a bit to make them stick around.

There's already Mr. Pigeon as a non-serious silly threat. I think keeping Stormy Weather, who's a pretty badass akuma and who's akumatization has literally nothing to do with Team Miraculous is a good one, but I'm unsure why Auroré would keep working with HM. Rogercop could be good. He tends to get akumatized because of Team Miraculous, but Roger is also kinda just an asshole, so I feel like there could be other reasons for it. I like the idea of keeping Simon Says too, as a villain that Gabe doesn't have a whole lot of control over, although why Gabe would repeatedly give him powers is a big question, and he's also a bit too sweet to just be villainous on his own. Darkblade could work for another silly one that's somewhat more threatening than Mr. Pigeon, and is also enough of an asshole/weirdo to regularly justify repeated akumatization. I also kinda want Copycat or a variant thereof, as someone who specifically has issues with LB or CN and isn't named Lila. But I'd love to hear your thoughts on who you'd add to the list. Like, I know they smoothed things over with him in canon and in HC, but I'm having trouble thinking of anyone else who has LB or CN related beef.

The main thing I haven't really worked out is how to revamp the butterly powers to make this feasible. My tenuous idea is that instead of like, directly empowering and lowkey mind controlling the akumatized villain in a weird kind of contract situation, the butterfly user just gives them a store of power they can draw on periodically with the power of their emotions. So like, if canon gives you a power that you can use infinitely, but only while being directly controlled by the Butterfly user, this version would give you, like 10 shots before you ran out of power and the Butterfly would have to empower you again. But the stronger your emotions, the more shots you get, or something like that. But that would require an emotionally charged villain to have the foresight to save their shots up for a later date, so IDK if this would actually work.

Thoughts?

Yeah I think my main thought is on the how/why they stay Villains and hm.

I think my thought on it would be the idea of something going 'wrong' in a way?

Maybe this could replace the thing of what happens when Ladybug doesn't Purify the Butterfly. Instead of Hawkmoth being able to make copies, the person just stays in their Akumatized state but is no longer controlled by Hawkmoth.

[arklayraven]

Censorship doesn't work one way. You try to censor one little thing you deem problematic or shouldn't be in fiction. You give the okay for others to come after stuff to censor as well that isn't problematic to you, but is to them.

Which could be anything fyi, ranging from a little age gap ship, to literal queer/trans characters just existing and doing nothing wrong.

It's a never ending chain of trying to censor things, all in the name of "protecting the children" or "purifying fiction."

But many don't see this or care of the affects their purity crusade will cause until it finally personally affects them, then they are sobbing over it.

Though we've been telling you all, warning you all for awhile now about this. Yet never dared to listen or believe us. Because you were too blinded your own self-righteous goal to get rid of something you personally didn't like in fiction. Than doing the simplest of things of just learning to ignore it and move on, and learning how to better control your online space on what you see or consume.

[just-antithings]

Antis and there inability to not show their hatred for "problematic" (AKA not their otp) ships to the point where they send death threats confuses me. Like just because they've justified and purified their OTP doesn't mean it can't nor isn't just as problematic. Yes this includes"good" ships like lumity (mean white bully and poor innocent POC girl). Worse when they ship or like a show that's even more "problematic" than the other ship.

[corneille-but-not-the-author]

Fire

(I challenge you to indentify every character here, there are a few hints in the notes)

I've never been scared of fire.

I know it's stupid. Mom would always tell me I should be more careful when handling the candles to light up the scene. She would tell me "Fire is dangerous, fire is destruction".

But I wouldn't believe her. Because fire is light, and fire is love.

Fire is the way I dance and smile.

Fire is light in darkness, fire is our beating hearts.

Fire is life, and that's why i wanted to reignite the flames in your heart. That's why I made you walk in flames, so that you can see they can be tamed. So that you can see there is no danger in taking risks. So that we could love each other completely without being haunted by phantoms of our pasts.

We are one, right now.

And I love you more than anything.

I've always been scared of fire.

Mom would put her hand on my shoulder, make me look at her subjects, my subjects. She would smile and the flames, in the braziers, would expand the shadows on her face, making it look like a deranged mask.

Flame is the truth, and I couldn't bear it.

It would always be the same room. Those four walls, those pillars of stone, the Kraken Coast only has one hall worthy of being called kingly. And my mother, the Queen, would sit in her throne and deliver justice.

