#Web Guide Control Systems

[iwillstabyou]

TMAGP 31 - A Computer Nerd’s Breakdown Of The Error Logs

It’s round 3, bitches! (tumblr crashed twice when I was writing this so I’ve had to start again multiple times. I do in fact see the irony, considering the subject matter)

I was listening to TMAGP 31 and as a computer nerd, oh my god those error messages just HIT DIFFERENT. There are so many subtle details hiding in those lines that a typical non-computery person would probably miss, so I feel it is my duty to explain them and their possible implications. So that’s why I’ve decided to fully break down each part of the error report, complete with what they could potentially suggest — think of this as “the TMAGP theorist’s guide to deciphering Chester’s yapping”

So without further ado, let’s get this party started…

(NOTE: lines from the transcript are in red, ‘translations’ are in purple, jmj specific stuff is is green, explanations are in black)

Starting off with Category: fatal programmer error, notice it says programmer, not program. There is nothing wrong with the code - the user has truly fucked up. Uh oh, Colin has made a big mistake…

Also, clever double meaning here with the word fatal. Obviously we know it was fatal to Colin (RIP king 🥲), but error logs also typically have a criticality level describing if immediate action needs to be taken. There are 6 commonly used levels, with the most critical being, yep you guessed it, ‘fatal’ - this means that whatever Colin was doing was a critical threat to the system. In other words, Colin had figured out the problem and was dangerously close to fixing it so Freddie just went “oh shit, we need to deal with this guy quickly or we are in serious trouble.”

Then we’ve got the next line, attempted host compromise (the Errno611 isn’t significant - error codes vary from system to system). When it comes to network terminology, a host is basically just any device on the network, so in full this line basically means “somebody’s tried to damage part of the network.” Importantly, “host” seems to suggest that the computers aren’t the source of this evil but merely a vessel for it. Freddie is just the mouthpiece for these supernatural forces - a bit like a non-sentient (as far as we know…) avatar. Whatever these forces are, they didn’t come from within/they weren’t created by Freddie.

(NOTE: I will come back to jmj=null in a bit)

The program traceback, Traceback <module> by extension BECHER, is rather interesting. A network extension is a way of providing network access to remote users (think along the lines of a VPN) by creating a personal direct ‘route’ to the network. Therefore if it’s the subject of an error report, it means there’s been an issue with data transmission along that path. So this bit means “there’s a problem with this specific network route that’s allocated to Colin.” However, the darker implication here is that Colin is an extension of Freddie. Although he wasn’t initially a part of all of this, he’s become tangled in the web (no pun intended) to the point that he and Freddie are inseparably intertwined. The OIAR employees may be able to quit their jobs, but they’ll still be a part of Freddie…

There isn’t much to say about Host=self.host in this context. It’s just convention when it comes to object oriented programming. Not important here.

Extension BECHER compromised isn’t just saying “there’s an issue here.” It’s saying “there’s an issue here that is a serious threat to network operation.” In other words, Freddie’s going “uh oh. Colin needs to be dealt with.”

The next bit is pretty self explanatory. I really don’t think I need to explain what <hardware damage_crowbar> means for you guys to understand. This bit made me laugh so hard. One thing that’s interesting though is that it gave it a DPHW, so Freddie processed this like it was an incident… Perhaps this fully confirms that the ‘thing’ controlling Freddie is of the same origin as the cases - it’s not something else entirely?

And now onto Administrator privilege revoked. This was the moment when I fully realised “oh no. Colin is fucked,” because any control that Colin may have had over the situation is now gone for good. Freddie’s basically just said “fuck you Colin. You’re not in charge anymore. I am.”

As you can probably guess, Unexpected data isolated/resolved just means that the crowbar’s been dealt with and the program can run as usual. Similarly, the Colin threat is fixed now he’s not an administrator i.e. he can no longer control the system. However, it then gets weird with Independent operation permissions revoked… It’s not saying Colin can’t use the network independently, it’s saying that Colin can’t be used independently of the network. Remember what I was saying earlier about Colin being a part of Freddie? Yeah, well now he purely is a part of Freddie. They’re turning our boy into data!

NOTE: I know in the audio it said everything was discarded but I’m going by the transcript. Idk why they’re different

You know it’s a bad sign when you hear Re config: self.host - Freddie’s evolving. The network is literally reconfiguring itself to now include Colin. And then Freddie goes through each of his alchemical elements one by one and fucking deletes them! How rude. You go and eat this man only to spit everything out!? I guess he’s feeling generous though, because he decides to keep the sulphur, which in alchemy, refers to the soul… If this isn’t just a coincidence, then that means Colin’s actual soul has been uploaded to Freddie. That could be really cool. And messed up. But mostly cool.

Starting with the final line, everyone knows what New administrator permissions assigned means, but we don’t know yet who they’ve been assigned to. Maybe it’s Gwen? Maybe it’s a new character? Maybe there is no system administrator anymore? It’s a mystery.

Now that’s out the way, let’s get on to the real juicy stuff…

The top few lines are pretty simple - it’s Freddie’s way of saying “Colin was a problem. We ate him. Now he’s not a problem anymore.” The next line, however, is a reminder that none of this is simple” - .jmj error not resolved. There it is again. The infamous jmj error. What does it mean? Jon? Martin? Jonah? Is that you???? Nobody knows. One thing we do know though is that jmj=null (from the start of the error log). Now when it comes to interpreting values, null is weird. It’s not zero, it’s not empty, it’s sort of nothing but it’s not nothing. It’s just null. It means no value, but it doesn’t mean that the variable doesn’t have a value (if that makes any sense to you guys???). Ooh I think I know how to explain it?? Imagine you’re Jonathan Sims, head archivist of the Magnus Institute and you’re digitising some archived ID photos when you find one without a name. The recorded name in the database would be null - you can’t put anything in particular, but that doesn’t mean the person in the photo doesn’t have a name. I guess null means unknown or missing here. So basically, what jmj=null means is that the jmj is unknown and that is a problem because it can’t get ignored/it is important. So what it’s basically saying is that jmj is a mystery not only to us, but also to Freddie.

Take a look at Data integration cycle ongoing <0.02%> - Data integration is the process of combining data from multiple sources into a single source of truth. There are 4 stages: data ingestion, cleaning, transformation, and unification. Thanks to the whole Colin ordeal, I’m sure you are all quite familiar with these stages by now (and that, students, is what we call a case study!). The peculiar thing here though is that we’ve just witnessed most of the data integration cycle - surely it should be higher than 0.02%? Yes, that’s correct. It should be far higher than that. It makes no sense. UNLESS this isn’t about Colin. Most of Colin’s data has probably already integrated. This is something else entirely - something so much bigger and foreign than these computers were designed for (the only comparison I can think of is trying to run the sims 4 with all expansion packs on a 15 year old laptop. It really shouldn’t work, and it probably won’t, but it’s gonna try regardless). This seems to follow on nicely from the jmj=null comments above, because Freddie is clearly struggling to integrate something (hence System function margins down to 82%), and when you try to read data that hasn’t been fully integrated with the system, you end up with a lot of missing & unknown values. Sound familiar? Yep, that’s right - until more data is synchronised, many values will be null, like our good friend jmj. Why is it taking so long to integrate jmj? We don’t know. Perhaps its origins are so supernatural and otherworldly that it’s simply not tangible enough for Freddie to process it? That’s what I think at the moment, at least.

So yeah, that’s my line by line analysis done! Hope you found that helpful/interesting. This podcast is so well written I’m actually going insane! Jonny and Alex, you are the guys of all time! As I’ve already said, feel free to expand on any of this - I’d love to hear your theories

Signed, your friendly neighbourhood computer nerd who is very autistic about TMAGP :)

[spiderforestcomics]

When it comes to web hosting, we have a strong core belief at the SpiderForest Webcomic Collective: We believe every webcomic creator should control their own space.

SpiderForest's application season is open through June 30, and we welcome anyone who wants to make and manage their own website for their comic to apply for membership. Here's what you can expect:

We welcome creators who host comics on their own servers, but we also provide free webcomic hosting if needed to accepted members

Our volunteers can help you choose a content management system, create a custom website design, and get you up and running

Regardless of whether you are a member or not, our community Discord is full of knowledgeable comic creators who can share their experiences and guide you through anything you're stuck on

If you're looking to make a home for your webcomic, check us out!

[super-ion]

Oh, hello! Welcome!

I take it this is your first time out in the deep black?

Oh no, no need to get defensive about it, Everyone has to start somewhere. We get many travelers paying tribute at our little church here. You've got the look of someone who's never been beyond low orbit. I'm guessing one of the third wave colonies?

(It's the implants. Secondwave culture is a bit more uptight about them and you don't look like you're trying to rebel)

You're wondering why we have valuable real estate set aside for a shrine of all things?

You're wondering what sort of god spacers worship?

Do you know what a god is? I'll tell you. A god is an idea given life.

So what's the idea that keeps us flying?

Most folk born planetside might think the god of spaceflight is all fire and noise. Nah. Any moron with enough money and explosives can build a rocket.

No, the idea that keeps us going out here is faith that ask these tiny little pressure vessels will hold together and find their way through the black.

Back in the ancient days, back before thinking machines and all that, the very first leaps off the ground were guided by computers that were hand made. I shit you not, little old ladies hand sewed the memory together.

Huh…? No, I mean like, hard coded read only memory, literal ones and zeros locked into magnets and wire.

That's my point though. Our god began life as the god of seamstresses. She's the god of sewing and weaving. She's older than civilization and she's gone by many names in many cultures.

Yeah, no, of course we don't hand sew our computers, that lasted all of like a decade. Hell, textile work itself went totally automated not long after. Point is she took men into space and brought them home safely. That sorta thing leaves a mark on a god. It changes them.

A ship. A station. A fleet. They're all systems. People and life support and sensors and actuators and control loops. It's all a web, a giant fucking tapestry of connections and she's the master weaver at the center.

But of course the web is massive, and she isn't literally weaving shit. She's all of the maintenance. Corrective and preventive. So it falls on all of us, the pilots, the mechanics, the algae farmers, the sanitation workers, everyone. We're the sewers and weavers. We're the ones patching and mending the tapestry. We're the ones adding to it constantly.

