Shhhh! Digital Media Presents: Grand Tapestry of Moments 05 - Mirror, Mirror (Finished June 19, 2026 18:45 EST)

I'm approximately 6 feet tall. I weigh about 175 lbs. I don't have blue eyes or brown eyes, but I have a very pale monitor tan. I'm Brian Joseph Johns and this is Shhhh! Digital Media.

Chapters

1. The Fatal Shot (Finished May 8, 2026)
2. From A Considerable Height (Finished May 9, 2026)
3. Desserted (Finished May 12, 2026)
4. The Predator and the Prey (Finished May 15, 2026)
5. Shower (Finished May 20, 2026)
6. Birth (Finished June 18, 2026)
7. Exit or EXFIL: Friends in Parallel Places (Finished June 19, 2026)

Warning: This episode contains mature situations intended for an adult audience. Reader discretion is advised.

Identity Clarification And Some Insightful Era of the Spellbound Background

Once again comes the time for me to reiterate my identity in the midst of a lot of attempts to take it and replace it.

First of all, my name isn't Shane. I am not from Nova Scotia, though I do have a female relative that moved there about five or six years ago, though I suspect that she has been trying to give you a false impression with regard to my real identity as well.

For instance, I am not a guitar player and have never owned a guitar, but strangely enough she began sending me birthday cards with guitars on them about ten years ago, and that wasn't the first sign that I was being "erased" from my own life and history. Even by relatives, and no, none of us have Capgras Syndrome. Some people do crazy things to other people as a means to gas light them, and whe those victimized cite what they're experiencing, it often resembles the symptoms of a mental illness, which is often used to discredit them. I neither use narcotics, nor am I mentally ill. I drink occasionally, but certainly not every day.

My content on Shhhh! Digital Media isn't produced at a homeless shelter at all, and I am the only content producer, and the entire force behind Shhhh! Digital Media, including all of the stories and writing that started as far back as 1979, at 30 Lisburn Cresent in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. I am not biracial African or Caribbean, nor am I African or Caribbean at all, and I don't think that its either a hate crime or hate speech clarifying that fact, especially when its legally the truth. I once upon a time, more than a decade ago and during a difficult time, had to reside in a homeless shelter and did do some writing even that far back, but I moved into my home office in April of 2012, and I always worked alone when it came to writing, though I did collaborate with a coder named Dan for a C++ project where I acted as a consultant for his use of OpenGL (Open Graphics Library). We generally stuck with OpenGL 2 features as the implementation of the glut and glaux libraries he was using were capped at that version. The project was mostly for 2D work, for a job he worked designing a timetable for a hotel broadcast schedule.

As I stated, there are people who are trying to make it seem that all of the Shhhh! Digital Media content originated from someone else, or a couple of somebodies, all of whom have nothing to do with it at all. I'd hate to think that one or more of my own relatives is in on this, because that would not be good at all. These however a people who are part of a cult where if you express bits and pieces of your past and they believe that you have never experienced those things, they'll accuse you of taking them from someone else's life, whether they know that fact about you or not.

Like horseback riding. I have a relative with a ranch, and yet I've never been horseback riding with her. Ever. And yet I've ridden over fifty or sixty hours in my life from the time I was eighteen onward, which isn't bad for a guy without access to a ranch, not to mention I've trained in dangerous terrain riding and horse care as well. Yet, if I write a story that includes horseback riding, I'm assaulted by a crazy cult of neighbours and online community who believe that my experiences are not mine and that they're stolen from someone else's life, hence such a cult tries to force me to pay them for sponsorship from one of their members, who allegedly has ridden horses in their life. Usually in my experience and after investigating, that person turns out to be a fraud, while I've really done it. Same with martial arts. Same with being a piano player and composer. Same with being a programmer. 

