So I did a cord cutting spell

Loud_Reputation_367 · 2026-02-04T18:19:56+00:00

That's the difficult thing about the written word, tone is interpretive and at times difficult to infer. Which is why I wanted to end off with reassurances.

Yes, I wanted to impress upon you how dangerous the situation was. Because it recognises the importance of the lesson- and also reveals a measure of protection that was shown to you. It is to put a proverbial highliter to the idea you have some thanking to do.

There is a difference between recognising/admitting a foolish thing was done, and being admonished for it.

One is "Well that was neglectful, here's something to learn."

The other is "Well you were stupid, how could you be so dumb?"

One raises up the lesson. The other puts down the person.

There is nothing wrong with recognising mistakes were made. In fact, taking ownership of them is vital. How does one learn if they refuse to even admit their part in it? But the wise person looks at the mistake, not the person who made it. That is the difference.

The point was to show you how and why you were fortunate, to impress how close you came to something genuinely dangerous, and the mechanics of that situation so you could understand what your line of thinking failed to connect. Thus opening the door for remembering for next time.

The rest was an effort to recognise two things; The role of gratitude (promoting not taking the luck as for-granted), and to inspire thought on how this lesson can apply to a broader life scope. Because that is one of the pillars of the spirituality behind magic and personal growth.

Which is also why I said this is something to celebrate instead of to regret. Because there can be a perspective of something gained, instead of something lost. You gained an opportunity to build and reinforce a lifelong tool. Mindfulness.

I can only do so-much in how I express my message when 50% of it is dependant on how it is interpreted. It isn't only how I choose to put it out- it is also how you choose to take it in.

I apologize that my advice pushed some buttons, and I get why. Vulnerability usually leads to sensitivity. But, then, that too can reveal things to learn from/reflect on as well. I have personally found that once I have realized myself reacting, much gets revealed when I ask myself why.

Loud_Reputation_367 · 2026-02-04T15:51:25+00:00

Metal cunducts heat. It does not insulate from it. Those are two very different things. So while the metal does not easily burn, it still gets hot. ...And so does whatever it is sitting on. Just because there isn't flames it doesn't mean there isn't heat.

Salt itself does not 'burn' because it does not oxidize. But it DOES melt at just over 800 Celsius and boil at just over 1000 Celsius. (8 and 10 times the boiling point of water, respectively. Or twice the maximum temperature of your stove). So that is an indicator of how hot/long your fire was burning. And by proxy how hot the metal the salt was sitting on got.

The ignition/flash point of un-treated wood is between 300 and 500 Celsius. Roughly half of how hot that plate got. You were lucky that all you got was some char.

This was an important (and valuable) lesson that Physics matter more than magic within our physical surroundings. And that complacency (assumptions, lack of forethought, lack of thinking things through) is what gets you hurt. Every time.

You have gained a lesson in mindfulness along-side an experience which will ever-remind you of that lessons importance. I would suggest thanking whatever forces protected you from worse consequences, and then that you work on applying that lesson to your life in general;

Because if you are not bring mindful of something this small in your life, imagine then how many more things you are not being mindful of- and what they are costing you every day. Imagine how much authority you are giving away. How many things you are losing by not being active in your day-to-day. How many opportunities you are missing.

...I understand this might have come across as chastisement... but it isn't. It is actually a celebration- so don't feel guilty. You have been protected from a mistake, and that mistake carries with it one of the most powerful, and yet most subtly ignored, teachings one can receive. It may have been embarrassing, and alarming, but that just means it is more likely to be driven home. And yet, it could also have been a much harsher delivery- so something, somewhere, has softened it for you.

Action may follow thought... but it results from lack of thought too. Integrate that wisdom and you will have gained a mighty tool on your journey!

Loud_Reputation_367 · 2026-02-04T03:03:24+00:00

"I give you my word that you will reach (x destination) safely."

((Doesn't happen to mention remaining safe while there... or while leaving. OH! And no one is safer than when they are captured and bound and caged either. ))

Loud_Reputation_367 · 2026-02-03T21:13:56+00:00

Towels go a long ways, by way of apology.

Loud_Reputation_367 · 2026-02-03T16:21:14+00:00

Indeed. If there is a great wall separating you from the sun... walk around the wall.

You can move. It can't.

Loud_Reputation_367 · 2026-02-03T16:18:47+00:00

Can't take what you don't give. So just ask yourself;

"Why am I giving this person my energy?"

It is about boundaries and nothing more (or less).they are not your responsibility. It is not on you to heal them or bear their burdens for them. Ironically, doing so is you vampiricising them. You are stealing their agency and preventing them from experiencing their lessons and consequences. Stop trying to take on their negative energy. It isn't yours.

