#non aligned systems

[silencedminstrel]

(Photography by Daniel Cheong, Artworks by Boris FX Optics)

VOICES OF THE LITTLE PEOPLE - A SCENE FROM XIAN GAN PRIME'S ROADSIDE MARKETPLACE

But the price's used to be stable, ma! This is not fair--I'm sorry Human, but the Wrentian Region's "problems" just escalated, I'm down to my very last stock until next week! (Sigh)

Guess I'll take half a kilo then...! Chee Sin! (Crazy) Why Fentomium suddenly went up? What happened to Ah Wan?? And why is this Rekiscian selling here instead??? Chee Bai!

Ever since that (local politician) Ng Kee Huat decided to run for the Union's Chairman next year there's been a flooding of aliens--even from the Gamma Quadrant some more!

And what did President Chua do? ( Scoff) He encouraged it! Something's not kosher here! Oh well! Let's just hope that those loony tech cultists don't decide to move in here next...!

[pupsmailbox]

Mascneu ★ ❭ Which someone feels as if they are masculine, but in a non-binary, androgynous, or simply neutral way

Solarian ★ ❭ Non-binary individuals who are male or masculine-aligned.

Solarset ★ ❭ Where one feels their gender is neutral (or slightly masculine), but with strong masculine influences.

Neuvir ★ ❭ Gender that is male or male-aligned, but is entirely neutral, rather than masculine.

Nixvir ★ ❭ Gender that has both genderless and masculine aligned aspects.

Neutro ★ ❭ Which someone feels as if they are non-binary, androgynous, or genderless(-aligned) but in a masculine way.

Neutroboy ★ ❭ Neutrois or mostly neutrois with strong connections to masculinity.

Non-Binary Man ★ ❭ Someone who identifies both as a male and as non-binary.

Dawnset ★ ❭ Neutral gender identity with slight masculine influences. One may use masculine gender labels, but still feel that their gender is not entirely or very masculine at all.

Verdeboy ★ ❭ Term for an agenrine/neutral boy or man. A boy or has a connection to manhood, but they also have a connection to agenderness, genderlessness, or neutrois, either in their gender or their gender expression.

[imoga-pride]

Stellarian woman | Stellarian man

Pride flags requested by anon.

[meme-loving-stuck]

i remember being brought up christian like, almost concerned that i never felt a connection to any of the shit they were talkin about,

and when i was younger i was like "oh no! am i bad for not feeling connected to god?? is it bad i feel like my dead mom doesnt talk to me or watch over me?? am i horrible for pretending?????"

but turns out i just had Autism Powers that made me immune to it and i was able to completely sever myself from the idea of being Christian at the ripe old age of like 13. and it was such a HUGE comfort to see that there were all these other beliefs and spiritual sort of things that other people chose to believe in and didnt necessarily treat their beliefs as COLD HARD UNDENIABLE FACT the way christians treat the existence of god & heaven & hell

like now that i am older i know i was in fact traumatized by the culturally catholic beliefs my family held & forced on us all, but i am really immensely grateful that my child self looked at all the other aspects of christianity that would horrify most other children into behaving/conforming, and basically just went, "okay, source?"

and that was the end of that

[spilledw1ne]

.

[happilyvaliantkitten]

I'm transmasc, but I am not male-aligned. I'm not unaligned either. I'm declining to participate in this framework that tries to sort us all into new categories. Trying to force us all into 3 boxes instead of 2 isn't progress. It's also usually applied to people without their consent.

[omarwolaeth]

Sometimes there are OCs that are hard to write for in the sense that you absolutely can write things for them, only for nothing to feel right despite how easy the writing flows out of your brain.

Which is exactly where I am with Mikan,,,

[halalchampagnesocialist]

How to spot Liberal Zionist Propaganda 101

This post is by no means exhaustive at all. There are many Liberal Zionist talking points but these are just some of the most common ones. While on the surface they seem a little naive and hopeful at best, they are very much harmful. If you claim to be an ally to Palestinians, this post is primarily for you!