So that's what the shrine is for. That's the religion in out here in the black. Deep space is a bitch, and all we have to count on is the ship and the crew. She reminds us of that.

[codingquill]

Welcome back, coding enthusiasts! Today we'll talk about Git & Github , the must-know duo for any modern developer. Whether you're just starting out or need a refresher, this guide will walk you through everything from setup to intermediate-level use. Let’s jump in!

What is Git?

Git is a version control system. It helps you as a developer:

Track changes in your codebase, so if anything breaks, you can go back to a previous version. (Trust me, this happens more often than you’d think!)

Collaborate with others : whether you're working on a team project or contributing to an open-source repo, Git helps manage multiple versions of a project.

In short, Git allows you to work smarter, not harder. Developers who aren't familiar with the basics of Git? Let’s just say they’re missing a key tool in their toolkit.

What is Github ?

GitHub is a web-based platform that uses Git for version control and collaboration. It provides an interface to manage your repositories, track bugs, request new features, and much more. Think of it as a place where your Git repositories live, and where real teamwork happens. You can collaborate, share your code, and contribute to other projects, all while keeping everything well-organized.

Git & Github : not the same thing !

Git is the tool you use to create repositories and manage code on your local machine while GitHub is the platform where you host those repositories and collaborate with others. You can also host Git repositories on other platforms like GitLab and BitBucket, but GitHub is the most popular.

Installing Git (Windows, Linux, and macOS Users)

You can go ahead and download Git for your platform from (git-scm.com)

Using Git

You can use Git either through the command line (Terminal) or through a GUI. However, as a developer, it’s highly recommended to learn the terminal approach. Why? Because it’s more efficient, and understanding the commands will give you a better grasp of how Git works under the hood.

GitWorkflow

Git operates in several key areas:

Working directory (on your local machine)

Staging area (where changes are prepared to be committed)

Local repository (stored in the hidden .git directory in your project)

Remote repository (the version of the project stored on GitHub or other hosting platforms)

Let’s look at the basic commands that move code between these areas:

git init: Initializes a Git repository in your project directory, creating the .git folder.

git add: Adds your files to the staging area, where they’re prepared for committing.

git commit: Commits your staged files to your local repository.

git log: Shows the history of commits.

git push: Pushes your changes to the remote repository (like GitHub).

git pull: Pulls changes from the remote repository into your working directory.

git clone: Clones a remote repository to your local machine, maintaining the connection to the remote repo.

Branching and merging

When working in a team, it’s important to never mess up the main branch (often called master or main). This is the core of your project, and it's essential to keep it stable.

To do this, we branch out for new features or bug fixes. This way, you can make changes without affecting the main project until you’re ready to merge. Only merge your work back into the main branch once you're confident that it’s ready to go.

Getting Started: From Installation to Intermediate

Now, let’s go step-by-step through the process of using Git and GitHub from installation to pushing your first project.

Configuring Git

After installing Git, you’ll need to tell Git your name and email. This helps Git keep track of who made each change. To do this, run:

Master vs. Main Branch

By default, Git used to name the default branch master, but GitHub switched it to main for inclusivity reasons. To avoid confusion, check your default branch:

Pushing Changes to GitHub

Let’s go through an example of pushing your changes to GitHub.

First, initialize Git in your project directory:

Then to get the ‘untracked files’ , the files that we haven’t added yet to our staging area , we run the command

Now that you’ve guessed it we’re gonna run the git add command , you can add your files individually by running git add name or all at once like I did here

And finally it's time to commit our file to the local repository

Now, create a new repository on GitHub (it’s easy , just follow these instructions along with me)

Assuming you already created your github account you’ll go to this link and change username by your actual username : https://github.com/username?tab=repositories , then follow these instructions :

You can add a name and choose wether you repo can be public or private for now and forget about everything else for now.

Once your repository created on github , you’ll get this :

As you might’ve noticed, we’ve already run all these commands , all what’s left for us to do is to push our files from our local repository to our remote repository , so let’s go ahead and do that

And just like this we have successfully pushed our files to the remote repository

Here, you can see the default branch main, the total number of branches, your latest commit message along with how long ago it was made, and the number of commits you've made on that branch.

Now what is a Readme file ?

A README file is a markdown file where you can add any relevant information about your code or the specific functionality in a particular branch—since each branch can have its own README.

It also serves as a guide for anyone who clones your repository, showing them exactly how to use it.

You can add a README from this button:

Or, you can create it using a command and push it manually:

But for the sake of demonstrating how to pull content from a remote repository, we’re going with the first option:

Once that’s done, it gets added to the repository just like any other file—with a commit message and timestamp.

However, the README file isn’t on my local machine yet, so I’ll run the git pull command:

Now everything is up to date. And this is just the tiniest example of how you can pull content from your remote repository.

What is .gitignore file ?

Sometimes, you don’t want to push everything to GitHub—especially sensitive files like environment variables or API keys. These shouldn’t be shared publicly. In fact, GitHub might even send you a warning email if you do:

To avoid this, you should create a .gitignore file, like this:

Any file listed in .gitignore will not be pushed to GitHub. So you’re all set!

Cloning

When you want to copy a GitHub repository to your local machine (aka "clone" it), you have two main options:

Clone using HTTPS: This is the most straightforward method. You just copy the HTTPS link from GitHub and run:

It's simple, doesn’t require extra setup, and works well for most users. But each time you push or pull, GitHub may ask for your username and password (or personal access token if you've enabled 2FA).

But if you wanna clone using ssh , you’ll need to know a bit more about ssh keys , so let’s talk about that.

Clone using SSH (Secure Shell): This method uses SSH keys for authentication. Once set up, it’s more secure and doesn't prompt you for credentials every time. Here's how it works:

So what is an SSH key, actually?

Think of SSH keys as a digital handshake between your computer and GitHub.

Your computer generates a key pair:

A private key (stored safely on your machine)

A public key (shared with GitHub)

When you try to access GitHub via SSH, GitHub checks if the public key you've registered matches the private key on your machine.

If they match, you're in — no password prompts needed.

Steps to set up SSH with GitHub:

Generate your SSH key:

2. Start the SSH agent and add your key:

3. Copy your public key:

Then copy the output to your clipboard.

Add it to your GitHub account:

Go to GitHub → Settings → SSH and GPG keys

Click New SSH key

Paste your public key and save.

5. Now you'll be able to clone using SSH like this:

From now on, any interaction with GitHub over SSH will just work — no password typing, just smooth encrypted magic.

And there you have it ! Until next time — happy coding, and may your merges always be conflict-free! ✨👩‍💻👨‍💻

[a-d-nox]

web of wyrd: what kind of trauma you could have experienced in childhood

tw: mentions of childhood trauma triggers

this orb is in the child zone of the chart. while the first orb is your public persona / the mask you wear in public due to expectations others have of you starting from a young age, this third orb (the sum of the mask and the true self) tells the story of what you experienced as a kid to make you who you are. this is the doorway between what others think you are like because of how you come off and who you truly are.

your lack of a number correlated with an experience listed below does not mean to minimize your experience with the topics (e.g., abuse, familial alcoholism, neglect, etc.) these are simply my observations (also observations are not destined to be true, they are simply possibilities / increased odds).

paid reading options: astrology menu & cartomancy menu

enjoy my work? help me continue creating by tipping on ko-fi or paypal. your support keeps the magic alive!

6 - lovers

covert incest: the reliance a parent has on their child for emotional needs that an adult relationship would provide (this is the mental and emotional aspects of an adult relationship NOT the physical)

7 - chariot

constant moving around which created a level of detachment in the world around you

9 - hermit

could have been in a foster care system which made you feel alone and unwanted

constantly distance from parents - maybe parents were constantly away on business or were otherwise occupied so you were alone and felt neglected by them

11 - justice

a messy divorce OR finding yourself in the midst of legal battles

troubled youth - perhaps experience with law enforcement / juvenile justice systems

13 - death

loss or near loss be it of a family member or yourself

15 - devil

dealing with a toxic household

substance abuse issues in direct family that effects you

controlling parents

physical or mental abuse

16 - tower

car accident, house fire, medical emergency, etc that forever changed your life

17 - star

having an illness that effects your ability to just be a kid

18 - moon

constant lies and manipulation experienced by you from your parental figure(s)

have ideas for new content? please use my “suggest a post topic” button!

return to nox's guide to metaphysics

return to the masterlist of the web of wyrd

© a-d-nox 2024 all rights reserved

[exeggcute]

interesting links roundup #5

reading

A British Nurse Was Found Guilty of Killing Seven Babies. Did She Do It?

A Tick Is Making Farmers Allergic to Their Own Animals

The Big Red Word vs. the Little Green Man

Bringing Up Babies

The Degradation Drug

Does Matt Mullenweg Want a Fork or Not?

The Flying Car Is Finally Here. It’s Slightly Illegal.

How to Talk to People When You Live Alone

I got dysentery so you don’t have to

The invisible seafaring industry that keeps the internet afloat

Kurt Vonnegut’s lost board game finally published

The Pain of Travelling While Palestinian

Personal Best

Rage bait is all the rage on Threads

The Secretive Dynasty That Controls the Boar’s Head Brand

The shady origins of the climate haven myth

Social Media Tells You Who You Are. What if It's Totally Wrong?

We’re not going to run out of new anatomy anytime soon

Who Pays for the Arts?

Works by Pissarro, Renoir, and Avercamp Vanished. Here’s How an Amateur Art Sleuth Cracked the Case

Writing in Pictures: Richard Scarry and the art of children’s literature

tools/reference

An Illustrated Guide to Maritime Signal Flags

If the Moon Were Only 1 Pixel: A tediously accurate map of the solar system

Plotto by William Wallace Cook (1928) [for context, read this]

Snapseed: Android, iOS

These Apps Help People With Disabilities Travel More Easily

other

Euthanasia machine, Australia, 1995-1996

how-i-experience-web-today.com

Reply All #158: The Case of the Missing Hit [I first listened to this years ago but just listened to it again... still soooo good]

Subterranea Britannica

[butts-bouncing-on-the-beltway]

Razi's Guide to Challenging Coercive Control in Society and Your Personal Life

Part 1 - A Functionalist Perspective on Self-Creating Morality

I'll be blunt. The only person free from the risk of being abusive are those who were never alive at all. There is no easy solution to being a good and just person, and no matter what arena of our lives we interrogate, there will be actions we have taken or deeds endorsed that were unacceptable, likely even in the moment.

