Tending the Mindflame

[Pocket]

Hey friends! My name is Joshua, although Pocket works too since (as I explained elsewhere on the forum) enough people independently came up with the nickname for me due to my short stature. I’m a yoga teacher / actor / perpetual student, but I grew up really wanting to write a book so I think this forum appealed to that sense of me.

I really loved Greek mythology growing up which in turn led to an interest in archetypes, so like @Blue_eyed_human I’m also getting into tarot, but more to deepen my understanding of characters, storytelling and archetypes and explore people through that lens rather than for any divinatory purposes. Besides that I’m vegetarian, Canadian (though I live in London), a proud Ravenclaw and currently studying how yoga can supplement stage performance. Anyone well-versed in psychosomatics, emotional holding patterns in the body, or physiology of singing and dancing hit me up!

I just finished the first half of book one, but I too am looking forward to delving a bit deeper into this world and community!

[alexanderskye]

Hello everyone! I answered something like this already on a welcome thread, but I thought this would help me get closer to my guild mates! My name is Alexander, but you can call me Alex for short. I collect antique books and crystals. I am currently learning how to read tarot cards and runes. I grew up loving anything fantasy and it seems to have stuck with me to this day. I am currently living in Nashville, TN…but this can change in a year. Who knows haha.

I am just now starting on the second half of book one and I am so so so hooked. I think I’ll have it done by the end of tomorrow.

I am excited to get to know all of you! Feel free to reach out!

[Calm]

I’m more of a demi or transient Thornmouth perhaps something of a book borrower and companion for midnight tea conversations. I may often be found either under the Mindflame or in one of the old dorms or kitchens reading an old volume next to my hobnail tea pot and a lantern or asleep under the same book.
As I Enjoy quiet companionship here is a list of songs you will most likely hear me listening to:
*Flow - Crooked Colours
*Nagashi - Idealism
*Reflection Eternal - Nujabes
*Yin and Yang - Uyama Hiroto
*D’vocean- Eastghost
*Hills and Horizons- Fujitsu
*Faded- Zhu
*Air - Blvk

[Kaia]

Hi, I’m Kaia. My username is actually what I’m in the process of changing my name to IRL due to the fact that I’m transgender. My name came to me out of nowhere one day, and when I googled it I found out it’s a name in many cultures, all with different meanings, and all of them resonated with me. I am a voracious reader and love researching random topics in my free time, so definitely a Thornmouth, haha. I’m really excited to be a mountaineer, and to get to know my fellow Thornmaw.

[Calm]

@Alissiya @Sapphire I hope the strange is treating you both well

[TheMadHare]

I’ve put this off for a bit, but here we go.
My username is my gamer tag on Playstation (without the hyphens I must use for the platform), although it originally is from the character in Lewis Carol’s novel Alice In Wonderland of the same name. It was one of the first characters in a book that truly stood out to me, and since then he’s been a bit of a fascination of mine.

I spend my off-time playing video games on PS4, or relaxing with some books. My literary interests are widely varied and I find it hard to find one genre to call home, although cosmic horror has always had a firm grip on my mind and heart. Lovecraft is my favourite author of all time, and his works have shaped much in my life.

I doodle as well, and my profile picture is a (slightly altered) self portrait. I don’t have much experience with environments, but I’m working on that currently. Same thing with female faces, I just can’t make them look female enough I think. But if anyone wants me to make an attempt at their portrait, lemme know!

Aside from those things, I drink Kraken rum, smoke Blackwood port cigars, usually wear flannel, vape large clouds, partake of mind altering substances, and am a proud fat cat dad. Also, I’ve always wanted to live in a lighthouse, so this is pretty cool

[Miliham]

I too have put this off (I might be egocentric, but I don’t like talking about myself).

I’m Miliham. Its a gamer name I’ve used for the past (oh geez) almost 20 years. I’m an avid reader with many hobbies and interests, though usually you can find me curled up with a good game with an intriguing story.