For starters, liberal Zionists will often try to both-sides the issue of Palestine, talk about how it's complicated, they'll claim that the conflict hurts both Israelis and Palestinians, how the only way forward is one where Jews and Arabs "just need to get along," amongst other things. They also often like to centre themselves, even when acknowledging Palestinians as the victims of Israel or this "conflict." From time to time, they also like to engage in tokenising certain Palestinians whose views tend to more or less align with theirs. Here are some common arguments you may hear from them:

1. Any form of justifying Israel's existence or claiming that the only solution is two states

It does not really need to be said why justifying Israel's existence is harmful but justifying its continued existence also means legitimising Israel's land theft, its expulsions of Palestinians, and its ongoing harm to Palestinians and other populations. Reducing any sorts of “solutions” into a binary is unhelpful. Needless to say, a 2ss would not even address any legitimate concerns Palestinian have, such as the right of return, and would only legitimise Israel’s colonialism. Talking about a two-state solution also implies that the root of the conflict lies in Palestinians not having their own state rather than being an occupied people. It is very much also possible to construct a paradigm where Jews and Palestinians both live together on the same land as equal citizens that doesn't involve two separate states, much less an ethnostate.

2. Security for Israel could only come through peace

This is a similar talking point to the one above. Not only does it centre Israeli safety and security above Palestinian liberation but it mistakenly assumes that once Israel makes peace with Palestinians, it'll achieve security. The reality, however, is that Israel's imagined security has quite often come at the expense of peace. In fact, "peace" has just acted as nothing more than a smoke-screen for Israel to carry out its expansionist policies, particularly in the West Bank. When liberal Zionists talk about peace juxtaposed with Israeli security, they're talking about attaining a negative peace rather than a positive one.

3. Israelis are not their government.

This point does nothing to actually help Palestinians. It is also an incredibly tone-deaf thing to say when Israel has targeted many Palestinian civilians by having alleged proximity to Hamas, such as being family members of militants or leaders (inc. children!), civil servants in a Hamas-led government, or even any male above the age of 15 they consider to be a potential combatant! It also deliberately erases Israeli civilians' support of and culpability in Israel's actions towards Palestinians.

4. Netanyahu and/or the Israeli right are the source of conflict.

While it is true that things have gotten inadvertently worse under Israel's various right-wing governments, they are not the source of conflict, but rather a product of extremist nationalism and Jewish supremacy perpetuated by the system. Both the 1967 occupations and settlements were undertaken under centre-left governments in Israel, and Israeli policy under non-right wing governments has been just as harmful towards Palestinians and has paved the way for where we are today. Blaming Netanyahu just also obscures the violent nature of Israel's military occupation over Palestinians which long precede him coming into power.

5. Netanyahu and Hamas are two sides of the same coin

I don't think I've seen any allies give validity to this claim but it's an extremely reductionist claim and is sort of similar to the one above. Groups like Hamas are merely a response to the Israeli occupation while Netanyahu is a byproduct of it. While some Israelis may see Hamas or their actions as an "obstacle to peace," Israel's actions and policies long pre-date Hamas and how Israel is currently responding to Hamas is no different to how Israel has engaged with Palestinian militant groups in the past, regardless of political affiliations or political goals. It is also important to note that Hamas has agreed to the establishment of a state along 1967 borders while Netanyahu aims to prolong the occupation and empower the settler movement (some of whom are part of his coalition government) as much as possible.

6. Israel is not a settler-colonial state.

While it is indisputable that Jews have historical connections to Palestine, that doesn’t automatically make you Indigenous or negate Israeli settler-colonialism. Colonialism in particular describes a relationship of exploitation. There are many cases of this, but we most clearly see this in the West Bank where Israel exploits natural resources on occupied Palestinian territory for its own political and economic gains. In terms of settler-colonialism, it is widely known that Israel expelled hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to make way for Jewish refugees and migrants to the new state of Israel, and is still actively facilitating Jewish migration to Israel today while denying Palestinians their right of return.

7. (X) doesn't help Palestinians.

It is not up to anyone to determine whether certain tactics or strategies are helpful or not. This point only seeks to discredit pro-Palestine organising. Only Palestinians get to decide what is actually helpful for the cause or not.

8. Any sort of Hamas-blaming.

On the surface it may seem like there’s nothing wrong with this, but this point is often harmful and usually lends itself to right-wing talking points because its objective is to deflect blame away from Israel. Certain arguments blaming Hamas also aim to minimise Palestinian suffering perpetuated by Israel. It also paints Israeli violence as retaliatory to Palestinian violence which only obfuscates Israel’s (and by extension, the US’) role in its state military apparatus and the differing power dynamics between Israelis and Palestinians. In other contexts, this point seeks to also legitimise certain opposition, such as the Palestinian Authority. Hamas-blaming also tends to sometimes lead to racist diatribes about Palestinians and their culture.