The truth is, there is no specific set of instructions I could give you to earn you such an outcome. But why should we refuse to try?

Many of us have learned to internalize fear of failure, especially fear of moral failure, as a fear of excommunication from the social fabric of survival. This combines poorly with a world in which the only person who is successfully non-coercive in their navigation of the world is the person who is unafraid of being told they HAVE exerted inappropriate pressure or coercion, and who is unafraid of the trial and error involved in learning the balance of people they love or live with. You have to fail morality with an open and curious mind in order to have even a hope of succeeding in morality. A connundrum for many a nervous system even when the brain sees true.

So lets be clear, the question of how to observe your own use and wielding of coercion and control is essential for EVERYONE, no matter who you are, what your values, or how your history has played out. Thinking otherwise is its own risk factor when assessing risks for abuse. Specifically, behaviors of and exertion of overcontrol actually often raises the risk measure of an abuse victim's safety assessment (in this case referring to The Danger Assessment commonly utilized in domestic violence safety assessment, linked below) more than a physical assault would, as it is historically a higher predictor of who will harm or kill a victim when they attempt to differentiate within the relationship or leave it.

So what are the foundations of coercive control? Well, interestingly enough, researchers have been working to answer this question for a while! There are a lot of really useful and in depth conversations about this, but here's a succinct introduction to it. **a reminder, this is about how to interrogate YOUR OWN behavior for patterns of coercion and control more effectively. The information contained in this post is NOT an effective way of identifying abusive/coercive thoughts and behaviors in others, although ultimately the better you understand your own risks and maladaptive behavior patterns, the easier it is to cultivate relationships with healthy and adaptive boundaries for all parties.

*these screenshots are cited from an article about self-reported abusive and coercive behaviors during perceived in-group conversations such as on estranged parent web forums and represents an effective intro summary of patterns of coercive/abusive relationships in many mixed-hierarchy relationship dynamics from other existing research:

The important thing about realizing we all carry at least SOME of these coercive/abusive beliefs is that we must allow the inevitability of that reality undermine the shame and fear society encourages us to feel about the possibility of committing a moral failure, and sppecifically doing so while being able to maintain the somewhat contradictory side-by-side reality that these moral failings, every time they occur, must be treated as if you have done serious harm which must be REPAIRED. Specifically, we must set aside the idea of self-flagellation/punishment as "repair" and we must stop seeing apologies as a performance of remorse and contrition. Apologies are an opportunity to communicate to a person that you respect and hear their feelings, and that you will continue to act with love to the best of your ability. People rarely feel displays of guilt make good apologies. They often feel like an apology has been properly made when they feel their experience of distress was recognized and given genuine kindness.

So rather than looking at this list and justifying the ones that hit a little too close to home, the experiment for this week, the last week of 2024, is to actually ask the question "what if believing this really does hurt me and others?" What would it mean to you, in the life you have led, to consider the possibility that these beliefs are themselves abusive/coercive, and that when you act on them, so are you. If you have decided to come along with me on this long-term self-study, perhaps you'll journal along with me (in public or in private) on that question.

For now, I'll get the ball rolling. One of the dysfunctional beliefs that resonated the most for me is:

Emotions cause actions. When I feel something, I can't not act on it, or at least it would be wrong not to.

I have spent many sections of my life in abusive relationships, and the idea of not acting on the feeling of hurt or emotional lashing out sits VERY poorly with me both in concept and in practice. I genuinely do believe that such emotions ARE wrong not to "act" on, but I have come to understand that to "act upon" an emotion like that must often be an internal or curated affair. For example, there are times that my wife says things that feel hurtful, and because of how I experience them, I can struggle at times to "remember" that my interpretation is not the only available one. It is rare, when I do remember this, for a thing my wife said to be INAPPROPRIATE, even when it is hurtful. And I have realized that how I talk to her about the hurt feelings from appropriate statements must look very different from a talk about the rare INAPPROPRIATE and hurtful comment. Critically, being clear with each other about these two types of conversations means we are better equipped to treat things that were both hurtful and inappropriate with real seriousness, without detracting from or sacrificing our ability to discuss more complicated navigations of hurtful but appropriate episodes/statements. Example: sometimes my wife lets me know she's feeling overextended physically and like she can't keep up on her own and can't get help. This is ALWAYS a hurtful conversation for me because I am aware of the truth of what she says and we are BOTH aware that truth is largely beyond my control. My wife, in these moments, is asking me to sit with her in love with the knowledge that she is hurting as an outcome of trying to do an entire household's physical labor alone and that she fundamentally cannot expect help from me even though we both wish that were not so. She is not asking any ACTION of me. She is not asking CHANGE. She is not asking for APOLOGY. She's not even asking for GRATITUDE. But she *is* asking TO BE SEEN BY HER PARTNER IN HER WHOLENESS. In the same example, there have been a time here or there when, whether in response to defensiveness from me, or overwhelm in other areas of life, she has expressed this need to be seen in ways that were truly unkind or inappropriate. When these occurred, it was entirely necessary for her and I to sit down and talk through why/how that could not repeat, but importantly, it happened AFTER she and I got through a conversation about her feelings. It did ME (let alone her) no good to challenge how she expressed a reasonable feeling in an unreasonable way in the moment. And in fact, taking the time to make sure she felt fully heard is often integral to her ability to hear me in turn. I like to call this the assumption of good faith. I know that my wife loves me and that I love her. I am allowed and in fact will require healthy boundaries to maintain this love in a healthy way. And healthy boundaries are best discussed with unconditional regard for all parties involved, which means that while some boundaries may not change based on someone's feelings about it, but those feelings may indicate certain needs that would - if met - better facilitate the outcomes you want. This is NOT abuse apologia, and inherently does not accept that certain boundaries (such as hitting or restraining another person) can be safely crossed. It does however name that many boundaries may require mutual agreement on how they can effectively manifest/be maintained.

A lesson I am choosing to take in from this exercise is the lesson that it can be emotionally easy to match energies when I feel someone is pressuring or aggressing me, but I know that my intellectual preference, and the choice I would least regret after the fact, would be to de-escalate that feeling rather than add to it. Because of my abuse history I often struggle to differentiate between "holding a boundary firmly" and "being mean", which can mean BOTH that I fail to adequately hold or communicate boundaries AND that I am prone to lashing out if I "bottle up" a boundary for too long and genuinely say something unkind an inappropriate. And while I may feel justified in my feelings, that can never translate to justifying inappropriate behaviors that stem from those feelings.

As 2025 dawns, what lessons are you taking into the year for yourself?

[forestclan-clangen]

Lore Dive: StarClan and The Iris

[Image ID: A modified/edited image of official StarClan art by Wayne McLoughlin in the top left corner, and a screenshot of the Iris from the web series "Gemini Home Entertainment" by Remy Abode in the bottom right. Some visual elements have been tweaked, like additional stars dotting StarClan's artwork, and some red and yellow lights and lines around the Iris. End ID] StarClan are significantly more benevolent in ForestClan's universe than malevolent. However, they are also limited in their ability to influence the living world in comparison to their canon counterpart. StarClan often meets difficulty in being able to communicate freely and safely with ForestClan. Ultimately, both StarClan and the world of the living have one singular, ultimate enemy, one that poses an existential threat to not just cat-kind, but the entire world: the Iris.

This lore dive will be split into 3 parts - I will explain the goals and abilities of the Iris, those of StarClan, and finally a timeline of events for the ongoing conflict between both.

THE IRIS

Those who have read my blog description should already be aware, but for the uninitiated: ForestClan is, in essence, a crossover fanfic with Clangen prompts as inspiration. ForestClan's universe exists inside the analog horror web series "Gemini Home Entertainment" (GHE for short) by Remy Abode. The Iris is an eldritch entity directly from GHE. Just like in its home series, it's a living, actively malevolent planet that has very powerful abilities that affect life on Earth - even as it's slowly consuming Neptune and Saturn, several billions of miles away from us.

The Iris' goal is to mutate and transform all the planets in our solar system. It is slowly approaching Earth, and planning to terraform it for unknown purposes. Whatever those purposes are do not involve the continued existence of life on Earth.

The Iris is the source of the Deep Root entities (Woodcrawlers, Nature's Mockery, etc.) that are invading ForestClan's territory and its surrounding borders - known to humans as Moonlight Acres Camp. Despite being the source, the Iris does not have direct control of them. Deep Root entities are alien animals and viruses. In the end, the entities just want to eat, grow, spread their territory and continue their life cycles, like any other animal. The Iris can use the power of suggestion to influence these creatures, much like StarClan can offer guidance to ForestClan.

The Iris exerts this power of suggestion through electromagnetic radiation waves, like all planets and stars emit naturally - but with directional intent. With this, it interferes with the dreams of any sentient being capable of having them, with its primary focus being humanity. It is capable of injecting images and visions that lull them into being more malleable to its goals. It is also capable of interfering with human radio waves and signal broadcasts, but those are less relevant to ForestClan.

Its primary targets of interest are humans first, cats second. StarClan is utterly terrified of it regardless of its secondary interest in cats.

After all, several cats have had nightmares about "maws" and "unhinged jaws" featuring a massive, yellow moon.

STARCLAN

Just like in its canon media, StarClan are the warrior ancestors of ForestClan and of the four extinct Clans. Their goals are to guide and protect ForestClan within the limits of their power, and on a grander scale, protect living cats from being scrutinized by the Iris.

They are not all-knowing or all-seeing, but they gather as much information about the world from their heavenly abode as possible, and share it with leaders and medicine cats. They typically share Woodcrawler locations, new instances of Nature's Mockery, human activity, or dangerous weather conditions approaching. These are tasks limited to regular StarClan cats.

Former leaders and former medicine cats, those with the brightest stars in their pelts, have the more dangerous task of looking beyond their afterlife borders and into our solar system. They track the movement of the Iris, and interrupt its electromagnetic waves with their own 'mimicry waves' their starry pelts emit. This disrupts the Iris' communication attempts, and slows the Iris' approach to Earth.