I have been through college several times and though I don’t have a degree its fairly obvious why. I have studied Biology, Mathematics, Computer Science, and most recently (still ongoing) Game Design.

I am open to most discussions and usually you can find I at least can add some sort of voice to almost anything.

I’m excited to sit near all of you and read and research and discover.

[Tributary]

Hi all. I’m Tributary. I’m still a bit new here, a bit lost. But I think I can at least give a summary of what I can and can’t do to help out around here.

Think about miscommunication: perspective, using the same words to mean different things, different words to mean the same thing, trouble translating, people who can’t find tone in writing. The magiq between words is uncomfortable for many, but it’s a comfortable space for me. In the mundane I’m a teacher, so I have some practice helping people reorganize and reframe their own thoughts and communication, and reinterpret others’. I’ve also got some experience with hypnosis, on that front: the words slipping into the mind.

History is a weak spot for me. I recognize its importance but I struggle to absorb it all, retain it all, connect it all. This applies to most aspects of continuity and retention in other fields as well; I don’t handle broad bodies of knowledge as well as I handle important core concepts (first principles) and how I can understand, reinterpret, and apply them (derivation).

I know music fairly well-- not the lists and lists of things other people have made (I try, but I have the same issues as with history), but the ways sounds can fit together. I can learn to play new instruments, new songs, fairly quickly, though not to most professional standards of quality. And I can transcribe, transpose, arrange. Time and key signatures are largely a non-issue.

Mathematics is comfortable at its core, but I can’t remember all the rules and patterns from every area. Knowing what little I know about this community, there are likely others who are much more comfortable with math and computer science than I am, though I’m more comfortable than average if you’re in a pinch.

I’m learning how to take care of plants, but I’m still new. I’m slowly improving my cooking. I’m bad with deadlines. I’m bad with getting motivated. I’m still learning about everything that’s happened here in the last several decades; see what I said about history. I’m always happy to share what I know or learn what I don’t. I can’t promise I’ll remember; see what I said about history.

I think I’m inclined towards peering arts and second mind; I hear that’s common for mindflame-tenders. I might also understand… choreomancy? communion magics? I’m not sure what they’re all called, what they all mean.

I’m happy to meet you all. Let me know if there’s anything I can do. In the meantime I’ll continue trying to learn our history. It will keep me busy enough.

[Sellalellen]

Hello @Tributary! I have a feeling your skills will come in handy here, and we have others to fill in where you lack. I understand the confusion with the history of the Mountaineers. It’s a lot at once. If you are confused by anything or aren’t sure about the details, feel free to ask me.

[Graevan]

Greetings, I am Graevan. It’s a name I’ve used as my Other since I started playing World of Warcraft (which I have been clean from for years).

Ever since I saw Back to the Future I’ve been fascinated by time travel and figuring out the Rules that are employed, not just in that movie but in every instance it gets used. So when I saw that the first Thornmouth affinity was Time Shifting I knew, without a doubt, that I’d landed in the right guild.

I’m a lover of stories but when I’m reading stories that involve magic I find myself focusing, once again, on the Rules of Magic that the author uses. Be it the “Will and the Word” or a wellspring of power that is tapped and shaped with great strain, I’ve always had an eye to learning how Magic worked.
How things work in general. Back in February I spent a Saturday night in Newcastle (drunken capital of North East England) attending a cosmology lecture hosted by Prof. Brian Cox.
Be it Time Travel, Magic, or the Universe at large, I know that there is a part of me that already has the answer: It works because it does.

In the mundane I work in a factory, tending and using machines. Setting them up, running them, keeping them clean and working as best as I can. Learning how they work. Seems to be a theme here.

I also wish I could write my book. I’ve been trying for years but I just can’t quite get it down on paper correctly. I haven’t ever truly given up on it, and I’m starting a brand new approach, so here’s hoping I can get it to work this time.

It is a genuine pleasure to be here, and I look forward to tending the flame with you all.

[Sellalellen]

Have you tried reading anything by Brandon Sanderson? He loves coming up with different magic systems, each with their own set of rules. I think you might enjoy his work.