9. Al-Jazeera is not a credible news source.

Al Jazeera is a news source like any other. It has varying editorial policies and therefore will have equally good reporting on certain issues while having terrible reporting on others. The difference is that Al-Jazeera's news on Palestine is credible because it comes directly from their Palestinian reporters on the ground and first-hand eyewitness accounts. Western news sources are no more or less credible than al-Jazeera. Compare this to CNN, NYT, and any other Western news sources where Palestinian voices are often entirely missing from the narrative.

10. Overemphasis of antisemitism on the left

Antisemitism is a real issue and has the potential to fester in left circles if not directly addressed head on. Combatting antisemitism is extremely important, however, it is not an issue exclusive to the left. There is also a double standard in that no one expects Zionists to call out Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian racism. Certain accusations of "antisemitism" also seek to distract from what's going on in Palestine by making it about Jewish comfort and feelings. Combatting antisemitism, Islamophobia, anti-Arab racism etc is always important as the basis of good politics.

Last but not least, be wary of native collaborators or any sort of normalisers! They are Palestinians or Arabs who try very hard to appeal to Western liberal consensus and can end up perpetuating a lot of harm to the cause and/or other activists. You will know them when you see them.

[bamsara]

Hello! I was wondering what company you use for your sticker sheets? I bough one from your Ko-Fi shop and really like the quality, and the pricing you were able to sell at is waaaaaay more reasonable compared to any of the companies I've seen and used myself. Is it a POD company, or a mass purchase of them to sell on your own?

Thank you for your time if you're able to respond!

I'm really glad you like the quality, because I actually make them by hand at home! (Please forgive the lighting, my bedroom is my office lmao.)

I don't use a company (and Idk what a POD company is sorry!) but making them at home gives a lot more freedom of stock, just be wary it can be very time consuming depending on how many you need to make.

I've had other people ask before, so here's a rundown of how I make my stickers at home: At most you'll need:

Printer

Sticker paper (this is the type that I use)

Laminator and lamination paper (the lamination paper that I use.) You can also use adhesive non-heat lamination paper if you don't have a laminator, gives you the same result, just be careful of bubbles. You will get double your worth out of a pack because we are splitting the pouches to cover two sticker sheets.

Your choice of a sticker cutting machine or just using scissors.

First, I use Cricut's software to print out the sticker sheet with the guidelines around the corners so the machine can read it. If you do NOT have a Cricut machine, open up your art program, make a canvas of 2550x3300 and fill it up with your sticker design with some cutting space between them. This the 8.5x11 size for the sticker page.

I usually have bleed selected so the cut comes out cleaner. Tip for non-Cricut users below: Increase the border around your sticker design to fake the 'bleed' effect for a cleaner cut.

These are the print settings I use for my printer. I use the 'use system dialogue' to make sure I can adjust the settings otherwise it prints out low quality by default. Make sure if you're using the above paper that you have 'matte' selected, and 'best quality' selected, these aren't usually selected by default.

So you have your sticker sheet printed! Next is the lamination part. I use a hot laminator that was gifted to me, but there is no-heat types of lamination you can peel and stick on yourself if that's not an option.

(This is for protection and makes the colors pop, but if you prefer your stickers matte, you can skip to the cutting process.)

Important for Cricut users or those planning to get a Cricut: You're going to cut the lamination page to cover the stickers while also not covering the guidelines in the corners. First, take your lamination page and lay it over the sheet, take marker/pen and mark were the edges of your stickers are, and cut off the excess:

(I save the scrap to use for smaller stickers or bonuses later on)

After you've cut out your lamination rectangle, separate the two layers and lay one down on your sticker sheet over your stickers with matte side down, shiny side up. (Save the other sheet for another sticker page)

The gloss of the lamination will prevent the machine from reading the guidelines, so be careful not to lay it over them. It also helps to cut the corners afterwards to prevent accidentally interfering with the guidelines.

Now put that bad boy in the laminator! (Or self seal if you are using non-heat adhesive lamination)

Congrats! You now have a laminated page full of stickers.