How many peope died while I was looking at them ?

How many have I seen perish in the flames Mother held ?

That was her magic. Flames. And she would use it against anyone daring to conspire against her. Sometimes, she would wake me up, in the middle of the night, and bring me to isolated places. Then, she would smile, and command.

Dodge. Dodge. Dodge. Or burn.

"You shall be a weapon. And I shall forge you."

Fire means truth. But distinguishing my nightmares from the truth, all those memories, is so difficult, now that it's other.

Fire is a weapon. And only I can wield it properly.

I'm merely a man of the Church. A devotee under Flame and her guidance. My passion, my drive, those are not to doubt anymore.

I was scared of fire, a long time ago. Now, I am the torch. I choose who to purify. I choose who to blame. I am justice.

Because it's all it's ever been about, isn't it ? Justice is just another name for power. And now, as I'm about to be crowned King, I'm the most just man in the land.

One last detail to solve.

One last problem.

Use this weapon one last time. Unleash my goddess upon the world. Purify those ignorants, those savages. And make sure the word will never be the same.

A long time ago, a Prophet told me I would be a Key to open a new Era. And if it means dancing in a symphony of flames, I would gladly oblige.

Fire is my tomb and I need to run.

I got back to save a life.

I will save a life.

Sacrifice mine.

Is it so problematic ?

...

I'm thinking about the one I love.

It's weakening me.

I need to do it.

They need you too.

I need to save him.

He's a murderer. You're the paragon.

That's because I'm the paragon I won't. Ever. Give up.

...

I'm so sorry.

But I don't think I can take any more steps.

...

Think about them. Never surrender. You already fought the flames, multiple times. Why would those be any different ?

It's a life.

And I'm going to save it. No matter the cost.

Flames. Flames everywhere.

Why are we doing this ?

It's a fight to the death. Between Men and Beasts. One against the Horde. It's a fight to get rid, once and for all, of those who kill and devour our children.

I feel dirty.

"You're not a murderer, Kaspar"

And so I killed to prove them wrong.

"You can stop this !"

I can't. I can't. It's too late.

"You're not a bad person, Kaspar Schutz."

Shut up. Shut up. Shut. UP.

...

A melody.

A last ditch effort to save me.

You shouldn't save me.

I am the one who lit the forest on fire. I am the one who killed all those people. While trying to bring justice to the world, I ended up being a second Walpurgis.

I did start the fire. And I do not control any of it, now.

I'm so sorry.

"There is still fire in him ! It's not over !"

I have lost coun of my patients. I would say it's roughly the ninetyth pseudo-corpse I'm getting today. This one is in a particularly bad shape, though. I recognize the commander of one of those two armies which are rendering my whole body of work fucking useless, outside.

"Hey ! Do you hear me ?!"

I scream, so that he does not fade into unconsciousness. I do not care from which side he is, or who he is, I'm a doctor. Doctor never let their patients die.

Not while they still have fire in them.

"Breathe ! What is your name, my dumb fucker ?!"

"Jar...Jarghalsaikhan..."

"Good ! I'll call you Jar ! I'm Herbert, pleased to meet you !"

I crack a smile. By those who call themselves gods, we're going to loose him. I grab my scalpel. Look at all those injuries. I hear the cries of the other soldiers. I hear the plaints.

I hear the war, outside.

"Stay with me, son !"

Think of life as a bright, magnificent flame.

Think of doctors as flamekeepers, always on duty, never letting it go.

Think of my job as anything else than the blood, the organs, the guilt, the empty stares, the end.

Think.

"Think, Jar ! And whatever you do, do, not, fucking, fall asleep ! Or you're dead, you hear me ?!"

He heard me right.

My smile stays on. Good. I think we can save this one.

Fire is passion.

Fire is love.

Fire is our skins, so firmly put against one another. The warmth, the kisses, uninterrupted.

Fire is the way you move and the way I feel.

Fire is the last step before transcendance.

Fire is the seventh sky.

Fire is my love for you.

For you all.

I might be an empress. A phoenix. The fire burning inside me is nor for my ennemies, not my opponent. It's a gentle one. For loving, only. Never hurting.

There was a time I thought it was a liability.

The truth is, I do not care, now.