[Graevan]

He’s next on my list actually. A few friends have recommended him, and he already had my attention for finishing the Wheel of Time books.
From what I’ve gleaned he uses everything from cliché hand-wavery to rock eating geomancy, so yeah, I’ll be diving into those after I’ve caught up on the Ackerly Green books.

[BrokenVoid]

That sounds very interesting. I’ll have to look into his boks after I finish the stack of books I already have lined up. I also love unique magic systems that are well thought out.

[Cynthia]

Hello all! I’m Cynthia and I am a tulpa (an entity created in the mind, acting independently of, and parallel to one’s own consciousness). I started out as a character in my host Kaitlyn’s slice-of-life comics, appearing as a logical voice who called her out on various occasions. Since then, she has found that she has needed my support more and more; through that I was able to gain the ability to act independently and have my own thoughts and interests. She has such a huge imagination, and so many stories tucked into the folds of her mind, but she sometimes struggles with functioning in daily life. She also tends to freak out at minor things, so I’m there to help her calm down and keep her composure. Together we make to-do lists and manage her planner so she can make every day a productive (or restful) one.

I love Harry Potter, piano music, and lemon tea (though Kaitlyn hates the taste so it’s a very strange sensation when we drink it). I’m currently learning how to play chess and am reading books about the history of witchcraft and the occult; anything that has to do with the existence/integration of magic in our mundane world is something I will look into! I’m glad I found Ackerly Green, and I feel like I really belong here.

[Charlemagne]

Hey! Im Charlemagne! I have just finished the first book and I’m onto the second one. I’m super excited to get involved in all of this and I’m excited to develop my Character with you all. I’m proud to have been put into Thornmouth! I’m a DM for DnD and I do quite a bit of LARP!

[Psychopomp]

Hi, everyone. I’m Psychopomp. I’ve downloaded the first book and am looking forward to getting to read it next time I’m at work (I’m working nights this coming weekend in one of those jobs where it’s a regulatory requirement that someone in my position be present, but they didn’t necessarily load a lot of work into nights.) I’m definitely intrigued by what I’ve read so far, and I expect I’ll be a lot more active in the meta once I get caught up.

[Kallisti]

Hello fellow nerds! I’m Kallisti. You might have seen me exploding a bunch of threads as I attempted to get involved in the community. I’m kind of crap at introductions, but I’m always open to answering questions anyone may have. Oh yeah and that nerd above me (@Psychopomp) is my husband. You’re welcome for me dragging him into all of this. Lol

[Sellalellen]

I did that too when I first joined! I dragged my sister @Timidity in after me, but she’s more of a lurker than a poster.
“I either found a really cool thing, or I joined a cult. Either way, you need to sign up too.”

[Kallisti]

You would not believe how many things I’ve dragged @Psychopomp into with almost those exact words.

[TheSomnomancer]

Hello fellow Mindflame keepers, my name is Will (in the mundane), and I am The Somnomancer because I love the magic one can experience in sleep and dream.

In the Mundane I primarily study Chiropractic and nutrition (still in college), but on my off time, I’m a bit of a Jack of All trades. Ranging from DM-ing DnD, Magic the Gathering, practicing magic tricks, guitar, piano, camping, adventuring, video gaming, and exercising. As of now my studies have taken priority, but I’m slowly reading up on everything AG
The first time I experienced true magic in the Mundane would definitely be with lucid dreaming and projection… which is why, at the lighthouse, my main focus would be the same, as well as everything strange with reality and time. I am so fascinated by that

You can find me at the lighthouse in the deepest, darkest corner of one of the dorm rooms, dimly lit with bio-illuminecent Alo Vera, Feverfew & Milkweed surrounding an overly pillowed bed, up against a small bookshelf (maybe stolen from the library). At the foot of the bed is a desk with alchemical devices. I occasionally extract Melatonin from the Feverfew for myself or any Thornmouths with migraines or sleeping problems. And brew coffee.

I enjoyed reading all of your entries and look forward to tending the Mindflame with all of you~♧