For non-cricut/folks cutting them out by hand: this is the part where you start going ham on the page with scisscors. Have fun~

Cutting machine: I put the page on a cutting mat and keep it aligned in the corner, and feed it into the machine. For laminated pages I go between 'cardstock' and 'poster board' so that it cuts all the way through without any issues, but for non-laminated pages or thinner pages, I stick for 'vinyl' and 'light card stock'. Kinda test around.

Now I smash that go button:

You have a sticker now!

The pros of making stickers at home is that you save some cost, and you have more control of your stock and how soon you can make new designs. (I can't really afford to factory produce my stickers anyway)

However, this can be a very time consuming, tedious process especially if you have to make a lot of them. There is also a LOT chance for some errors (misprints, miscuts, lamination bubbles, ect) that will leave you with B-grade or otherwise not-so-perfect or damaged stickers. (Little note, if you have page mess up in printing and can't be fed into the cricut machine, you can still laminate it and cut it out by hand too.)

I have to do a lot of sticker cutting by hand, so if you don't have a cricut don't stress too much about it. I have an entire drawer filled to the top of miscuts/misprints. I keep them because I don't want to be wasteful, so maybe one day they'll find another home. Sucks for my hand though.

But yeah! This is how I make my stickers at home! Hope this is helpful to anyone curious

[imjustaf444keriguess]

one of my issues with this post is the line here

And how much everyone tried to correct them that plural didn't belong to CDDs? Because it IS so synonymous with endogenic systems?

"plural" was coined to be encompassing of any "more than one" experience, it doesn't belong to endogenic systems or people with CDDs exclusively.

in your original replies to the original post, you stated:

Plural was created as a way for the early endogenic community to distance themselves from the more clinical sounding "multiple," and their disordered counterparts (now we're getting into the horribleness of the natural and empowered multiple stuff). Plural was more associated with grammar than psychology.

but if we are to look at the link, i cannot find any evidence that the system that made that page was solely endogenic, and in fact, the contrary! they directly mention that they are abuse survivors on this page

We identify as abuse survivors. Our abuse included emotional, verbal, and sexual abuse. We will not go into detail here because that's not what this page is about.

yes, this might be similar to how some systems that have gone through trauma may use "adaptive" instead of "traumagenic", but that doesn't make them endogenic, and it seems to imply the page you linked was referring to their own experiences with potential fakeclaiming as a disordered system, and what counts as a "real system".

But who says that multiplicity, per se, is in the domain of doctors and therapists? What is a "real multiple", anyway?

If we cede the power of naming only to doctors and therapists, then we establish a context in which multiplicity is a disorder; and furthermore, a context in which only disordered multiples are considered to be "real".

this is where the line of them mentioning plural as an alternative to "multiple" comes in:

This is one reason our clan encourages use of the word "plural" rather than "multiple". "Multiple", even standing by itself, brings to mind MPD/DID, "multiple personality disorder", "dissociative identity disorder", which are specific diagnoses created by the medical/therapeutic community. "Plural" is a much more neutral word, more commonly heard in the context of grammar than psychiatry. (The other reason, of course, is that plural can be construed to have a broader meaning, applying to anyone(s) anywhere on the continuum who experience themselves as plural in some way. )

that last bit, "applying to anyone(s) anywhere on the continuum who experience themselves as plural in some way", directly means, ANYONE. disordered or not, median/mid-continuum or full on multiple, spiritual or psychological. to claim that it's an endogenic-only label, or to imply that, is silly.

there's even more information on the site that explains what "the continuum" is, according to the website author:

What is the Dissociative Continuum? Caveat: We have no training in the theory of dissociation. What follows is our understanding based on what we have learned from reading, discussion, and experience. Everyone dissociates. At one end of the dissociative continuum is "normal" or "common" dissociation that nearly everyone engages in, such as daydreaming, highway hypnosis or other forms of spacing out, or getting lost in a book. At the other end are the behaviors that characterize "classical" multiples, who may have large numbers of very distinct insiders with little internal communication, serious difficulties with time loss, amnesia, and so on. Between these two extremes, there is a lot of gray. Ranging from having different "roles" that you live out in different situations, to having an "inner child" or "inner children" with varying degrees of separateness, to having "ego states", "parts" or "fragments" that don't seem to be whole people, to having some but not all of the diagnostic criteria for what is now known as DID, Dissociative Identity Disorder (formerly MPD, Multiple Personality Disorder).