In the case of almost every person this cult has made me pay sponsorship to one of their members, that person turns out to be a fraud, while my training or life experience is real and truthful. Same with my relationships. The membership of this stalking cult freaks out when I write a story with a guy that looks a bit similar to me when I was younger, having a relationship with a Japanese woman, and then accuse me of trying to steal John Penny's history (an old friend of mine), or Tom Cruise's history and meanwhile, I dated a Japanese waitress near the end of 2002 and into 2003. My last girlfriend is Korean. Before that, I was in a serious relationship with a wonderful Chinese woman, who was one of the biggest inspirations behind what you've read here on Shhhh! Digital Media. There's bits and pieces of all of those women in there, and I am not paying sponsorship to anybody, especially when the people running this cult are basically nothing but frauds. Even if they weren't, I would be more likely to give them a harsh word than anything towards their sponsorship of me paying them something (the law states that demanding any kind of unsolicited payment from a person, whether it be for sponsorship or any other reason, is criminal extortion).

I hate having to make posts like this, but they're necessary given the amount of time and effort this abusive cult are putting into their efforts to harass me, and I can only hope that they aren't harassing my readers (the ones who aren't part of their abusive ideology). I don't really go by the name of an ideology, but more by what they do. So I don't really want to name names, because the same cult also does this in order to trick you into making as many enemies out of others as possible.

Art and creation can exist by itself, and there are many great artists and creators out there who are largely unexplored, and probably in heaven as a result of it and they don't even realize it.

The most creative part about anything of that nature has a few different aspects, that lie between the artist and the audience. Any sensation cannot happen without an audience and their time and contemplation of any created medium, and that in itself inspires a whole creativity on its own. Reading a poem is no different than looking at a painting is not different than discerning shapes in a red evening's sky full of clouds. The art itself speaks of experience in some way, and most people who check it out, if the artist finds their audience, will find some insight and life experience there within. Some of it familiar, but not too familiar. Enough to keep one curious and inspired, and when that reaches a critical mass amongst many people, that creates fanfare and popularity. 

The goal of every content creator for their work to resonate with a large number of people, and hopefully enough so that they might be able to earn a living at it, and maybe even live comfortably. Most of us do this regardless of the money, so its nice that after years (decades) of struggling, that it all comes together, and that is absolutely not possible with an audience. I am always grateful for that aspect of Shhhh! Digital Media, but in order to be sure not to inflate your heads and egos too much, I should tell you that even if you weren't here, I'd still be doing it. It would exist without you, but it became so much more than it otherwise could have been, with you. The unabusive and unobtrusive reader. Probably most of you have your own creative gigs as well, or working a gig being creative in your own way. We're probably more alike than you know, but also probably far too different to ever get along for more than ten minutes.

So distinguishing the fact from the falsehood about this is very important. I don't believe in life being a masquerade. I believe there are some very narcissistic people out there, for whom the concept of creativity and individuality means nothing. If they can jump into someone's body, and see through their eyes and hear through their ears, they honestly believe they might as well be called that person, and yes, there are people who do exactly that, and who believe they're justified in wearing the credit for what other people do. Kind of like being a stowaway in the passenger seat of a car, and telling everyone you're the driver. I even tried to illustrate the difference between that concept (a very narcissistic perspective had some people who truly believe that the rest of us are just empty shells without a mind until they come into our life). 

The dichotomy that I wanted to use to express that idea while exposing it entirely, is the dichotomy of what happens in Era of the Spellbound, with the characters Gillie and Gwendolyn and Glynis and Gallea after the events of A Lady's Prerogative III: Unfinished Bee's Wax. Gwendolyn and Gallea are almost the diametrical opposite of what true narcissism is, and in both cases, their presence as stowaways in the body of another person is to improve the quality of their life. To the narcissist, the person they're wearing is just a reflection of them, because they're so ultimately full of themselves in the sense that they believe nobody else exists, and most often are incapable of empathizing the struggle and pain of others, and relating it with their own. The signs of a person without a conscience, whose only motivation in life is to make sure that nobody ever figures that out. When they're in danger of that happening, they'll dance. I don't mean the artistic, show stopping kind. I mean, they do something quickly to contradict anything that might reveal the truth of their lack of a conscience, rather than doing something that lifts others, and waking up every day after every shit kicking they're taken by narcissists, to do it all again. Lift others, while bitterly doing battle with harassing narcissists whose goal in life quite simply, is to not get found out.