They can also somewhat direct lightning strikes. They cannot create them from nothing, or control clouds, however. The storm must already be naturally occurring for StarClan to be capable of directing lightning. A thunder storm is seen as a good fortune for ForestClan, especially if they have pregnant or nursing queens.

StarClan can communicate directly without stipulations at the Half-Moon Dome. The Half-Moon Dome is, literally, a dome-shaped object made of aluminum. It is found in the middle of a now-abandoned human storm bunker, near a demolished Twoleg nest. The bunker also contains an old human radio that ForestClan calls "the Silver Box", although it does not seem to serve any purpose. Medicine cats can sleep against the Half-Moon Dome and establish a sole link with StarClan.

StarClan cannot be direct with their messages when medicine cats are away from the aluminum dome. They can provide strange, story-like dreams, visual images, prophecies and omens - but the only reason they remain cryptic is for the safety of the entirety of cat-kind. Due to the Iris' ability to infiltrate and manipulate dreams, it is a very real risk and genuine fear that the Iris will see cats actually communicate complex thoughts and ideas. Prophecies and omens are understood less as an inability for StarClan to be direct, and more of a coded message, to avoid the suspicion from a great, hungry eye that hates consciousness.

StarClan also grants new leaders nine lives, just like in canon, in order to better serve their Clan.

HISTORY OF THE IRIS AND STARCLAN CONFLICT

When the Iris first made contact with Earth in the human year 1935, its sole focus was targeting humanity to feed the effigy it sent there. It didn't know that five Clans of feral cats lived around the abundant, isolated territory of Moonlight Acres camp.

That is, until it finds that something is interfering with its electromagnetic waves. There was a strong background radiation coming from various stars in space. They were pointed directly towards Moonlight Acres camp, intercepting the Iris' own waves, and angering it. In the human year 1946, the Iris found that true stars weren't responsible for this - rather, a facsimile of them were. Invisible energies that mimicked stars were concentrated in the atmosphere above Moonlight Acres. Intrigued, the Iris followed a stray wave towards a creature's dream - and saw two cats staring up at it in horror. One had a pelt filled with stars.

As soon as this event occured, StarClan became aware that the Iris discovered them. With its ability to invade dreams, they were terrified, and didn't know what it was capable of. Out of caution, StarClan went silent with their open communication, choosing to send omens and prophecies in the hope that the medicine cats would go to their communing place. This frightened the medicine cats at the time, as they were not used to such vagueness from their ancestors.

This was a good decision by StarClan, as the Iris' inability to find another starry cat lead to it being suspicious, but not convinced about the intelligence of Clan cats. But its suspicion was enough for the Iris to test their consciousness. It tried the same trick it used on humans: it sent cats strange dreams of cat-like entities. They beckoned the cats to "come and speak with them, make deals with them". These manifested as the "well-groomed cats with fur-less heads".

However, the Iris dropped this testing and refocused its anger when its human puppet tried to sacrifice a bear instead of humans, as agreed. This act resulted in the creation of the Wretch. The Wretch stormed through the woods in search of humans to punish and incorporate into itself, and then stumbled through the Clan camps without thought. The Wretch automatically absorbed flesh - cats were not its target, but it was so large that it was unavoidable.

The Wretch destroyed the ancient Clans, leaving ForestClan as the lone survivor. Since then, StarClan has fought to preserve and protect the cats of ForestClan, and destroy the Iris. This is despite how insurmountable such a task is, or how insignificant cats truly are. After all - forget the Clans, is anywhere and anything truly safe? Knowing what they know now, about this living thing that creates horrifying creatures that can hunt and kill even humans, can they truly have hope? This information is so heavy, that they have one rule, and one rule alone that they enforce on ForestClan's leader and medicine cats. When a leader first attains their nine lives, or when a medicine cat is initiated into apprenticeship, they are revealed the secret about the true nature of the woods: the Iris is responsible for them, and no one knows how to stop it, if it can be stopped at all. The Iris can invade their dreams, and it is vital that no cat is aware of it. Cats must have "normal" cat dreams, to continue to fool the Iris. This is why ForestClan leaders used to be called "secret keepers", and medicine cats used to be called "protectors of secrets".

Throughout history, StarClan have discovered the following:

The Iris is not omnipotent - it must attain its information, one way or another.

The Iris is actively malicious and enjoys inflicting suffering on conscious things. The Iris cannot, under any circumstances, discover that Clan cats are highly intelligent and capable of religion, medicine and complex societies.

The Iris cannot see StarClan fully - only detect the waves their pelts emit. It can also track waves emitted by a brain in REM sleep, when dreams most occur.

The Woodcrawlers and all other creatures of the woods are, fundamentally, animals. They are opportunistic, and perform risk assessments, and do give up if they believe their prey is going to kill them. Cats throughout several generations have had different methods of dealing with the woods' hunger, but StarClan does not support or condemn any methods. They are not gods, they cannot control what ForestClan chooses to do. They can be disappointed and upset, but the Iris is the true enemy.

The Iris CANNOT control or keep tabs on every single monster it has brought to earth. What the monsters know, the Iris doesn't necessarily know. It just trusts the aliens to do as much damage as possible.

As of right now, in Moon 4, the Iris is becoming aware that something else - other than humans and the strange, mimicry waves - is trying to communicate. The Iris is trying to reach back to this third party, but keeps being cut off by StarClan.

StarClan is fighting very, very hard to keep Rootgrove's trapped spirit hidden from the Iris. They didn't know his spirit would emit electromagnetic waves too. They need to find a way to destroy the thing that took him, before the Iris breaches their defenses. Otherwise, all hope is lost, and the Iris will begin sending Well-Groomed Cats again to manipulate ForestClan to their demise.

[talonabraxas]

"He who fights too long against dragons becomes a dragon himself; and if you gaze too long into the abyss, the abyss will gaze into you."― Friedrich Nietzsche

Red Spectral Dragon Talon Abraxas

Red Dragon is your Conscious Self - who you are and who you are becoming.

Red Dragon represents the root source of life, the nurturance and support of primary being, and within it are found the primal waters of unity. This is where your deepest roots receive true nourishment. Red Dragon is the energy of form contained within the formlessness of the primordial sea.

Primal trust means making choices with no guarantees, knowing that divine nurturance will provide what is needed for your journey. It means making choices moment by moment, implicitly trusting your innate steering mechanism of heart-knowing. Primal trust implies surrendering to the will of the divine self, letting go of what your ego deems to be control of the outcomes in your life. It means deeply trusting the processes that are at work within your present spiral of evolution.

The energy of Red Dragon asks you to embrace the depth of your receptivity. Perhaps you have been taught that it is better to give than to receive. Giving is a powerful way to learn how to receive, but it is not the whole picture. There is a circuit of completion in giving and receiving that happens within you and in your external world at the same time. If you trust unconditionally in the giving, you are not attached to how the gift is received. When you freely give, you fill your cup with sweet waters, which you can then offern innocently and purely to another. Know, on one level, that your gift is poured out universally regardless of how it appears to be received. However, when the gift comes from the ego, it is limited by expectations and conditions. Love just is. It is neither given nor taken; rather it is simply discovered and allowed.

The universe is an inseparable whole. Red Dragon represents the energy matrix lines that look like a web in the universe, through which all points are connected in time and space. This energetic web of communication is known as the 'crystal grid network.' It is a cauldron of creation, a potent field in which all things are not only possible but constantly being created. Within this grid, the linear causality of time and space has been freed into an open system in which all time and all space exist and interact simultaneously. This grid connects the larger holograms of reality with our own. Its energy lines connect all places, times and events - even those that are seemingly unrelated. All phenomena and all actions are part of this larger whole; it is the very foundation for telepathy and synchronicity. Red Dragon embodies unity, in which all things are one with the Source.

Red Dragon is also your Higher Self & Guide.

You are a double Red Dragon. When your Conscious Self and Higher Self are one and the same it means that you desire to embody all that Red Dragon is, completely and powerfully. Your SuperConscious is guiding you to trust in the larger pattern to provide what you need. Communicate your feelings, desires and dreams!

Yellow Sun is your Subconscious Self and Hidden Helper.

Yellow Sun is a reminder that you are, at every moment, in the center of All That Is. In your journey of remembrance, you are crafting a light body to return to a home in the stars that you never really left. Return as a child of the sacred to the Great Central Sun! You are the crown of creation, infused with the blueprint of solar mind. You are a Godseed, the reflection of cosmic consciousness. You are love made visible!

Discover the simple secret encoded in Ahau's star-glyph: you are unconditional love, the stone of indestructible liberation. Radiate that knowing in all your thoughts and actions. Love all of creation. Join the dance of light, the fundamental constant of nature, and shine forth the clarity of your true essence. There is great power in simply identifying with the light: "As above, so below." You are in God, and God is in you.

As you express unconditional love, you become more than you previously perceived yourself to be. You become illumined, the full manifestation of your divinity. In the embrace of your humanity, accept yourself and others unconditionally. Magnify your full presence. Ahau will come in myriad forms to assist you. Be limitless. Accept and understand the nature of judgement, fear, light and dark within yourself and others. Love and accept yourself and others as you are, freed from previous boundaries. You are the dawning of the solar age.

As you move toward your core of light, you will find a clear-light awareness that is innately innocent. In this place, the mind is restored to it's original state of receptivity. Clarity and freedom become expressions of being, and bliss becomes the body. At this core of light, a new reality is born. From the union of the divine masculine and feminine is birthed the solar androgyny of cosmic consciousness.