this is not to say that people can't be upset due to the term "plural"'s usage, as it can deny people's self identity and labels since many use plural to mean "more than one individual people in a brain", but with the link you gave, i really don't think that was the intended meaning, nor is it the meaning for everyone.

i also don't see why it's such a big deal, in the end. someone used a term to describe a certain experience that people with CDDs and without CDDs experience. if you don't personally like the term, that's fine, but regardless of if you use "plurality" or "multiplicity" or "systemhood" or "the 58 dogs inside of my trenchcoat", if everyone reading understands it to mean "the experience of having multiple parts/alters/headmates/people in a brain", why should the specific word matter unless it's directed towards a specific person?

i already said this in a comment elsewhere, but it just reminds me of people angry over "queer" as a label. yes, for some, it is a slur that triggers them, and they wouldn't want to have that label used for them. but for others, it's a liberating label that doesn't specify anything besides what is needed, and it encompasses many ideas that a phrase like "lgbt" on its own might not.

and unless you want to do the same thing people did with "lgbtq+" and do an acronym with systemhood, plurality, and multiplicity in a phrase to combine their related experiences, then otherwise we have to accept that sometimes people will use words we don't personally like on their personal posts.

Terms, from a syscourse perspective

A very long ramble

We're taking this to a new post, starting fresh, and going more in depth. The original post is off course and confusing, and I've seen a few tags confused by the uptick in polls, so this is for them as well.

SO

We're not talking about which is liked by more people, we're talking about which term hurts people less. We're talking about people who are genuinely offended by the term plural because of the history that many prefer to deny happened.

Welcome outside of your bubble.

There is a very nasty history behind all these terms, and the type of people who identify with them.

Some plural systems, to this very day, proudly use the term empowered, despite the fact that empowered multiples were a literal DID hate group. Like an actual organized one, with multiple websites and political activism. Many still deny the trauma basis of DID.

It was the fight for the word "multiple" that sparked plural, an anti psych alternative, focused on personhood and autonomy of their system in a community that largely boycotted the diagnosis and treatment of MPD/DID at that time. There were groups that demonized anyone who identified with the DID label. There were sites about what failures we were as systems.

Endogenic isn't just the alternative for natural multiples, but empowered ones, too. Plural is far more synonymous with endogenic than CDD.

"System" is the current hot topic. Endogenic systems don't have a right to the word, they're not "real systems," just like vickies wrote about the fight over "real multiples".

Some plurals are scared to use system

History repeating itself, over and over.

And all of these words hurt.

I think we should encourage the use of system for endogenic systems, but that's just me. That is a positive step toward an inclusive word that everyone is happy with. I'm finding that I have a lot more words for my disordered experience that system isn't really something I feel a claim over. If you call me plural, knowing I have DID, you're going to hurt me.

Looks like many are back to liking multiple again, so we can look forward to round two.

But which words hurt the most people?

We are discussing two words specifically.

Plural

and

System

We're not talking about alternatives, the conversation was, "plural is safer than system as a blanket term, less people identify with system, plurality is something we all share," and I said, "no, system is safer than plural as a blanket term, plural is seen as offensive to many CDD systems, the priority of my blog. The vast majority do NOT relate to being plural or plurality, system is what more people relate to and are less bothered by."

The why is because of history and genuine offense, whether you like it or not.

You say that no one complains, but if you had said this the other way around, "systemhood is something we all share," would anyone have been like, "uhm, ackshually, if you call me a system I'm going to cry." What would those polls have looked like? We get a glimpse in the polls now.

So what are the numbers? It's still early, but there's really only two parts of the poll that really matter. Everyone wants more options, but I'm really only talking about the options for uncomfortable.

Plural vs system.

"Not medical" vs "medical"

Pro endo vs anti endo

Words are the root of syscourse, are they not? How many antis say, "if endos just didn't call themselves systems"?

Based on the numbers, system is the safer term to hurt fewer people. Endogenic systems mind system less than CDD systems mind plural. The complaints you're going to get would be more along the lines of, "endos aren't systems," rather than, "hey, careful, that can be offensive."

