Go Loud

Context: Asriel Chaos Saber attack

first it was the klingons—they’re originally supposed to be this cruel, bloodthirsty, war-obsessed people—and then tng comes along and it’s like wait no maybe war and violence is a part of their culture and actually ties back to ancient traditions and philosophies so we have to be woke about it.

hey these are the ferengi and they’re supposed to represent everything we hate about capitalist society; they’re greedy, scheming, profit-obsessed, and they look like ugly little trolls to emphasize how much we fucking HATE capitalism. oh wait fuck here comes deep space nine and we have to recognize that they’re PEOPLE. okok what if the pursuit of profit is actually part of their culture and ties back to ancient traditions and philosophies. so we have to be woke about it.

this is the borg, they’re a hivemind race of cyborgs who have no sense of individuality and their only motivation is assimilating people into their society. they want to assimilate humanity and we are completely defenseless against them because their technology is eons ahead of our own and they’re incapable of being reasoned with. oh sweet we have a borg prisoner this is the perfect opportunity to commit genocide against them. fuck actually we can’t commit genocide we’re woke and communists and in space.

hey these are the cardassians, they’re part of a cruel and vicious empire which is supposed to be a representation of fascism and authoritarian regimes, they’re a cold, bloodthirsty people with no sense of empathy or compassion, their society literally references 1984 on multiple occasions, and they’re known for the insanely cruel and inhumane methods of torture they use against their prisoners of war. we hate the cardassians…….. except, here’s a cardassian kid who grew up on bajor, and……. fuck. he’s a person. now we actually have to consider his humanity. and being racist is actually……. bad.

this is the jem’hadar, they’re genetically engineered soldiers who have no sense of individuality and only live to defend the state. they’re all born addicted to a synthetic drug that’s manufactured by the state and administered by their masters—this is how they’re kept subservient. they’re ruthless and powerful and they’re incapable of being reasoned with because their only motivation is violence and killing. so we should kill them all, right? FUCK….. what if they’re actually people. goddamnit. now we have to consider their humanity.

Candle Safety Rule #2: Do not add flammable items to candles or burn candles with embedded items!

In 2022, the National Candle Association conducted a safety test for candles with added botanicals and reported that the candles did not meet fire safety standards. [Source]

We get it. They look cool, and if you're of a witchy persuasion, they seem like a great way to put together a candle spell. But adding things like paper, herbs, flowers, crystals, or oils to a candle is a major, major fire hazard. They can cause the candle to burn in unexpected ways, experience rapid changes in flame height, put off smoke, throw sparks, ignite from multiple points, or even combust.

I was scrolling TikTok the other day and saw someone burning a candle spell, explaining that the way the flame shot up was because the magic was taking effect and the spell was working. As a candlemaker, I can confidently say that it was actually because this video maker wrapped a very thin candle in a bunch of twine and bay leaves, majorly affecting the flame's behavior.

I never want to come off as the jerk who's poking holes in someone's spiritual practice, but when it comes to candle magic, so many things people take as proof of the spell working are just...totally normal candle behavior. It's equivalent to seeing a species of bird that is common in your area and assuming it MUST be a divine omen. Sometimes you just live in a place that has a lot of crows. Sometimes the candle is just sparking because you rolled it in extremely flammable oil. Look to the mundane solution first, especially when it comes to fire safety or other things that can cause injury.