[probablyasocialecologist]

To bring about its hypothetical future, OpenAI must build a new digital ecosystem, pushing users toward the ChatGPT app or toward preëxisting products that integrate its technology such as Bing, the search engine run by OpenAI’s major investor, Microsoft. Google, by contrast, already controls the technology that undergirds many of our online experiences, from search and e-mail to Android smartphone-operating systems. At its conference, the company showed how it plans to make A.I. central to all of the above. Some Google searches now yield A.I.-generated “Overview” summaries, which appear in tinted boxes above any links to external Web sites. Liz Reid, Google’s head of search, described the generated results with the ominously tautological tagline “Google will do the Googling for you.” (The company envisions that you will rely on the same search mechanism to trawl your own digital archive, using its Gemini assistant to, say, pull up photos of your child swimming over the years or summarize e-mail threads in your in-box.) Nilay Patel, the editor-in-chief of the tech publication the Verge, has been using the phrase “Google Zero” to describe the point at which Google will stop driving any traffic to external Web sites and answer every query on its own with A.I. The recent presentations made clear that such a point is rapidly approaching. One of Google’s demonstrations showed a user asking the A.I. a question about a YouTube video on pickleball: “What is the two-bounce rule?” The A.I. then extracted the answer from the footage and displayed the answer in writing, thus allowing the user to avoid watching either the video or any advertising that would have provided revenue to its creator. When I Google “how to decorate a bathroom with no windows” (my personal litmus test for A.I. creativity), I am now presented with an Overview that looks a lot like an authoritative blog post, theoretically obviating my need to interact directly with any content authored by a human being. Google Search was once seen as the best path for getting to what’s on the Web. Now, ironically, its goal is to avoid sending us anywhere. The only way to use the search function without seeing A.I.-generated content is to click a small “More” tab and select “Web” search. Then Google will do what it was always supposed to do: crawl the Internet looking for URLs that are relevant to your queries, and then display them to you. The Internet is still out there, it’s just increasingly hard to find. If A.I. is to be our primary guide to the world’s information, if it is to be our 24/7 assistant-librarian-companion as the tech companies propose, then it must constantly be adding new information to its data sets. That information cannot be generated by A.I., because A.I. tools are not capable of even one iota of original thought or analysis, nor can they report live from the field. (An information model that is continuously updated, using human labor, to inform us about what’s going on right now—we might call it a newspaper.) For a decade or more, social media was a great way to motivate billions of human beings to constantly upload new information to the Internet. Users were driven by the possibilities of fame and profit and mundane connection. Many media companies were motivated by the possibility of selling digital ads, often with Google itself as a middle man. In the A.I. era, in which Google can simply digest a segment of your post or video and serve it up to a viewer, perhaps not even acknowledging you as the original author, those incentives for creating and sharing disappear. In other words, Google and OpenAI seem poised to cause the erosion of the very ecosystem their tools depend on.

[dartagnantt]

The Conjoined | A different take on a aberrant hivemind

PDFs of this and more can be found over on at my Patreon here! I release everything for free, so your support makes this possible. I've also started making a new system based off of 5e, 6th Dawn! Become a patron and join the playtest.

So, here's some creepy eldritch fuckery for you. So, how does this fit the theme of Bio, you ask. Simple, biomass. I wanted to do a take on some eldritch psychic tentacles that isn't just the illithid with a different hat. So this acts closer to the zerg than it does the ilithid. each appendage is a mindless lump of flesh puppeted by something so much bigger and vast, as opposed to a series of intelligent psychic squid men who simultaneously seek to dominate and rule but are all actually slaves.

Another important thing I needed to do (and I don't think I satisfactorily accomplished) was that they didn't want to rule the universe or something similar, mortals are somewhat beneath them (and yet they have envoys, interesting). I wanted them to be more opaque, but I also wanted them to actually have a goal in mind that I didn't properly explain, instead I don't even know it

Observer

A floating eyeball with tentacles. Where have I seen this before? You're right! I got some inspiration from the demon eyes from Terraria. But instead of head butting you, they can shoot eye lasers. They also act a bit more like the overlords of the zerg, spreading the psionic web of the conjoined, they also make excellent familiars, since you can telepathically communicate with your familiar (food for thought)

Devourer

Okay, this is the 'beholder' I was inspired by a picture 'beholder', but its mouth takes up its entire face and its singular eye was at the back of its mouth and it had no eye tentacles. It's not really a beholder at all, but it looked cool. I liked how it would eat stuff and send it back home, so I made an interesting inversion of the swallow whole thing where you absolutely do not want to kill it while it's eating someone.

Envoy

The 'mind flayer' but actually the hand. These are the tentacle creatures that interact with the world around them in a more sophisticated fashion, but they act as shapechangers and hide in plane sight.

Supreme Intelligence

The 'elder brain' but it's not a brain because nah. It's a disembodied hard to comprehend intelligence floating in space. Excellent conversationalists.

And now to plug my stuff. I release homebrews weekly over on my Patreon. Anyone who pledges $1 or more per post don't have to wait a month to see them, and also help fund my being alive habit.

At the moment, they have exclusive access to the following:

Feats: Resoled

Assassin: Rehired

Scout Roguishj Archetype

Poisons: Reapplied

I also have four classes, and two splatbooks over on DriveThruRPG to check out:

The Rift Binder. A class specialising in summoning monsters and controlling the battlefield.

The Witch Knight. A class that combines swords and sorcery in the most literal way.

The Werebeast. A class that turns you into a half beast to destroy your foes.

The Beguiler. A spellcaster dedicated to illusions, enchantments, and general fuckery.

d'Artagnan's Adventurer Almanac. A compendium of races, subclasses, feats, spells, monsters and more!

d'Artagnan's Lycanthrope Survival Guide. A book of lore, stats, and werebeast subclasses for lycanthropes.

[liltalle]

Sorting A Practical Guide to Evil - Sorting Hat Chats

This web serial is one of my favorite stories of all time, and it's all about differing perspectives on morality and the effectiveness of different methods—perfect for SHC. (The premise is a girl of the heroic mold joining up under the Dread Empire to help her people when all the attempted heroes have failed—reminiscent of Baru Cormorant if anyone's read that.)

I've had sorting notes in my back pocket for years, and it's high time I put them out into the world. I don't know how many people here are still into it, it's still live if anyone wants to try it, but there will be spoilers below. The basics of the sorting system are explained here, archetypes reference found here.

Catherine Foundling - Badger Lion. The Dark Protagonist sorting, I love it. Cat is very clear that her loyalty is to Callow, and a core theme of the story could be described as the lengths Loyalists are willing to go for what's theirs, how they shed Idealist restraints, and how they discover that sometimes playing nice is actually the practical way to get what they want. Cat is contrasted early on with William, who at least performs Lion, with his naive idealism about the ideal of Callow, the King, the banners, "freedom". Cat insists that it's about the people and their well-being, under whatever flag. She is attached to Callowan culture, grudges and so forth, "she is Callowan, in the end", and those ideas drive her decisions, even as she breaks with some of them. It's a source of conflict and sadness for her, that she's gone against her people to help them, that they hate her, that she can't last as Queen. Her Primary becomes more open as she goes on: she comes to see Praesi as more diverse and human, she adopts the Fifteenth and its varied peoples until she becomes a banner for all oppressed people's under the Praesi, and her aegis eventually extends over all of Calernia when it's clear that the only way to solve her problems. But her heart never seems to leave Callow. She regrets sacrificing personal loyalties for what she needs to do, but she always does it. And the recklessness and ruthlessness of her Lion Secondary is legendary in-story. Everything explodes around her, she sacrifices her own life as an opening gambit, her power depends on an unbroken string of victories, she's a Thresher (as the Pilgrim describes her) driving deep loyalties and animosities. She picks up a Bird Secondary model from Black as the story progresses, learning to stand back and scheme from a distance rather than risking herself, and it reaches brilliant heights at the Prince's Graveyard, she relished the planning and stayed steps ahead of everyone else, but she's a brawler at heart.

Amadeus of the Green Stretch - Badger Bird. The King / Mob Boss archetype is on point. An inveterate schemer, de-facto king of Callow, always has another sword or sharper in his shadow. Maddie tries to convince Cat that he's on the side of Evil spitting in the eye of the Heavens, but as @lilietsblog argues eloquently here, his true loyalty is to Praes. He raises the idea of Evil as a group for Cat to put them on the same side, and engage that Lion Sec defiance, avoiding the clear fact that their loyalties are to Praes and Callow, and those are likely to clash at some point. He hates much about Praes, but Alaya correctly points out to him that he can't butcher his way into being born in a different homeland. Everything he does is to break the cycle that's devastated his homeland (and Cat's, but that's not his problem) since its foundation. Watching Nefarious' rout and learning about the grain problem are formative experiences for his path. His break with Alaya is a clear split between their different Loyalties: he's loyal to what Praes could be, needs to be, and is willing to break it to make that happen, while Alaya is a Snake in need of control, and she's content to play the game if that's what she needs to do, reform is a nice idea to her but it's not a moral imperative. Amadeus dies for it.

Akua Sahelian - Double Snake (Double Bird model). - Akua thinks she's a Double Bird early on, with all her speeches on "iron sharpens iron" and the glory days of Evil, her elaborate brilliant schemes and devices. But it's not where she truly shines. She becomes something different after Catherine beats her on the terms of her philosophy and shatters her plans. She's a spirit bound to a cape and she... works with it. She's endlessly subtle and seductive, she plays the Woe off each other and inserts herself into the group with alarming ease. She loves flirting with Catherine, she prides herself on her resilience - a Snake Secondary. As for the Primary... oh, poor Akua. She was deliberately Burned young, when her mother ordered her to kill her only friend by her own hand. Akua remains attached, amazingly, to her father, and a little to Barika, though she doesn't want to admit that one. Her father's death is one of the times we see her truly wounded. When Catherine beats her, her philosophy says that she belongs to her now, but that bond becomes something else. The easy companionship of the Woe, that Akua's so deftly maneuvering into, makes her feral. She describes being invited to a fireside feast with Cat's friends as maybe the cruelest thing ever done to her. Because there's nothing in the world she wants so much as love like that. Catherine herself becomes Akua's focus, someone she wounded beyond all forgiveness becoming the only person she wants... (God, this story. My unBurning Snake Primary bleeds with hers.)

Hakram Deadhand - Double Badger. We have a Evil Peacemaker too, it's so good. Hakram is Burnt at the beginning, not because of trauma, but because nothing's really inspired him until Cat. Her project brings him to life, and he loves it... until his people need him. It's a terrible decision, but in the end, the orcs are his in a way Callow is not. (These conflicting Badger loyalties between people who love each other do make my Snake sad.) And he, along with Scribe, is one of the most brilliant Badger Secondaries I've ever seen. He has magical paperwork-speed abilities, he doesn't sleep, he maintains vast networks, he's explicitly the power behind the throne. And when pushed to a crisis with Vivienne, what does he does but sacrifice himself, embodying the solution, trading a piece of himself for her trust. He's kind and scary and thorough, I love it.