After every shit kicking I've taken in life, I've always gotten back up the next day to get back in there and essentially, lift other people up, and for the most part, I haven't really asked for much in doing it, if anything at all.

Its important for me to clarify this stuff, but not so my name is burnt onto the retinas of everyone with a computer monitor where the brightness is cranked, but because its all I've got, and there's bits and pieces of people I care about in there, and they're worth every bit of effort I put into making that clear. Most people from this abusive cult seem to believe that when I'm calm and otherwise rational, especially after having gotten a literal pounding from their cult, they believe that its because I'm possessed by one of their members. In other words, the best of me is seemingly always one of them, and this seems to be a pattern in how this cult takes the output of others and transfers it to the credit of someone else. So, I need to say that I don't live or work in a shelter, but it certainly can be a very difficult life from which to spring forward.

Thank you for your time.

Brian Joseph Johns

Had a great time coding in Delphi today. Very glad to hear about the new plans revealed at State of Unreal. There's a lot of good stuff happening, and as long as there is, most of us will get up from every shit kicking and keep going.

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I Wrote A Poem

Headless pyramid scheme.

An idea is created that 

becomes a sensation 

valuable in myriad ways.

Its creator is kept hidden 

while a multitude of impostors 

wear its fortune and earn millions.

 

The originator perishes 

and is gone

without a trace.

The impostors masqueraded 

in various ways 

for lifetimes afterward

a secret lie of generations.

Headless pyramid scheme.

Sounds pretty meloncholy and morose, doesn't it?

And with tinges of conspiracy, but it makes for good storytelling, especially of the expositional kind, but beware. 

The duality of fate and destiny are that a prophecy can either be an exposition of what already happened, a message in a bottle if you will, or the determinant of that yet to come in the form of architecture.

What one calls it depends upon which side of the financial fence they end up on. 

To those who end up wealthy in material abundance, its often referred to as manifestation.

To those who end up impoverished and isolated, its often referred to as a conspiracy.

This is a short peek at what is to come in future episodes of Era of the Spellbound and Butterfly Dragon Reimagined.

The question is, does art imitate life or does life imitate art?

I am Brian Joseph Johns and this is Shhhh! Digital Media at https://www.shhhhdigital.com or https://www.shhhhdigital.ca. 

I vote, file my taxes, enjoy tea and coffee and occasionally a stiff drink with my acetaminophen, thank you very much, but I am not a guitar player and have never owned a guitar in my life, though they're a wonderful instrument in the hands of a skilled player. I don't smoke at all, and I don't have a "brown" fetish and never have.

Also, be aware of this: the video suggestion feeds on YouTube are being secretly weaponized against influencers and other high visibility members of society by bad actors (not actual performers per se, but employees who secretly abuse the resources of the company that employs them) and towards the ends of colour symbolism battles or the benefit of their ideological beliefs, and quite often to frame their victims into extremes if they're not aware.

Its sort of becoming a secret form of gas lighting that some people are associating with "doom scrolling". If you pay attention, you'll notice the same phenomenon in many other analytics derived aspects of the internet that can maintain an association to your identity and that affects on that basis, the content you're presented with in various web venues, such as ads, especially when it is used contextually. If you aren't or weren't unaware of this, you might be misled into believing that specific companies or web sites are out to get you.

The truth is that its not YouTube the company itself who are doing this, but a very small handful of compromised employees within. Much the same, its not Google or Microsoft or any company who are doing this, but compromised employees that have access to their analytics data and client records, and have figured out ways to circumvent the systems that prevent the association of an individual's unique identifier, with their specific name and address based identity. There is lots of evidence to support that this is being contextually weaponized against some people, especially those whose content is highly visible, or whose identity maintains a large audience.

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Hello Again...

Just to let you know that brian.joseph.johns@shhhhdigital.com and fav.inbox@gmail.com are the same person.

That has implications.