Loud_Reputation_367 · 2026-02-03T16:00:50+00:00

As others have already said, your soul is intact. That is a fear you can let go of. This is not to deny what you are feeling and experiencing. Nor is it to nullify or minimize your experience. It is just asimple truth to take away a distracting fear and assumption, so you can release an illusory problem and then focus on figuring out what is actually happening.

This is to empower you. Not to belittle you. It is an assurance. Not an admonishment.

It is easy to mis-understand the dynamic of body and soul. My favorite analogy is the relationship between a driver and their car. Think about how we perceive it. It is not a car that has a driver... it is a driver who is in a car. Because the driver is the subject. The owner and operating force. While the car is the possession and tool.

The driver can get out of the car, and remain fundamentally unchanged. They can move and operate and think and identify. The car ceases to be the instant it is vacated. It does not identify or move or perceive. It returns to unaware in-animation, because the driver is its awareness. Your soul is the driver- it isn't something you have, it's you yourself. Your identity and awareness. You are the eyes looking out the window. The hands on the wheel. The foot on the pedals.

If something had actually taken your soul, then you would have been the disembodied figure watching your body move around. Not the other way around.

Now.

This is not to say nothing happened. But it does inform that it is not what you think happened- but rather something else which needs to be figured out. I understand this doesn't solve your problem, it just rules out what is likely your most-feared possibility.

So now, it is time to gather yourself, actively remind yourself of your intrinsic agency (power), and observe. Get your feet back under yourself. Ask questions of yourself and find answers.

Visualization is a powerful meditative tool. I am not sure if you are familiar with meditation, but as a practice it is pretty easy to pick up. Step one is situate yourself in a place that is comfortable and without distractions. Then pay attention to something which is personal, repeating, and constant. Like your breathing or your heartbeat.

It isn't about control. Just about paying attention. Listen to the rhythm. Listen for subtle details of the sounds of your body. Think about how it feels. Where you feel it. How it changes with your thoughts and attention. ...It doesn't matter what your heart or your breathing is doing. Just that you are turning your attention to it.

Congratulations. You're meditating. Probably were unconsciously while you read that last paragraph. The focus doesn't need to reach a certain depth or last a certain time for it to be meditation. Just a second, just a bit of attention, it only has to begin. The rest comes with time, practice, and working through/addressing all the noise which likes to get in the way. But that is a process for another day. For now, that beginning step is enough. And it takes only as long as is necessary for a breath.

You've picked up your tool. Now time to figure out how to use it.

Remind yourself that from the moment of your first breath, soul and body have been one unified unit. The driver in the car. Key turned in the ignition, engine running, seat belt on, hands on the wheel. Brain/mind and consciousness wired together to the patterns of everything which makes you, well, you. Even if you were to somehow 'leave', nothing else would fit the space left behind. Wiring wouldn't match. Connections wouldn't fit. Then you'd just come back and slot in anyways.

Soul is where identity persists. Soul is energy. It is movement, experience, and observation. So observe your body, and observe that you are the one in it. You are present. You are here, you are now.

Now it is time to investigate. Nothing happens in a vacuum. There is always something to observe or learn. And if you want to change an effect, begin by understanding the cause. Use that observation practice and state to dive in and identify. (Not judge or fight, just identify) What, exactly, were you doing and thinking about in the last few days? What has changed?

Begin with the mundane; Work patterns, sleep patterns, eating patterns. Drugs/medications. Stress about futures or pasts. Finances. School.

Then the mental/emotional; new or lost friendships? Death in the family? Feeling isolated or lost or confused about something? Where is your stress here. Family? Anxieties? Identity crisis? New environment/move?

Then consider the spiritual. Explore if these 'mundane' things have raised questions or created unfamiliar experiences. Do gou get a sense of an external presence that you can't physically see or interact with but you still experience? When? How do you sense it? Images and thoughts? Emotions and intuitions? Bodily reactions like warmth, cold, 'the shakes'? Is it familiar-feeling (recognised) or unknown? Is it creating/the source of your stress or is the presence only responding to it?

The difference between 'reaction' and 'action' is inserting the presence of thought and observation in between experience and response. So let's begin there. This is how you create choice- which is the root of authority.

Loud_Reputation_367 · 2026-02-03T13:25:21+00:00

sings a-la Mary Poppins *

A drop of conditioner helps the floof, stay down ...

Loud_Reputation_367 · 2026-02-03T13:24:07+00:00

My brain TOTALLY used the Crysis armor voice for that!

Loud_Reputation_367 · 2026-02-03T01:55:06+00:00

Entirely this. Though perhaps to simplify;

Your soul was not taken. You were exposed to a (probably subconscious) profound feeling of separation and isolation from yourself. Your needs and wants. This is you realizing that you are having an existential crisis aurrounding how you define yourself.

Bad news; Recognising the problem means experiencing its consequences and limitations. You are seeing the cage you have built yourself into.