They may see me as weak. They may see me as feeble.

But don't they dare lay a single hand on you.

I feel so little.

I'm trapped.

A little soul in a big hunk of metal.

I'm alone.

I'm scared.

But I have difficulties to grasp what is "scared".

Should I even be able to breathe ?

I don't think i'm breathing.

My little flame is so weak.

A smile.

Another victim of my existence.

I'm very sorry.

But at the same time...

"What is a child, anyway ?"

[thegnosticsphere]

Defining Hell:

Generally, Hell is considered as the place where the sinful are sent at the end of their worldly life to be punished. Yet, we are presented with our next issue of what this punishment actually is, who it is applicable to and what it represents in the nature of the Universe.

Drawing from previous notes, we might find an inclusion of the contemporary misinterpretation of the Problem of Evil (better framed as the Problem of Providence) where the presence of Hell indicates a wrathful nature to the Divine. The rhetoric falls short, however, when we establish that Epicurus was referring to the capacity, and willingness, of the deities to actively intercede in the affairs of the world. So, the problem cannot be fully applied here.

Hell as Creation

Our next issue is the placement of Hell. We can, for example, look at descriptions of the Devil (various names apply but let us just imagine an archetypal adversary) falling to an established area. This implies that Hell already existed, but if man was created later - then why would the presence of Hell even be necessary?

The assumption is then that Hell is not separate from Gd, as noted in Isaiah 45:7 where Gd defines his omnipotence as being non-dual. We can then apply the concept of 'Degree', and define Hell as:

An area that is distant from Gd yet still present in His Creation (it is thus a very distant or dual form)

An area that represents a capacity of Gd made manifest (here, Gd as purifier).

The first places an interesting emphasis on Psalm 6:5 where Sheol (the Judaic Abode of the Dead, a realm rather than a grave proper) is a place where the Lord is not definitively remembered. This abode of the Dead but we find an especial note in Isaiah 5:24:

"Therefore Sheol has enlarged its throat and opened its mouth without measure; and Jerusalem's splendour, her multitude, her din of revelry and the jubilant within her, descend into it."

We see a small pattern which somewhat aligns with the Gnostic Hymn of the Pearl:

"VII: But from some occasion or other, They learned I was not of their country. With their wiles, they made my acquaintance; yea, they gave me their victuals to eat. I forgot that I was a King's Son, and became a slave to their king. I forgot all concerning the Pearl, for which my Parents had sent me; And from the weight of their victuals, I sank down into a deep sleep."

So, assuming that Sheol was rather a place of darkness and forgetfulness, we don't really have a major basis for the contemporary concept of Hell as a fiery pit though that would've further been established in the New Testament.

My personal understanding of it is that it was a matter of translation. The Septuagint for example translates Sheol into either Hades or Tartaros. Shawna Dolansky (n.d) describes this:

"The word Sheol appears sixty-five times in the Hebrew Bible. Since it often seems to connote an underworld (Gen 42:38; Prov 9:18) or the depths of the earth (Deut 32:22; Amos 9:2), it is tempting to conflate it with later postexilic ideas about hell as a place of punishment, such as those that appear in the New Testament (e.g., Matt 11:23 // Luke 10:15; Luke 16:23; Rev 20:15). This conflation begins as early as the Septuagint (LXX) in which “Sheol” is translated from the Hebrew into Greek as “Hades.”

Hell as Death

It is common to hear about the idea of a 'second death' which implies two major things:

The material death is not the end, thus implying a spiritual point after death that allows for the concept of a second death.

If the body dies, then it is rather the soul that dies or succumbs to some form of 'spiritual death'.

This concept, however, becomes problematic when we view the Harrowing of Hell which implies that the Realm of the Dead had spirits within it - and they had existed for a long time before the Death and Descent of Christ. This then describes a sort of spiritual immortality that allows for this to occur.

So, how does a "Second Death" actually apply?