Are we finally saying the fight over "system" is over and antis won, plural is better now? Well, then, I don't know that lumping anti endos under plural is going to help the syscourse divide at all. Remember a couple months ago when antis forgot that they didn't invent plural? The big war over pluralpunk? And how much everyone tried to correct them that plural didn't belong to CDDs? Because it IS so synonymous with endogenic systems?

Start at the top of the post, reread, the fight starts again. Don't put antis, mostly CDD systems angry at endogenics, under the plural umbrella. I know we're not prioritizing their comfort, but it doesn't just hurt antis, but pro endo CDD systems, too. Our history is important.

And going to be honest, my memory is not that great. I'm going to forget my friend's preferred terms and I'm going to offend people. I would rather offend them with system. Less chance, less hurt. System is the most popular, across the board. I believe it's lost its synonymity with CDD.

I would REALLY love to hear opinions on this from all sides.

[stcrmhund]

VERSE AESTHETICS - one man cannot summon the future

[pupsmailbox]

Femineu ★ ❭ Which someone feels as if they are feminine, but in a non-binary, androgynous, or simply neutral way.

Lunarian ★ ❭ Non-binary individuals who are female or feminine-aligned.

Lunarset ★ ❭ Where one feels their gender is neutral (or slightly feminine), but with strong feminine influences.

Neulier ★ ❭ A gender that is female or female-aligned, but is entirely neutral, rather than feminine.

Neutra ★ ❭ A gender term in which someone feels as if they are non-binary, androgynous, or genderless(-aligned) but in a feminine way.

Nixera ★ ❭ A nixic gender that has both genderless and feminine aligned aspects.

Neutrogirl ★ ❭ A subset of neutrogender that is neutrois or mostly neutrois with strong connections to femininity.

Non-Binary Woman ★ ❭ Someone who identifies both as a female and as non-binary.

Noviluset ★ ❭ A neutral gender identity with slight feminine influences.

Verdegirl ★ ❭ Term for an agenrine/neutral girl or woman.

[despazito]

My take on a fan hawkdog because i love @jayrockin's spec guys (bc if you make spec domestics i will try to make one as cursed as possible)

An extreme toy hawkdog, the breed is called turaco since they were allegedly bred to resemble one by humans. malocclusion is a disqualifying fault in conformation but extreme deformities of the skull make crossbills much more common than in the general population. early training to tolerate beak trims is an absolute must, even individuals with seemingly aligned bites can develop a crossbill later in life. non-centaur aliens who are not familiar with the lineage's respiratory system will try to breed for bigger excurrent nostrils to offset the small and obstructed intake nostrils, however barometric plethysmography shows no statistically significant improvements in breathing. the one pictured is a neglected rescue, her name is officially Mushy Peas.

[empyrealoasis]

🪷 Unspoken Facts About the Void State 🍃

1. The Void State and Neuroplasticity

While many people focus on the metaphysical aspects, the void state may have a direct link to neuroplasticity—the brain's ability to rewire itself. The deep focus and detachment from external stimuli in the void can enhance your brain's capacity to form new neural pathways. This means that being in the void isn’t just about manifesting; it’s literally reshaping your mind to align with your desires on a neurological level (and even on a molecular/genetic level).

2. The Void’s Connection to Deep Sleep and Healing

The void state shares similarities with the brain activity observed during non-REM sleep, particularly in stages of deep rest. In this state, your body undergoes repair, and your brain consolidates memories. This suggests that entering the void might accelerate healing processes, as the state mimics the restorative effects of deep sleep while maintaining conscious awareness. Similar to meditation and hypnagogic states.

3. Time Perception in the Void

While in the void, many report losing track of time, but this isn't just a mental trick—it’s tied to how your brain processes sensory input. The void eliminates external stimuli like light, sound, and touch, which are essential for your brain’s internal clock. Without these cues, your sense of time becomes fluid, making hours feel like minutes or vice versa.

4. The Void and Quantum Coherence

The void state aligns intriguingly with concepts in quantum physics, particularly quantum coherence. In quantum systems, coherence describes a state where particles exist in a superposition of possibilities. Similarly, the void state places your mind in a "superposition," where you are simultaneously detached from reality yet capable of accessing infinite possibilities.