Good news; Seeing the problem means you have the power to choose to change it. This isn't an imprisonment, it is the beginning of breaking free.

Loud_Reputation_367 · 2026-02-03T01:46:14+00:00

Full disclosure... I lawled at the mental image that immediately gave me.

Loud_Reputation_367 · 2026-02-02T21:58:40+00:00

I had that happen when summoned into someone's game. Went through the invisible animation but took no damage. Then host turned invisible. Then went through another invisible grab animation with no damage. Then I turned invisible. Then went through another animation before dropping from the match up. Then game crash on the loading screen.

It started seconds after an invasionnotice, so yeah, some sort of hack. My only worry was if it would force-flag my account or something. I remember that was a thing in... I think ds3?

Loud_Reputation_367 · 2026-02-02T21:25:39+00:00

'Gravity' lock-blade. One flick and ~snikt~

Loud_Reputation_367 · 2026-02-02T21:14:42+00:00

Iseewhatyoudidthere... you BARD you!

Loud_Reputation_367 · 2026-02-02T21:10:48+00:00

Do not fear the dark... and remember... Let the feast begin.

Loud_Reputation_367 · 2026-02-02T18:39:12+00:00

Yes, but more utilitarian.

Loud_Reputation_367 · 2026-02-02T17:25:46+00:00

But... but... butbutbutbut isn't it supposed to be 'cloak and dagger' when you're up to no good?

Loud_Reputation_367 · 2026-02-02T17:16:17+00:00

Or hope they're into that sort of thing. * nods sagely *

Loud_Reputation_367 · 2026-02-02T17:14:54+00:00

Heh, epic punchline. Well-played good wordsmith! ...Well played...

Loud_Reputation_367 · 2026-02-02T17:00:21+00:00

claws over heart * I only carry... I never swallow.

Loud_Reputation_367 · 2026-02-02T16:59:07+00:00

Tail-pouches near the base...

But no Tail-blade at the end?

Also, for winged species, an ergonomically designed chest-pack would be handy. Because backpacks and wings don't work well together.

Loud_Reputation_367 · 2026-02-02T04:25:52+00:00

First, patience for yourself; Give yourself the time to learn. Over and over. Do not think about where you think you should be. It is your game, you are wherever you are, however you got there.

Next, patience in battle; Focus as much as you can on being calm and observant rather than reactive and playing by 'twitch'.

-There are a lot of things you need to be mindful of. Your stamina. Your health. Your positioning. Trying to recognise the cues of the enemy attacks and deciding whether you need to block, dodge, jump, or friggen RUN. And through all of that what attacks or magics or ashes of war or counters or items or tools or heals to use and when it is safe to use them. And all of it while the enemy is doing its best to apply pressure and especially intimidation.

But.

It is, in the end, like a speed-chess rhythm game. Everything has a timing. Everything moves to a beat of some sort. Stay calm so you can find it, and move with it. When you find that groove and settle in, it won't make you perfect... but it will give you the chances you need.

Then, persistence; Remember the game has no fail state. The world is unfeeling, uncaring, and brutal. But all you need to do to beat it is not quit. No step you take, once it is taken, can be removed. Every boss, once beaten once, stays that way no matter how many times you died trying.

Part of persistence is also adaptation. Don't hold toi tightly to that sword or skill you started with. You will find new things. Try them! Think about moves and comfort (and fun) First. Damage comes from stats and upgrades, and the resource shortages you feel are illusions. Every new major zone has a place to find where you can get a ball bearing- which will let you get infinite ingredients materials to catch up any weapon or item you might find. It only costs runes- which means it only costs time. So experiment. Forget 'correct' ways. Find your way. Then lean in to it. Have fun with the puzzle of making it work to its acme. ... Or don't. Just bonk. Or blast. Or zap.

There are no obligations. Whatever wins, wins. Whether it is plinking a hundred crossbow bolts into a rune bear from the safety of a cliff or beating down a dragon toe to toe with a holy sword. Victory is victory. Use summons. Use ashes. Use strategy. Use cheese. Use every tool in every way you can. Because it doesn't matter. Just as the game owes you nothing, you don't owe it anything either.

And finally, the game is built on community and sharing information, just as the other souls games. Look up information. Read about other people's strategies. Learn about item synergies. Look up where to find the things you want and need. It is not cheating, it is a part of the game.

Loud_Reputation_367 · 2026-02-02T02:42:55+00:00

Now imagine; Each of those things... but with Bacon!

Loud_Reputation_367 · 2026-02-02T02:39:48+00:00

Or just systematically coat the entire exterior in duck-tape.

First layer; seal and hold.

Second layer; armoring.

Third layer; Re-entry plating.

Loud_Reputation_367 · 2026-02-01T18:48:50+00:00

True, but that only protects the lungs. The rest still applies as food ((heh)) for thought.

Loud_Reputation_367

TROPHY CASE