#Invocation has an Operator and Channeling is like a Pager

[bonefall]

How many cats have do you think have invoked a dark forest spirit for their boons?

Channeled-- but probably a lot. More than you'd think, and it's probably the reason that some cats are surprisingly in the Dark Forest themselves.

I plan to explain the difference when I get around to making a Dark Forest 101, but Invoking and Channeling are two very different processes

Invocation

To Invoke, you contact StarClan first to send you the cat you're seeking. "StarClan send me the strength of Stonefur. StarClan I pray that Thunderstar will serve justice."

This way, your prayer is not private. "StarClan" is aware of what you've requested, and can consider your entire life at your trial. If your request was evil or self-serving, it can be completely denied, if your prayers are benevolent, they can experience the emotion with you and amplify their collective power.

I like to joke with myself that it's usually like, "Operator get me Grandma I forgot what spice she puts in her soup 💀"

Channeling

Is direct. You're leveraging your connection to the individual spirit. A channel to them, if you will.

You will get the spirit you want, if you did it right and your connection is strong enough. For Spottedleaf and her absurdly high aptitude for spirituality, it was a success rate of nearly 100%. Though... I'm positive there is a way for the Wrong Spirit to pick up, or interrupt the call.

So, items are required for this. For Spottedleaf, tar-spot blight from sycamores worked like a charm. Batear likes bat parts. Hawkfrost goes for sparrowhawk feathers. Through simple logistics, some cats are easier to reach than others.

You can channel a StarClan Angel OR a Dark Forest Demon... but, a StarClan Angel might rat you out, so make sure you trust whoever you're trying to contact. You can't Invoke a demon, though, there is no "operator" to call.