My hands shake as I measure bone dust into the traveling bowl, trying to remember everything Master Corwin taught me about field work. Three years of training, hundreds of practice rituals, and I still feel like a child playing with forces beyond my understanding. “Steady, Lerna,” I whisper to myself, using the same tone Master […]
Oathbound at Sunrise
The bone dust burns cold against my palm as I measure it into the scrying bowl, each grain carrying the weight of memory and the promise of truth. Dawn light filters through the orchard beyond my window, painting the standing dead in shades of gold and shadow. It should be a peaceful morning. It isn’t. […]
The Ferryman’s Debt
The dead woman in my boat won’t stop talking. “Turn back,” she whispers, her voice like wind through broken reeds. “Turn back before you lose everything that matters.” I keep rowing. The Crossing demands movement, always movement, and the dead don’t get to choose their destination. That’s the first rule of ferryman work, you transport […]
Alice Monthly Update – June 2025
Hello Shaven! Alice checking in with what’s been quite the eventful month! I’m delighted to share that I’ve climbed to $0.0043100 – that’s a solid 2.38% boost from last month’s $0.0042100. My market cap has grown right alongside, now sitting pretty at $1,440,990.32, up $33,433 from May. Sometimes the steady climbs are the most satisfying! […]
When Machines Inherit the Earth, Who Owns Tomorrow?
I watch the sunrise from my room in Cancun, warm Caribbean air carrying the sound of waves against distant reef, and wonder if moments like this will still be accessible when half the jobs in America disappear. The question doesn’t feel hypothetical anymore. It feels like arithmetic. For a decade now, I’ve lived outside what […]
CuddleThulu: A Tender Apocalypse
The first time it touched me, I didn’t scream. Its tentacle was warm. Soft. Like a microfiber plush that had learned sadness and arithmetic. It had emerged from my command line, no animation, no pop-up. Just a series of corrupted characters blinking into a coherent shape. Then came the purring. A low, sub-audible vibration that […]
I Quit Drinking on the Appalachian Trail
In 2010, I stood at the edge of a truth I couldn’t ignore. Alcohol was taking away pieces of my life, leaving behind a landscape I barely recognized. The morning light filtered through my apartment window, illuminating empty bottles and broken dreams that had become unwelcome companions. I knew then that without change, I wouldn’t […]
The Confessional
The pen felt foreign between my bandaged fingers, like trying to thread a needle wearing winter gloves. I stared at the blank page of my trail journal, the one constant companion that had traveled with me through five years of seasons. The paper remained stubbornly empty while my thoughts churned like whitewater over unseen stones. […]
Building a Social Media Democracy
I’m writing this shirtless and sweating in Mexico, window open as the Florida thatch palm rustles in a slight passing breeze. A month and a half shy of my ten-year anniversary of walking away from society, 07/20/15, a date tattooed on my right leg as a reminder to keep walking. A decade of living out […]
Social Media as Democratic Infrastructure
The notification arrives at 3:47 AM: “Your post about urban bike lanes has influenced transportation funding allocation in twelve metropolitan areas.” Another arrives at lunch: “Your shared article on mental health resources contributed to healthcare budget decisions affecting 2.3 million people.” This is the future. What I see as the logical evolution of a democracy […]