We might actually view the concept of a Second Death in view of Revelations where the 'Death' is a rejection of Doctrine. Again, drawing from the Hymn of the Pearl, this identification with worldliness involves an immediate association with its laws. The Denial of Gd is then to reject the spiritual concept of immortality and to then 'die' or be forever trapped within the Realm of the Dead. Likewise, we find the presence of the Last Rites which include:

The Act of Contrition The Sacrament of Confession The Apostle's Creed or the Testament of Faith The Anointing The Viaticum The Final Prayers

Of particular interest is the Sacrament of Confession and the Act of Contrition which both require an acknowledgement of Gd's mercy. This recognition prior to Death is not only an act of Memento Mortis but also a way of asserting a belief in the Faith - thus declaring something akin to: "Though I walk through the Valley of the Shadow of Death, I will fear no evil for you are with me."

Hell as an Abode (II)

In 'A Treatise on the Soul' by Tertullian, an apologist, we find an interesting concept:

(Side Rant: we also find mentions of pederasty which then put Leviticus into question but anyway)

"With the same law of His (Christ's) being, He fully complied, by remaining in Hades in the form and condition of a dead man; nor did He ascend into the heights of Heaven before descending into the lower parts of the Earth, that He might there make the Patriarchs and prophets partakers of himself"

Likewise, Tertullian goes on to mention the idea of Hell, or rather Hades, as an abode for the dead:

Well, then, what difference is there between Heathens and Christians, if the same person awaits them all when dead?

So, we are then brought to a few key issues:

Hell as Hades/Sheol or the Resting Place of the Dead

Hell as an area of Punishment and Purification (Thus possibly tying to the Graeco-Roman understanding viewed through Tartaros - i.e. a culture interprets a new theology through its own Lens. So Sheol became represented by the Greek Hades and Tartaros, then later as a concept of Hell - something something - the Romans did it.)

Hell as a Degree relating to the Presence of the Divine or Lack Thereof.

Hell as a State of Being

My mother believed that Earth was Hell, or the Catholic Concept of Hell. This was due to her understanding that the soul cannot feel pain or suffering, but we do and so we must be present in an area with the emotions are present. So, to her, she believed that Hell was more a state of being rather than anything else.

I, myself, carry this belief with the understanding that Sin is not so much an action or set of actions as it is a state of separation from a defined 'Spiritual Purity'.

Understanding this, and in line with the understanding that Hell is not different nor separate from Gd (as seen in the Book of John), Hell then represents a state in which the aspirant is separated from Divine Mercy. We find this alluded to in the Seven Spirits of Wrath within the Gospel of Mary Magdalene, in which seven forces act in the Material so as to obstruct the Soul's union with the Divine, these are:

Darkness Desire Ignorance Zeal for Death The Kingdom of the Flsh The Foolish Fleshly Wisdom Angry Man's Wisdom

But if such a state exists, then a secondary or preferred state must also exist?

We then find the whole field of philosophy dedicated to the Soul and what defines redemption? For example, choice-based Soteriology in which it is the conscious belief in the Divine, namely Jesus or Gd, that redeems the Soul. Considered further are the Five Articles of Remonstrance of which one reflects this choice-based Soteriology:

"That agreeably thereunto, Jesus Christ, the Savior of the World, died for all men and for every man, so that he has obtained for them all, by his death on the cross, redemption and the forgiveness of Sins; yet that no one actually enjoys this forgiveness of sins except for the believed, according to the word of the Gospel of John 3:166 "For Gd so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

So the concept of choice-based redemption is present, and this is noted in the description of Tertullian, but we find our next issue in Predestination. It is easy to believe in free-will, but it comes into conflict with Predestination as seen in the Scriptures. We are thus brought to confront two primary issues:

The Presence of a Hell (as Abode of the Dead) implies an order in which there is already a determined end for all things.

The Forgiveness of Sins has the further implication of antinomian thought which is found in a few cult-like sects of Christianity.

We find in Jake Stratton-Kent's "The Tesament of Cyprian the Mage" (2014)

"In the more 'old school' form of Apokatastasis or Restitutionism as it relates to magic, these, while impermanent, do not vanish in a puff of theology. Purgatory, particularly, is a most useful concept in expressing both European and African derived traditions concerning the dead. Likewise Hell, although not a place of perpetual torment but of purgation, retains significance in a schema involving certain spirit entities."