5. Entering the Void and Brainwave Frequencies

The void state is strongly associated with theta and delta brainwave states. Theta waves are linked to creativity, intuition, and deep meditation, while delta waves are tied to deep sleep and healing. The unique blend of these brainwaves during the void allows for heightened subconscious access and profound stillness simultaneously. Which is why it is recommended to use these frequencies!

6. Sensory Deprivation and the Void

The void state mirrors the effects of sensory deprivation. When external stimuli are lost, the brain compensates by enhancing internal awareness. This is why many people experience heightened clarity, vivid imagery/mental images, or even sensations of "oneness" while in the void. Essentially, your mind becomes the primary sensory environment and why you lose all of your senses.

7. The Void’s Link to Embryonic Consciousness

Some spiritual theorists compare the void state to the consciousness experienced in the womb. This hypothesis suggests that the void may feel so “pure” because it reflects the state of pre-birth awareness—where one exists in complete with nothingness and infinite potential. This also refers to pure consciousness being your home that you always return to.

8. The Void and Ego Dissolution

A lesser-discussed aspect of the void is its role in ego dissolution. In the void, your sense of self—the “I”—disappears. This detachment from ego allows you to manifest without the usual doubts, fears, or biases that come with personal identity, creating a direct connection between intention and reality. Hence the affirmation "I am" as there's nothing to become, only to "be".

[astra-ravana]

Types Of Witchcraft

Note: These are general/basic explanations of different classes of magick/witchcraft. Practitioners can fall into multiple or none of these categories. Ultimately, only an individual can choose their labels.

Green: Utilizing greenery/plants/herbs/flowers in herbal/nature magick, such as creating blends of different plants or primarily using herbs in spellwork. May keep a garden and take great pride in their workings/connection to the earth and nature.

Hedge/Shamanic: A type of magick that's more oriented towards spirit work, Otherworld and astral travel, dream work, spiritual power and healing. May work with psychedelic/psychotropic/toxic plants and fungi as spiritual tools (ie: flying ointments/teas made from amanita muscaria or datura)

Sea: A type of magick derived from materials/abstract ideas involving the ocean world. Sea magick is worked using various items from as well as one's own connection to the sea and its creatures.

Storm: Magick that is worked by combining one's own energy with the energy of the weather, most commonly storms. Storm witches may have practices such as collecting storm water or snow, "whistling up" or manipulating winds, or performing rituals during severe weather.

Hearth/Kitchen: Magick performed through kitchen craft and/or mundane tasks/crafts around the home or for loved ones. Typically worked daily through food, herbal mixtures, crafting, decorating, and hobbies. May also work with the Fae/elements/nature.

Tea: Those who drink tea, make their own tea mixtures, or enjoy blending herbal remedies and often use reading tea leaves as their form of divination.

Urban: For those who live in or prefer an urban setting/lifestyle. Magick that is worked in densely populated areas and big cities, without some of the seemingly "traditional" aspects of witchcraft.

Tech: Magick that is skillfully worked through technology. A tech witch might cast spells/do divinatory readings on the internet, use magick based apps/programs, or keep a digital grimoire/library.

Elemental: Magick that is worked by honoring/acknowledging all 4/5 elements (Fire, Air, Water, Earth, and/or Spirit). Elementalists may dedicate part of their alter to each element and call upon them during rituals/spells. Conversely, they may choose to focus on only one element changing the designation to either fire, air, water or earth witchcraft.

Fae/Faerie: The magick of those who work and commune with the Fae. Faerie witches may do rituals/spells around the Fae, ask favors of them, have regular communication sessions, and leave them offerings. The Fae are very unpredictable and strong but, with time and respect, they share their magick with special individuals.

Infernal: A system of spirit work/magick that revolves around Infernal spirits/entities, such as demons, djinn, or other spirits of a chaotic alignment. This practice requires a surprising amount of shadow work and dismantling of oppressive religious systems. They may summon demons, perform rituals/spells with them, make deals, or take them up as magickal familiars.

Necromancy: The practice of seeking the assistance of, summoning, communication, and diving through the dead. Practitioners may frequent cemetaries/burial grounds/haunted locations and perform magick and spiritual/divinatory readings there. Often employ the use of pendulums, dowsing rods, talking boards, black mirrors, grave dirt, and bones.