That also means that Shhhh! Digital Media YouTube channel (and corresponding YouTube user) and the Shhhh! Digital Media Legacy YouTube channel (and corresponding YouTube user) are the same person.

Me.

A Canadian, who lives in Canada and who started Shhhh! Digital Media (or what become Shhhh! Digital Media) in April 2012. 

A secular atheist agnostic that leans toward Buddhism and Taoism, and that has a fearless edge for the reasons that I've cited below.

I don't live in the United States, and any Shhhh! Digital Media there is there that lays claim to my content, is simply an impostor or content thief or plagiarist. An identity built close to the same time that my Shhhh! Digital Media started gaining popularity, as a sort of gnostic means to bifurcate the ownership of the creative and intellectual property. On a day where I lose the game, my work is credited to the impostor. On a day where I win, its credited to me, but most often, my identity is given to someone else who is a member of the same ideologically abusive cult, who've been doing this same thing to others for decades. I know, because I've been giving intel to a group that investigates those kinds of things.

They aren't two different people, but I appreciate the attempt to bifurcate my psyche, because it goes very well with the stalking, gas lighting and harassment and attempts to radicalize me, and as well, to replace my identity and aspects of my life with those of someone else, like radical cult religions often do to the people they target.

Insofar as being likeable goes, I've had a lifetime of people who agree that I am, before they were stalked by a similar abusive ideological cult themselves, and that means that they stalked a wonderful German woman with whom I was involved named Lillian. They also stalked Jennifer, an ex of mine that is the daughter of a Police Officer. They stalked Helen (Yi), a wonderful Chinese woman with whom I had perhaps the best relationship of my life. They stalked Jasmine, a Korean woman with whom I was romantically involved for about six months in 2010. They even stalked a Japanese waitress I dated in late 2002 (back when I was working for Ferretina). They tried to weaponize Lori, an Italian girlfriend of mine from back in the early 1990s, and that attempt was very stressful and harmful to her and her life, but what do you expect from scumbags.

I'm sure that all of those people, and many more found me likeable, and very quickly realized from the moment they were stalked that there was a large organized group that didn't want people to like me, and that didn't want me to be likeable. Some ideologies are simply abusive and get away with far too much, especially when they involve hundreds if not thousands of people attacking a solitary person and there are few with the courage or honour to stand up to them. 

Me? I don't fear them in the least, but that fact has cost me one of the most precious commodities, and that is a sense of serenity and humility. When seldom encounter difficult people in life, its very, very easy to be serene. When you're targeted, even the most peaceful and serene of people eventually break down.

The people that such a ideological cult idolize the most broke down in their moment and even physically assaulted women that they professed to love. Something no matter how harshly I've been treated, that I've never done. So, the abusive ideological group idolizes abusers.

So, in order to clear up a few misnomers with regard to my identity, I am not a guitar player and have never owned a guitar.

I am 6 feet tall and about 175 lbs. in weight.

I don't have brown eyes. I don't have blue eyes.

I've never been incarcerated in jail or prison.

I'm Canadian Welsh, with a bit of other ancestry like Spanish, French and Sioux thrown in for good measure.

I am not Guyanese or being remotely controlled by anyone else at all.

I've done remarkably well considering that other people who've gone through the same treatment are either dead, or killed someone else, or killed a lot of other somebodies, or severely beat up women they professed to love.

I'm still likeable as well, I just choose to share that part of myself with people who aren't part of abusive ideological cults. So if you hear me on a bad day, when I'm dealing with a LOT of strife from such a cult, expect that there's the likelihood that I'm going to express things that you might find offensive, because I'm not going to let an abusive cult trounce my being or my identity and especially not those of people I care about.

I mean what kind of scumbags and cowards stalk a peaceful tiny fifty year old Chinese woman (back in 2006)? Or a hard working German accountant (since 2001)? Or a loving and business mind motivated Korean woman (since 2010)? Or a Japanese woman whom at that time was working three jobs to grow her life and support herself (since 2004)? Or an inspired Italian artist and graduate of an esteemed art program (since 1995)?