Indrani - Double Snake. Girl's a pretty easy sort. She cares about her hedonism and her freedom and her friends. She's a flirt, she talks a lot but carefully doesn't reveal much. She's the one to tell Cat how deeply the personal loyalty she's offered means to the Woe. She singed under Hye's harsh treatment, put that cruelty onto her fellows, but with Cat's kindness, she unBurns that part of her Primary, reconciling with Cocky.

Masego - Double Bird. Another on-the-nose stereotype, our magnificent autistic boy. He's got a speech about his world collapsing before his eyes was a formative experience for his effort to understand the nature of reality. He's frank that apotheosis is a higher priority for him than his friends, but he does work them into his system a little. He invents a new theory of magic. He's unsettled by Cat's recklessness, he's tempted by knowledge, he's a magpie when it comes to arcane tools... I want to talk about him more because I love him, but I think this one's solid (it could be the standard autistic Bird Secondary model, but he seems very comfortable with it, so, Occam's Razor, it's his base).

Vivienne Dartwick - Lion Snake. I have a less of a read on Vivienne's internals, but this one makes the most obvious sense. Her loyalty shift is different than Catherine's, and I think it's suggestive how Cat leans on Viv as a moral compass when she doesn't trust herself. While I don't remember the details of why she joined the Woe, Hakram convincing her to stay I think points strongly to Lion. She doubts herself and her worth, and it throws her into a spiral, until she knows, by Hakram's brutal in-her-face sacrifice, that she's trusted and needed. And then she lights up again. Her Secondary... she's literally doing the Robin Hood thing, she fits the archetype. She doesn't build her network quite like Hakram, she doesn't seem Built at all, she's quick on her feet, but not great in a direct fight.

Alaya of Satus - Double Snake. Alaya's formative moment was when her father was nailed to the floor of her inn by the Sentinels. She was powerless to protect someone she loved, and then she was kidnapped into one of the most dangerous environments on Calernia. Her Primary got a little Exploded wrt her need for control, she sharpened her Secondary to terrifying subtlety, and she became Empress. As I said above, her break with Maddie about her need for control ("Praes is a game that can be won") vs. his moral drive for reform ("Praes is a mold that can be broken").

Scribe - Snake Badger. - Scribe's function is to serve Amadeus (even without his knowledge), and her abilities are the apotheosis of a Badger Secondary - unobtrusive, insanely fast at paperwork, can maintain a cross-continental spy network from a tent. (I'm so jealous.)

Sabah - Snake Lion. - Sabah fights with the Calamities because they're her friends, and is happy to go home to her husband when they don't need her. She's slightly sad about the heroes she has to kill, but if they're in her way, she doesn't regret it at all. Her hammer, and the directness of the Beast? Very Lion Secondary. She gains power on her vision quest when she just... asserts loyalty to the Calamities and fucking kills the god.

Wekesa - Snake Bird. Another Occam's sorting. Wekesa blatantly cares about his husband and son, his friends, and his fun research. He refuses to run a mage academy for Amadeus' project because it would be annoying. His specialization in wards and creative use of that is one of his edges. And it does fit the archtype.

Hye Su - Lion Bird. I'm a little baffled by Hye, but this one might work. Her need for freedom points to an Internal Primary, and she doesn't attach to people really. She dedicated to herself growing stronger, doing ridiculous things like visiting Keter to see one of the few people who can still challenge her. She fights the Queen of Summer, because (and is vicious about her dignity, she doesn't kill them for annoying her because Amadeus would be bothered, but it's a very shallow Snake model). And the Secondary, I'm going off of vibes: the impulse to perfection, to turn herself into the weapon, the hard work, resonates with my Badger Secondary, but she doesn't network at all, and it feels more like a Rapid-Fire Bird, learning new tricks for Keter's traps every time, but internalizing everything so she'll be ready for anything. Her tools, her Aspects, are meta, they're about learning, and they're very dangerous, but I think it's a superficial similarity to a Badger's become-the-tool method.

William of Greenbury - Burnt Snake, Lion. I'm taking the more interesting choice here. William is tormented by a choice he feels he can never be forgiven for: butchering his sister to save himself. While any Primary is likely to find this horrific, a Snake would find it the most pointedly devastating. And running with this theory, we find William trying to model a Lion Primary by running to Contrition. I think a True Lion would hate himself a little less, would see a righteous cause as meaning something in atonement. William feels that the debt can never be paid down. That Burning's in his Name, he's the Lone Swordsman, he doesn't connect with anyone anymore. And the Lion Secondary seems straightforward. While he's not the best inspirational leader, he mirrors Cat in ruthlessness and blowing stuff up and self-sacrifice.

Cordelia Hasenbach - Double Badger. Another of the many nationalist Badger Primaries in this cast, Cordelia is loyal to Procer. She only seeks to rule it when it's clear no one else can save it from itself, she works herself into the ground, crosses lines with superweapons, all for her love of her country. And her power is in her mastery of etiquette, that thing the Lycaonese usually scorn, Southerners don't expect it of her, but she triumphs in the Highest Assembly in her darkest hours via mastery of the rules even in the midst of a coup. I can feel her Secondary's delight at winning within the system despite the chaos around her. And she refuses to cheat by taking a Name, she's no better than anyone else, they're all citizens of Procer and no one is above the law. She's only tempted by one when she seems to need one for her people to be safe.

Hanno of Arwad - Double Lion. I'm a little confused about Hanno, but the coin is definitely about a Burnt Idealist leaning on something external to himself, which he then loses, so he has to learn to trust himself again. And he feels more like a Burnt Lion using the Seraphim as an infallible external system (imitating Bird). Secondary-wise, he's offended by the suggestion of deception. In the trial of the Red Axe, he expects his heroes to be good, fights Christophe to the ground when he has to, but refuses further action, he feels betrayed when Cat and Cordelia come up with a clever solution around him.

Juniper - Lion Bird. Juniper's in love with war, the challenge. Not because it's an orc thing, she avoided her responsibilities to draw battles in the dirt, but because she wants it. Glory is motivating to her, she wants to fight battles like no one's ever seen, she revels in it. And her methods are very explicitly Birdy: she likes a versatile toolbox, and she's the best at using it. Only a Built Secondary could plan out a battle, see the crossbow she has pointed at the enemy in her mind's eye... and go to sleep, confident that her forces will win without her.

Robber - Double Snake. The beautiful little gremlin. He wants to be free of the Grey Eyries, he delights in mayhem, bloodshed, and pranks, he's loyal to Cat personally and gives no shits about the rules (to Juniper's exasperation)... love him.

Pickler - Double Bird. A simple guess: she loves engineering... and that's kind of her whole thing, she wants to make cool new ballistae, Robber and Nauk's attentions are nice but they're not her focus...

Kairos Theosodian - Bird Snake. In the Artist archetype with the Joker, he's got a philosophy about why he's truly Evil, and delights in chaos and betraying everyone around him and using that chaos as a ladder until he goes out in glorious making-a-point.

Phew, that was so many characters (I could add Grey Pilgrim, Saint of Swords... but it's long enough for now). I haven't brushed up on the books in a while, let me know if I got any details wrong.

This book has much to say about morality and problem-solving that I feel I should have more meta relating it to SHC, maybe I'll work it out another day, it'd be very fun, but I've wanted to post this for actual years, so... here it is!

[is-the-battlemech-cool-or-not]

Condensed excerpts from The Phoenix Clans: Blood Spirits and Wolverines in the Era of the Third Star League

By Professor Alexandra Holt

Unity City University Press, Terra | Published 3160

Chapter 8: The Impossible Restored – The Return of Clans Blood Spirit and Wolverine

The rebirth of Clans Blood Spirit and Wolverine in the closing months of 3153 marked a defining moment in the evolution of Clan society, shattering long-held assumptions about the permanence of Annihilation. For decades and centuries reapectively, these Clans had been written off as footnotes in history, one condemned by ilKhan Nicholas Kerensky himself, the other cast aside as a casualty of shifting Clan politics. Their reemergence, orchestrated under the leadership of ilKhan Alaric Ward and facilitated by the complex web of allegiances forming around the reborn Star League, not only rewrote the past but signaled a future where the Clans would no longer be prisoners of their own rigid traditions.

At the time of their restoration, the reformed Clans faced a daunting challenge: to prove that they could stand among their peers as equals, rather than mere relics of a bygone era. Today, in 3160, Clan Blood Spirit reigns over a new domain, controlling many worlds, among them the Devil’s Rock, Pollux, and Castor systems, securing not only strategic positions within the Inner Sphere but also key industrial capacity: it is they who hold the remains of the superheavy 'Mech production lines on Devil's Rock. Their holdings even extend into the former Clan Protectorate, where they share governance over key worlds with their allies. Clan Wolverine, meanwhile, has cemented its place within the Grand Council once more, integrating its unique martial traditions with those of the modern Clan structure. These Clans, once hunted to extinction, now stand unshaken in the new era of the Clans.

The Resurgence of Clan Wolverine

For over three centuries, the story of Clan Wolverine had been one of silence and erasure. Declared Annihilated in 2823, their legacy had been reduced to whispered warnings, a cautionary tale of the cost of defying the Clans. Even speaking their name had been considered a crime among the Clans, a final act of contempt for those who had dared to resist Nicholas Kerensky’s vision. But the truth had never aligned with the myths told among the Clans. The Wolverines had not been destroyed. They had endured.

The Clans had long assumed the Wolverines met their end on the Deep Periphery world of Barbados, but in reality, they had slipped beyond the reach of their pursuers. Their escape was costly, and by the time they had found refuge among the Belter communities of the distant Periphery, many of their warriors had perished, including Khan Sarah McEvedy, whose body succumbed to the lingering effects of radiation exposure from the nuclear firestorms that had nearly consumed them. Even with the Belters’ advanced medical technology, she could not be saved. Her son, Owen McEvedy, was left to guide the survivors, a task he would take up with remarkable determination.