The Presence of Hell, and arguably Purgatory, thus reflect less the nature of wrath and more the nature of purification. It is roughly akin to the Theurgic Practices in which a person, through invocation, prayer and other similar rituals, obtains a mind closer to the Divine. Conversely, rejection (and the subsequent state of purification) is alluded to in Eliphas Levi's description of Origen:

"Origen's opinion concerning the devils, is: The Spirits who act of their own free will, left the service of Gd with their Prince, the Devil; if they began to repent a little, are clothed with humane flesh; that further by this repentance, after the Resurrection, by the same means the which they came int the flesh, they might at the last return to the vision of Gd, being then also freed from etheriiall and aeriall bodies..."

Conclusion

It is therefore of interest to dismantle the concept of Hell as seen in contemporary form - less of an area of punishment but of three main features:

The Full Abode of the Dead

The Realm of Purification (associated with the Chthonic or Terrestrial Plane)

A Reflection of Grace.

On the very last, assuming from Origen and so too the Cult of the Martyrs, the presence of Hell is indicative of the natural state of purification. A force that goes down is inevitably met with resistance -- and this force can be best assumed as such concepts as the HGA, the Guardian Angel, or the Good Daimon.

We find in the Divine Pymander:

"And such an one never ceaseth (sin), having unfulfilled desires, and unsatisfiable concupiscences, and always fighting in darkness; for the Demon always afflicts and tormenteth him continually and increaseth the fire upon him more and more."

We can then also support the idea of Hell as a state - in which the soul undergoes its lamentations and mourning (and the aforesaid fighting in the darkness through the mind) and is separated from Gd. Yet, nothing is ever truly separate since all that is, is because of that Original Mover. Thus the presence of one indicates the presence of the other - Hell is of Heaven and Heaven of Hell.

If one reaches the bottom of a ladder and seeks to move, there is no other way than upwards on that same ladder. Likewise, if the Evil Daimon represents Gd's grace as the Thelemic 'Momentum of the Universe" working against the person, thus causing restriction. Likewise, the Holy Genius represents that capacity of Gd's grace so as to guide the aspirant in line with that same momentum. Whereas one seeks to stop by way of evidence (i.e. the review that this path causes suffering and distance), the other shows the correct path (and thus Hell is Harrowed, that is that the person is removed from the State of Hell, represented by Separation, and moved onto the path of Redemption.

[thevoidscreamer]

To all the US-based Christian Nationalists…

You say the founding fathers made the US to be a Christian nation. So why, then, does our constitution not establish Christianity as our national religion?

You say the Bill of Rights was based on the commandments of your deity. So why, then, does the first amendment to the BoR say that congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion? Does the Bible say that no religions (and, by proxy, their gods), none at all, should be respected?

The US is not a Christian nation. It is not founded on Christian ideals. It is, in a problematic sense and for reasons we should not be proud of, Eurocentric. US-based Christian nationalists conflate Europeanness, whiteness, with their own faith. When they see cultures other than White™️ existing near them, they get angry and call it a violation of their sacred state. They call it “uncivilized,” “not of god,” “sinful,” “ungodly,” “evil.”

Read that again. Christian nationalists, who idolize and aspire to whiteness, who are proud of the (ongoing) whitewashing of the continents and who, at best, ignore, and at worst cheer for the genocide of indigenous cultures, view non-whiteness as evil. In the United States, Christian nationalism is inseparable from white nationalism.

I won’t purport to know what the founding fathers were thinking. I won’t pretend to know what the founders of Christianity were thinking. But, as a person who was raised in a house where the language of Christian white nationalism was woven into every conversation and every experience, I do know what Christian nationalists are thinking.

What we’re witnessing is the distillation of that righteous persecution complex, the revival period, the political weaponization of a group’s beliefs, and the toxic mix of conspiracy theories into the minds of an emotionally compromised and logic-shunning people. Were they always this extreme? Not out loud. It was never about religious freedom, it was about building an army for their deity.

This group has been isolated in an echo chamber by their own religious exceptionalism for decades. What we are experiencing of them now is an extreme and mutated breed of Christian that is finally too violent to be ignored. They’ve been outing themselves for a while now, because they think they’re gods special people. They think they’re untouchable, and whenever the law cracks down on one, new martyrs rise up, inspired by their holy persecution.

I have hope that their absurd bullshit will cause Christians everywhere to see the colonizer mindset that is built into their faith. Catholicism wiped out cultures everywhere it went, and Protestantism is doing the same. It was never about religious freedom, or saving the sinner, or any of that bullshit. It has always been about purifying the globe to an ultimate state of whiteness.