Keep in mind that the members of this abusive ideological didn't stalk a two women with whom I had a brief association, due to the fact that they are likely directly connected to the abusive ideology: Reba and Anna. They were likely part of planned setups to associate my person with them and create puppet strings through which to manipulate me.

They were probably stalked by the Goofy Spirit... ;-)

(That's not a joke. I meant every word)

Brian Joseph Johns

Did I mention that I'm a Scorpio (very specific time and date that isn't Dwayne Johnson's or Ryan Reynold's birthday with all due respect to the two of them) and that I'm very protective and stingy sometimes?

Just waiting for my hair to grow back before I update my profile pictures.

I don't play guitar and I've never owned a guitar in my life, and much the same, I've never been a voyeur, using hidden cameras to take videos of people in their most vulnerable or private of moments. I've never used hidden cameras in my life.  Not in my living space, or anyone else's or mounted anywhere on my body.

I hope that you've enjoyed what you've read so far on Shhhh! Digital Media. There's more to come.

No red, blue brown for me. I'm not and never will be part of any colour symbolism ideology that essentially becomes the bars of your own prison. Most people who get trapped in that way of doing things, often try to trap other people in order to give power and legitimacy to such an idea. Kind of like if you're a cigarette smoker, and you give out cigarettes and encourage other people to smoke.

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My Stance On AI... (meaning both Shhhh! Digital Official and Shhhh! Digital Legacy)

Hi. Shhhh! Digital Media here.

I just watched an interesting video that brings up a very good point with regard to how AI proliferates into the many different areas of society, and how we need to be aware at the very least, and vigilant with regard to how the investment money pushing this move forward is being used.

Now this video I happened to watch was for a situation in the United States, but I think the message presented by the video very much applies to society as a whole, especially with regard to our educational system here in Canada, in Europe, in Asia, and in countries throughout the world.

The content producer's point I believe wasn't an attack on AI, nor was it presenting the idea that AI should be expelled from presence in schools. The video presents the fact that as with any newly arrived technology, especially one that's been heralded for nearly a century as being a key force that will revolutionize society (read the works of Isaac Asimov, Philip K. Dick, Dr. Michael Crichton, Frank Herbert, Fritz Lang or watch any Ridley Scott movie from the Alien franchise, or any of a number of James Cameron movies including Aliens), that we should be mindful of how taxpayer dollars are being spent with regard to integration of these technologies.

Kids are going to get exposure to AI no matter what we do, and most of the relevant ways that AI will shape education will probably be the most invisible to us and that's already occurring. Think of it, any Google search you do now (as with just about any other search engine) includes a breakdown and analysis by AI with regard to the subject matter and that's an important thing to consider.

I know that the first thing that I do when I don't know about something is that I search for it on the internet, and now we're given a comprehensive breakdown about the subject and can even interact with the search through AI, which allows us to navigate the immense search results, and narrow down aspects of the topic very quickly. Just three years ago, that didn't exist. AI is and will undoubtedly be involved in education and already is in more ways than we can count.

I think that the point though of this video that I watched was not to kill AI, or investment in it. It was to be cautious about where money is invested, especially when the influx of that money is intended to improve key areas of infrastructure. So I found this video to be interesting and well presented with regard to this particular case.

Though keep in mind that I am not a Member of Parliament nor involved in politics at all, but I do vote and file taxes and am appropriately concerned as to where our Canadian investment in infrastructure is spent.

Brian Joseph Johns

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Shhhh! Digital Media Presents: Era of the Spellbound: Episode 14 - The Victory of Disaster (Finished June 13, 2026 23:00 EST)

Despite this storyline taking place mostly in Shepperton off the Thames, United Kingdom, it is entirely written in Moss Park, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Shepperton is close to my heart in ideas rather than kilometers.

Temu? I am looking forward to the shipment of my order. You've totally got an awesome thing going there. And I want some. So I bought some.

Thank you to PC Express! Great service, great staff and a credit to the entire quality assurance paradigm.