McEvedy and his people moved among the shadows of history, never revealing their true origins, never drawing attention to their cause - save the brief raiding campaign of the so-called "Minnesota Tribe". Over time, the majority of their number filtered through the Inner Sphere and settled on McEvedy’s Folly, a Rimward Periphery world named for an ancestor of Sarah’s from the days of the original Star League. There, they rebuilt, blending their traditions with the knowledge of the Belters, adapting, but never forgetting. By the time the Clan Invasion struck the Inner Sphere in 3050, some of the Wolverines had taken on a new guise, operating as the mercenary unit Barghest Company. Their hatred for the Clans had not waned, nor had their skill in battle, and when they took the field against the Wolves, their fury was unmistakable.

Yet it was not until 3153, during Operation TOUCHDOWN, that their secret was finally uncovered. Commanding General Melissa Hazen had long suspected the Wolverines had survived, having been party to the discovery of fragments of evidence allthe way back in 3024, when she had fought in the Aurigan Civil War. She had pursued the truth for decades, and during the first phase of the Helios campaign, she confirmed what many had dismissed as legend - not only was Wolverine still alive, but so was Owen McEvedy, all of 313 years old and still in his prime. When she presented her findings to ilKhan Alaric Ward, he did not hesitate. The Grand Council was called into session, and after a brief but historic debate, the decree of Annihilation was rescinded. The name of Wolverine was spoken once more, not in whispers, but in honor.

On October 9, 3153, with a vote of 12 for to 1 against, Clan Wolverine was reborn.

The Return of Clan Blood Spirit

The story of Clan Blood Spirit’s return was even more improbable. Unlike the Wolverines, their fate had been sealed not in the early centuries of Clan history but in 3084, when they were systematically destroyed by Clan Star Adder in an act of ruthless pragmatism disguised as a Trial of Absorption. Haven and Honor, their last holdings in the Colleen system, had been annihilated by orbital bombardment, and their genetic legacies reduced buried in the ashes. The Clans had moved on, and for decades, there was no indication that even a single Blood Spirit had survived.

But history had once again miscalculated.

Hannah Lewis, a Star Commander of the Blood Spirits, should have perished in 3076, when a Star Adder WarShip fired upon her vessel during a skirmish in the York system. Her compartment was breached, and she was ejected into the void, left to die in the cold embrace of space. But as fate would have it, at that precise moment, the Blood Spirit JumpShip she had just been aboard attempted an emergency K-F jump. Hannah, still within the field radius of the ship’s jump drive, was pulled into hyperspace - the first, and to date only, known instance of a human being surviving a K-F jump outside of a spacecraft.

But what happened next defied every law of physics understood by modern science. While the Blood Spirit craft completed its jump correctly, Hannah Lewis misjumped.

Hannah was thrown forward in time, and emerged from hyperspace not in 3076, but in 3147 - and far, far from where she was meant to be. Somehow emerging on the surface of the Periphery world of That One, over 1900 light years from where she started. Alone, displaced from everything she had known, she adapted. She wandered the Periphery as a mercenary, harboring a seething hatred for Clan Star Adder, the architects of her people’s destruction. It was not until she heard the call for warriors to join Operation TOUCHDOWN that she saw an opportunity to reclaim her purpose.

Upon enlisting with the SLDF, Hannah found something she had never expected—a future. In the first week of the campaign, she did what no one could have predicted: she declared herself Khan of the reborn Clan Blood Spirit. Rallying new converts - including her lovers: her eventual saKhan Amber Ryder, and Xerxes Truscott, Totem Warrior of Clan Star Adder - the very same Clan that had destroyed Blood Spirit decades before. Starting with these and a handful of others, Khan Lewis began to rebuild her Clan, even in the midst of a war.

With Melissa Hazen’s support, Hannah’s claim was brought before the Grand Council. Unlike the fierce debate surrounding Clan Wolverine, the decision on the Blood Spirits was immediate. Every Clan in the Inner Sphere—Wolf, Jade Falcon, Ghost Bear, Snow Raven, Sea Fox, Smoke Jaguar, and Hell’s Horses—voted unanimously in favor of recognition. Clan Blood Spirit was reborn, with Hannah as its Khan and Amber Ryder, as its saKhan.

In the years since TOUCHDOWN, Clan Blood Spirit has carved out a formidable new domain, securing Devil’s Rock, Pollux, and Castor as their core holdings, taking joint control of key worlds in the former Clan Protectorate. Their control over the Ares superheavy OmniMech production lines has cemented their economic and military resurgence, ensuring that they will never again be a footnote in Clan history.

The Phoenixes Reborn

The restoration of Clans Wolverine and Blood Spirit was more than an act of reconciliation; it was a fundamental shift in Clan identity. Their return proved that Annihilation was no longer absolute, that history was no longer immutable. It was the ultimate testament to the evolving nature of the Clans in the era of the Star League, a bold declaration that the sins of the past could be forgiven, and that even the most broken legacies could rise again.

[twisted-tales-of-all]

Caught in Her Web

Summary: During his latest adventure, Felix finds a cave system that looks untouched, but he finds much more than he expected amongst the webs. Pairing: Lee Felix x tall!afab!Reader Genre: Mature/Smut, Fantasy, Horror, One Shot Tropes: sub!idol, adventurer!AU, spider-hybrid!AU Word Count: 1.2K Contains: sub!idol, tall!reader, femdom/domme, dubcon, bondage, humiliation, degradation, pet names (little one, treasure, toy), dacryphilia, begging A/N: casual reminder that this is fiction. The y/n in this fic is not a representation of anything I condone doing irl. Consent is very important in the real world, so writing this does NOT mean I encourage the lack of consent. Please be safe and respectful to each other.

The guild master always warns budding adventurers to be wary of those who look human at first glance but act unusually. He hadn't quite known what to expect, so Felix carelessly wanders the nearby lands and finds some seemingly undiscovered cave formations. After suiting up in basic armor, he explores the dark, dusty holes. As he climbs deeper, he never expected to be face to face with you.

As if a mirage, a tall, beautiful lady stands calmly in front of him, naked yet graceful, in the depths of a web-ridden cave. With voluminous hair covering your short antennae, you appear human to the poor soul who stumbles into your domain.

"H-hello? What are you doing deep in here? Aren't you cold? Or hungry? I can't imagine there's much to eat down here. Do you need help out?" Despite his fear of the surroundings, Felix's kind heart wins out, offering the stranger comfort.

Slowly, you walk towards him, your straight face turning upward as you examine him. You circle him, your fingertips tracing his upper torso as you admire the oblivious boy's kindness.

"Have you brought food for me? Or, perhaps, you'd like to offer yourself up to me? I'm sure I can make use of you. If not for warmth, maybe you can satiate my hunger yourself." With your words slow and calculated, you don't try to hide your desires, showing your hand to him clearly.

Felix watches as you continue circling, tensing up under the light touches of your fingertips. Your sweet, honeyed voice laced with seduction draws him in despite your words spilling potential demise. This distracts him long enough to spread enough web around him to lock his shoulders into place.

"You look appetizing, but I'm also waiting for a mate. Let's see if you'd be a good candidate, shall we?" Towering over him, you control the situation with ease.

"A mate?" He questions before realizing the situation he's in. As he tries to move his arms, he recognizes his binds and asks, "What are you? How did you wrap me like this?"

As he shimmies his arms against the strong, silky binding, you chuckle, "You're quite slow." You brush your hair back, momentarily revealing your antennae to your hostage, "Clearly, it's my web. Did you think I was circling you because you're pretty? Humans are so dimwitted sometimes."

Sighing, you lean down to his level, examining his face closely. Determining it as sufficient enough for a mate, you move down further. On your knees, your face rests right at his stomach. You examine his body closely, dragging your hands over his frail frame.

Suddenly, he speaks up, in an attempt to save his life, "I'm not fit for food. Please don't eat me."

Since he's more concerned with his death than your current actions, you continue feeling him up. Guiding your hand over his crotch, you bump into his hardened sex.

"Even though you're scared out of your mind, you're turned on?" You tease, standing up to look down at him again, "A woman is sexy even if she's dangerous? You enjoy a woman who could kill you, little one?"

"Th-that's not it!" He argues, "You just... your touch melts my body, I can't help the reactions."

"Helpless. Pathetic. Don't speak. You look more like food with every word you utter."

Shutting his lips tight, he gulps down saliva as you kneel again. Dragging his tight-fitting pants to his ankles, you find his cock erect and twitching at the touch of the cold cave air. Wrapping your hand around the length, you pump a few times before asking him a humiliating question.

"Is this all of it? Don't you grow anymore?"

Sighing at his silence, you continue to stroke him slowly, trying to determine whether it can please you. In reality, he's average-sized compared to other creatures you've caught so you can use him well, but you'd never be so kind to say that. Standing back up, you attach a new string of web to his binds to tug him along behind you. With his pants around his ankles, he waddles along, trying not to fall while keeping up with your pace. Reaching a flat rock covered in layers of web, you command him to lie down. Carefully, he lies back on the cold stone with his feet hanging off the edge.

"I hope it feels better than it looks," you throw an insult his way yet again as you swing a leg over his thighs, encasing his thighs between yours.

As you sink down onto him, you stop yourself from reacting to him spreading your walls. With your hands around his skinny waist, you bounce on him with complete disregard for his pleasure. You encourage him to cum far more than he can handle, and, by his third orgasm, the only liquid leaving his body is his tears as he begs you to be gentle.

Halting your movements, you note, "You aren't even begging me to stop? Just to be gentle with you? You're enjoying the torture?"

Trying to make excuses for himself again, he insists that he only said it because he knows you won't stop until you're satisfied. Clicking your tongue, you resume your movements despite his cock slowly softening inside of you. The tears run freely from the overstimulation as his face writhes from the pain. Recognizing that your movements aren't breathing life back into your little toy, you pout.

"Is that everything you have to give me, little treasure? Have I sucked you dry already?"

As your words dripping in condescension hit the teary-eyed boy's ears, he begins spilling apologies and begging for you to let him live. As his tears still and his fear reaches its peak, you lift yourself off of him, the cold air enveloping his crotch once again. Cringing in on himself for warmth, you pace in front of him with his cum slowly sliding down your thighs.

Scooping a bit up with your fingertips, you fret, "This is all you've given me, yet you want me to let you live? How rude; how pathetic. What do I get out of letting you free? I'm even hungrier now since I did all of the work. Eating you would help that, so you certainly must offer something better for letting my dinner leave untouched."

Trying to come up with anything, Felix's mind blanks and defaults to begging again, "I don't know. I- Oh, please! I have a full life to live; please let me go!"