Draconian: Draconian magick is a practice that involves engaging with dragons as powerful forces and allies in spiritual practice. It can include rituals, symbolism, and techniques to connect with dragons, and may be used for empowerment, healing, and spiritual growth.

Chaos: A type of magick utilizing new, non-traditional, and unorthodox methods. It is a highly individualistic practice that draws from many magickal disciplines (eclecticism).

Blood/Sanguine: A very potent class of magick that includes the use of one's own blood or that of another in powerful rituals/spells.

Sigil/Art: The use of sigils, symbols, glyphs, runes, or artwork infused with will and intention. This practice is vast, versatile, and diverse with each practioner producing truly unique results.

Lunar: Lunar magick is the practice of performing rituals during the different phases of the Moon to bring about physical or psychological change. They may honor/worship the Moon, do moonlight rituals, or make moon waters. Conversely, one could work with the Sun in much the same fashion.

Cosmic/Celestial: Magick that incorporates the stars and planets. Astrology is a dominant force in their lives and witchcraft and they consider the placement of celestial bodies before doing a working.

Crystal: Incorporation of crystals/stones in one's magickal practice. May make crystal grids, include them in their spells, use them in energy work, meditation, or for Reiki healing.

Glamour: Glamour magick is an enchantment type that adjusts or changes your outward appearance, or people's perception of your outward appearance and can include the enchanting of jewelry, clothing, and even makeup for magickal purposes.

Shadow: Magick with a focus on the elements of darkness and shadow. May practice umbrakinesis (shadow manipulation), magickal subterfuge and illusion, and feel at peace, and even practice, in pitch black darkness

Are there any you feel I should have included? Please let me know! I'd love to expand this list. :)

[vixensdungeon]

Alright, time to talk about one of the hot button issues in D&D today: skills, and how they've evolved over the 50-year lifespan of the game. We'll start, of course, from the beginning.

Dungeons & Dragons (1974)

So there actually isn't a skill system here. But the primordial origins are there, in the various neat little procedures of adventuring. Firstly there are languages. Humans know the "common tongue," which at this point isn't a single language, it just refers to the local Lingua Franca. I think all non-human player characters are assumed to be in 20% of other creatures who speak the language along with their own one. You also know an alignment language (Lawful, Chaotic, or Neutral), and one additional creature language for every point of Intelligence above 10.

NPC reactions. This is rolled on a simple 2d6 table for recruiting hirelings. Another 2d6 table is for monster reactions.

Surprise rolls. There are no stealth or perception skills, and adventurers are simply assumed to be sneaking around while in dungeons, with surprise rolled when monsters are encountered.

Doors can be listened at and secret doors found, with simple d6 rolls.

There's also a chance of getting lost in the wilderness, which sort of implies a general ability to not do so in most situations.

And that's basically it! You can already see several different skills we know today forming in the primordial soup.

But you feel like something is missing, right? Ah, of course! We must take a little detour to

Greyhawk (1975)

Did you know that in the original game, the only classes were fighting man, magic-user, and cleric? That's right, the now classic thief would not be introduced until the first supplement! And with them came for the first time actual named skills.

Thieves could open locks, remove traps, listen for noise, move silently, pick pockets, and hide in shadows. Additionally they could read languages, treasure maps, and even magical scrolls at higher levels.

Now, these skills are only for thieves, so what are other characters to do? Well for most of them, nothing. It simply is not a fighter's job to pick pockets, or a cleric's job to open a lock. Certainly an item can be forcefully taken from an NPC, and a door bashed open, so they are not completely helpless in these tasks. But the thief simply excels at doing such things with superior ability and grace. And of course any character can hear noises behind doors, thieves are simply better at it. Moving silently and hiding are two slightly odd skills, as they overlap with surprise rolls but don't interact with them. It can be assumed that a thief moving silently can scout ahead and report back without actually encountering the monsters they find, and a hiding thief can let wandering monsters pass by even when there isn't sufficient cover (as only shadows are needed, other characters can obviously still hide behind cover if they are aware of the need to do so). Other characters can also climb using ropes and other tools, but won't be able to climb sheer surfaces unaided like thieves can, so again the thief can simply do something general in a superior manner.

There are many classes with their own skills to be found in various magazines, but I'm not going to dig through them. So let the totality of original D&D skills be the above.

Next time: we get Advanced