Definitely, the recent grocery GST Grocery Bursary was very helpful in filling my fridge and cupboards with groceries, and enough to pay some bills and enjoy an evening or two over the weekend. Its great to see our tax money come back to us. That alleviation of weight comes back to the economy in many ways. Both promoting domestic businesses through consumer spending, and encouraging imports and exports through reciprocal trade in a buyer confident market economy.

Been eating a home made modified version of Yakisoba, with real bacon, egg, rice and veggies and its completely awesome!

Don't let bad actors employed by banks, finance companies, finance institutions or collectors hold your identity hostage. Lets take our human rights and our power back away from these criminal cults. Report it to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre and make them responsible for their identity crimes. The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre is backed by the RCMP and OPP and helps Canadians in the fight against identity theft and identity fraud.

I'm not a security guard and have never worked as a security guard, but its an honest way to make a living for an honest person.

Finally, anyone who reads this and interprets it as my attempt to steal John Penny's history is full of you know what. I've always been attracted to Southeast Asian women as much so as I am to European women. The truth is that there are some people that didn't want that to be the case, or wanted it to remain hidden so that anyone could wear that impression as their own, which required that in the case that I met someone Southeast Asian, that said group and cult would do everything they could to sabotage such a relationship. John Penny's history is his history, and my history is my own and I have nothing but respect for those who kept their principles back in those days, both women and men. 

Besides, its a hate crime to replace a person's identity in order to replace any aspect of their being that is protected by the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the Human Rights Act of Canada (including their skin colour and their religion), and the United Nations. My name is not Michael Jacks. My name is not Shane. My name is not Sydney.

This content, all of it, meaning this post and every other post, is produced in Canada, and both publisher emails are mine. brian.joseph.johns@shhhhdigital.com and fav.inbox@gmail.com. They don't belong to two different people, and more people should name their emails after their true identity. The fav.inbox when I created it meant favourite inbox, long before I had plans to turn Shhhh! Digital Media into a publisher.

One two three...

Brian Joseph Johns

 

I am Brian Joseph Johns and this is Shhhh! Digital Media at https://www.shhhhdigital.com or https://www.shhhhdigital.ca in Toronto, Ontario, Canada at 200 Sherbourne Street Suite 701.

[Spellbound - Siouxie And The Banshees]

Do you like enigmatic characters, engrossing story, magic and the ever atemporal weave?

Play Baldur's Gate 3 [On Steam]

Do you like Dark Fantasy, Sword and Sorcery, while forever averting the greed of the Stygian Empire or the Priests of Set?

Play Conan Exiles Enhanced [On Steam]

Do you like daring storytelling and stylish, cutting edge animation? Do you like to be left with the lingering contemplation of intense drama and gripping character dynamics?

Watch Crunchyroll

Chapters

1. Nothing But A Kiss (Finished May 30, 2026)
2. The Thought Of A Merger (Finished June 8, 2026)
3. When Somebody Cares (Finished June 10, 2026)
4. The Church Moves In (Finished June 11, 2026)
5. Miracles Or Mirage (Started June 11, 2026)
   
   
   

Shhhh! Digital Media Presents... The Butterfly Dragon: Heroes of our Own Reimagined: Episode 12 - Full Circle (Finished May 25, 13:00 EST Artwork and minor edits to come)

Been eating a home made modified version of Yakisoba, with real bacon, egg, rice and veggies and its completely awesome!

No blow mojo!

One two three...

Brian Joseph Johns

Do you want to be a fashion or outfit designer?

Play Model Debut 3 #nicola [On Steam]

You are an inspired student of Wing Tsun who has ascended to protect the teachings of your temple...

Play Sifu [On Steam] [On Epic]

You are a champion martial artist, representing your fellow humanity in an eternal competition to the death... FIGHT and Finish him!

Play Mortal Kombat 1 [On Steam] [On Epic]

Want to pick your champion and style and then bout against the other greats of martial arts?

Play Shaolin versus Wutang [On Steam]

Play Kings of Kung Fu [On Steam]

Wanna be a Captain or Admiral?