An evil chuckle escapes amidst your otherwise calculated actions. You don't wish to kill him. In fact, he shines so brightly that you want his body gone from your perfectly gloomy home. Although he fulfilled your sexual desire to dry someone out, you'd rather not keep his corpse around to radiate the light he brought from outside.

Leaning over his chest, you bite through his bindings and let them fall loosely around him. "Pull up your tights and get out of here before I change my mind."

As he sits up, the world spins for a moment, but his fear and adrenaline propel him to follow your instructions quickly, screaming gratitudes until out of earshot.

To yourself and the spiders on the surrounding walls, you mutter, "Grow up and come back stronger. We all know you'll want it again; you'll want to prove yourself. Fight me next time, you glorious sunshine toy."

[kookie29]

☆~ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ 7: ᴛʜᴇ ᴛʀᴜᴛʜ ᴜɴᴠᴇɪʟᴇᴅ ~☆

Synopsis: A short story of Jeremy Gilbert's short-lived but profound romance with the love of his life.

Genre: Angst

Warning: None

666 words

Ch 1, Ch 2, Ch 3, Ch 4, Ch 5 Ch 6 ,Ch 7, Ch 8

The days following Lena's tragic death were a blur of grief and unanswered questions for Jeremy. The love of his life had been stolen from him on what should have been their happiest day. Determined to find out what had happened, Jeremy threw himself into uncovering the truth behind Lena's sudden and mysterious demise.

The faint trace of a rare poison found in Lena's system was the only clue. Jeremy knew he needed help, so he reached out to his friends in Mystic Falls. Bonnie, Caroline, and Stefan rallied around him, determined to help him find the answers he desperately sought.

As they delved deeper into their investigation, whispers of a sinister plot began to emerge. Stefan, with his extensive knowledge of supernatural herbs and toxins, identified the poison as one that was almost impossible to detect—unless you knew exactly what you were looking for. The group quickly realized that only someone with deep knowledge of the supernatural could have executed such a plan.

One night, while poring over old texts and records in the Salvatore library, Bonnie gasped. "This poison... it was last used over a century ago by a vampire Katherine Pierce."

Jeremy's blood ran cold. Katherine Pierce, the ruthless vampire who had tormented Mystic Falls for centuries, was the last person he wanted to suspect. But the evidence was mounting. Katherine had always harbored a dangerous obsession with both Stefan and Damon Salvatore, and her hatred for Elena, who had been caught in their tangled web, was no secret.

Determined to confront her, Jeremy and Stefan devised a plan to lure Katherine out of hiding. They spread rumors of a powerful artifact being discovered in Mystic Falls, something that Katherine wouldn't be able to resist.

It wasn't long before Katherine took the bait. One evening, as the sun set over the town, she appeared at the old church ruins, her presence as chilling as ever. Jeremy and Stefan waited in the shadows, their hearts pounding with anticipation.

As Katherine approached the supposed location of the artifact, Jeremy stepped out into the open. "Katherine," he called, his voice steady despite the fury boiling inside him.

Katherine turned, a sly smile playing on her lips. "Jeremy Gilbert. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Cut the games, Katherine," Jeremy said, his voice hardening. "Why did you poison Lena?"

Katherine's smile faded, replaced by a cold, calculating expression. "Lena was always in the way. Her existence complicated everything. I needed her gone."

Jeremy's hands clenched into fists. "She didn't deserve to die because of your twisted obsession."

Katherine shrugged, her lack of remorse infuriating Jeremy. "It was nothing personal, Jeremy. Just business."

Stefan stepped forward, his face a mask of controlled anger. "You'll pay for what you've done, Katherine."

Before Katherine could react, Bonnie emerged from the shadows, her hands glowing with magical energy. "You're not getting away this time," Bonnie declared.

With a powerful spell, Bonnie immobilized Katherine, rendering her unable to escape. As Katherine struggled against the magical bonds, Jeremy approached her, his heart heavy with grief and rage. "You took away the love of my life," he said, his voice breaking. "But you'll never take away the love we shared."

Katherine's eyes blazed with anger, but she could do nothing as Stefan and Bonnie prepared to lock her away for good. As they did, Jeremy felt a bittersweet sense of closure. Lena was gone, but her killer had been brought to justice.

In the quiet aftermath, Jeremy stood alone by the lake where he had once proposed to Lena. The stars above seemed dimmer, the world less bright without her. But he knew that Lena's love would always be with him, a guiding light in the darkest of times.

As the night deepened, Jeremy made a silent vow to honor Lena's memory by living a life she would be proud of—a life filled with love, courage, and the strength to face whatever came his way.

[shamandrummer]

What is Weather Shamanism?

Weather Shamanism is a spiritual practice rooted in ancient traditions that seeks to build a deep, reciprocal relationship with the forces of nature, particularly the weather. It blends shamanic techniques with ecological awareness, enabling practitioners to understand, influence, and harmonize with the elements--wind, rain, sun, and storms. Far from being an esoteric or mythical pursuit, weather shamanism invites us to rediscover our inherent connection with the Earth and play an active role in its ecological balance. In this blog post, we'll explore the origins of weather shamanism, its principles, practices, and the role it plays in fostering a harmonious relationship between humans and the environment.

Origins of Weather Shamanism

Shamanism, as a spiritual practice, predates organized religion and exists in cultures worldwide. The shamans, or spiritual leaders, of these communities served as intermediaries between humans and the spirit world. Many shamanic traditions included working with weather as a vital aspect of maintaining balance within their communities.

Indigenous Roots: Weather shamanism has been integral to many Indigenous cultures. Tribes across Africa, Asia, the Americas, and Oceania developed rituals to call forth rain during droughts, calm storms, or invoke the wind for agriculture and travel.

Cultural Interpretations: For example, the Mongolian shamans revered Tenger ("eternal blue sky") as a divine force controlling weather. Similarly, Native American tribes had specific rain dances and ceremonies to honor and petition weather spirits.

These practices were not merely superstitions but profound ecological insights. Early shamans understood that respecting nature's rhythms and cycles was critical for survival.

Principles of Weather Shamanism

At its core, weather shamanism is built on the principles of interconnection, reciprocity, and reverence for nature.

Interconnection: Practitioners believe humans are not separate from nature but part of a vast, interdependent web of life. The weather is viewed as a dynamic expression of this interconnection.

Reciprocity: Weather shamans emphasize giving back to nature in exchange for its gifts. This might involve offerings, rituals, or simply adopting sustainable practices to honor the Earth.

Communication: Weather shamanism teaches that the elements--air, water, fire, and earth--are alive and sentient. Through prayer, meditation, and ritual, practitioners seek to communicate with the spirits of these elements.

Balance and Harmony: The ultimate goal is to maintain harmony between human activities and natural systems. Practitioners aim to mediate and heal disruptions caused by ecological imbalance, such as extreme weather events.

Practices in Weather Shamanism

Weather shamanism combines ancient techniques with modern spiritual approaches. Here are some common practices:

Rituals and Ceremonies

Rituals play a crucial role in weather shamanism. These might include:

Rainmaking Ceremonies: Invoking rainfall through dances, prayers, or offerings.

Wind Calling: Appealing to the spirits of the wind for favorable breezes.

Storm Calming: Seeking to pacify storms through chants, drums, or meditative practices.

2. Journeying

Shamans often undertake journeys into non-ordinary realities to connect with weather spirits. This involves:

Entering a trance-like state through drumming or other rhythmic sounds.

Meeting spirit guides who represent specific weather forces.

Gaining insight into weather patterns or receiving instructions on how to address imbalances.

3. Elemental Offerings

Offerings, such as food, flowers, or symbolic objects, are made to honor and thank the elements. For example:

Pouring water into the earth to appease rain spirits.

Burning herbs or incense to honor air spirits.

4. Meditation and Visualization

Modern practitioners often use meditation or visualization to connect with the elements. For instance:

Visualizing rain nourishing parched land.

Meditating on the warmth of the sun to foster inner and outer balance.

Weather Shamanism in Modern Times

In today's world, weather shamanism is experiencing a resurgence as people seek to reconnect with nature and address the pressing challenges of climate change. Here's how it's being practiced and adapted:

Ecological Activism: Many weather shamans view their work as a form of ecological activism, aiming to heal the planet's disrupted weather systems.

Community Rituals: Weather-focused ceremonies are increasingly being held as communal events to raise awareness and foster a collective intention for environmental healing.

Personal Growth: For individual practitioners, weather shamanism offers a path of spiritual growth by deepening their relationship with nature.

Criticisms and Misunderstandings

While weather shamanism has deep spiritual and cultural roots, it's not without its critics. Skeptics argue that weather manipulation through spiritual means lacks scientific backing. Others caution against cultural appropriation, urging practitioners to approach the practice with respect for its Indigenous origins.

To practice weather shamanism responsibly, it's essential to:

Honor and credit the traditions you draw from.

Avoid oversimplifying or commodifying ancient rituals.

Use it as a tool for ecological awareness rather than personal gain.

The Role of Weather Shamanism in Addressing Climate Change

As climate change accelerates and extreme weather events become more frequent, weather shamanism offers a unique perspective. While it's not a substitute for scientific solutions, it can complement them by fostering a spiritual and emotional commitment to healing the planet.

Deep Connection: By treating the weather as a living, communicative force, weather shamanism cultivates a sense of responsibility and care.

Inspiring Action: Rituals and ceremonies can inspire communities to adopt more sustainable lifestyles.

Cultural Wisdom: Indigenous shamanic traditions often contain invaluable ecological knowledge that can inform modern environmental efforts.

Conclusion

Weather shamanism is more than an ancient tradition; it is a call to realign with the natural world. By honoring the spirits of the weather, practicing rituals, and fostering a sense of ecological stewardship, practitioners aim to harmonize human life with the elements. In an era of ecological crisis, this ancient practice offers profound lessons on living in balance with the Earth.

Whether you're drawn to its spiritual aspects or see it as a way to deepen your connection with nature, weather shamanism invites us all to respect and nurture the forces that sustain life. In doing so, we not only enrich our own lives but contribute to the healing of the planet. Let us embrace the wisdom of weather shamanism to reconnect with the elements and help create a sustainable, harmonious future.