Play World Of Warships [On Steam] [On Epic]

Warning: This episode deals with sensitive topics and is intended for a mature audience. Reader discretion is definitely advised.

For your information, the character Helayne Ying aka the Butterfly Dragon, she's Chinese, not Filipino with all due respect, though in one episode of Two Butterflies, there is a tribute to the superhero Darna.

Dragon Butterfly is Japanese and soon to make her first appearance in this new series...

Chapters

1. Keeping The Muscle Firm (Finished April 5, 2026)
2. Trust (Finished April 6, 2026)
3. Matters of a Missing Formula (Finished April 6, 2026)
4. Cut to the Chase (Finished April 6, 2026)
5. An Appointment with Kyra (Finished April 7, 2026)
6. The Return: A Friend and an Enemy (Finished May 25, 2026)
7. Regroup and Recoup (Finished May 25, 2026)

Shhhh! Digital Media Presents: The Ancient Roots of Modern Fantasy and Superheroes

Modern fantasy novels and superhero comics may feel like products of the last century, but their deepest roots reach far beyond our current lifetime. Every creator draws from what came before, and the stories that shape today’s fiction are built on ancient myths, folklore, epic poetry, and archetypal struggles that have traveled through cultures for thousands of years.

Why These Stories Endure

What makes these stories lasting is not just the setting, the costume, or the special effects. It is the plot: the human struggle to overcome fear, confront chaos, survive loss, and achieve some meaningful end. That is why readers and viewers recognize themselves in heroes, whether the hero is a warrior, wizard, detective, or caped avenger.

People often experience stories only through the lens of the present moment, as if the ideas were created for our current era alone. In reality, many of the themes we think of as modern have been echoing through ancient history across the world. The same patterns appear again and again: the journey into the unknown, the burden of power, the test of character, the fall and return, and the transformation that comes through ordeal.

From Myth to Modern Myth

Before Marvel and DC, there were gods, demigods, and legendary champions. Figures like Gilgamesh, Heracles, Beowulf, Cú Chulainn, and Robin Hood established the shape of the hero long before comic books existed. These stories gave later generations a framework for exceptional individuals facing impossible trials, protecting the vulnerable, and crossing between the ordinary world and something greater.

That tradition continued into the age of pulp fiction and early fantasy. Masked avengers, brilliant detectives, secret identities, and larger-than-life adventurers helped create the DNA of modern comics. At the same time, early fantasy writers were building worlds of magic, dark sorcery, and heroic quests that would influence everything from epic novels to role-playing games.

The Hero’s Journey

This is where Joseph Campbell became so important. His work helped explain why so many stories across different cultures feel familiar even when their details differ. Campbell recognized that the hero’s journey is a recurring pattern in human storytelling: a call to adventure, a descent into challenge, a confrontation with change, and a return transformed.

That pattern still powers modern fiction because it speaks directly to the human condition. The most successful stories are not just about powers or spectacle; they are about struggle, identity, sacrifice, and renewal. Whether the protagonist is saving a kingdom, a city, or themselves, the emotional engine remains the same.

Why Creators Keep Returning

All content creators are influenced by what came before them, even when the connection is hidden or unspoken. Writers, artists, filmmakers, game designers, and comic-book creators continually reinterpret old ideas for new audiences. What changes is the surface; what stays is the underlying structure.

That is why older myths still matter so much. They are not relics of a distant past. They are living story patterns that continue to resurface in new forms, shaped by each generation’s language, fears, and hopes. Modern audiences may think they are discovering something entirely new, but often they are encountering an ancient story wearing contemporary clothes.

Conclusion

Fantasy novels and superhero comics are part of a much older human tradition. Their greatest strength lies in the way they connect modern people to timeless struggles that have always defined the journey of the hero. The setting may change, but the core remains the same: a human being faces the unknown, rises to the challenge, and returns transformed.

If you’re writing, drawing, filming, or building worlds of your own, that legacy is worth remembering. Every great story stands on older ones, and the most memorable works are often the ones that understand how deeply the past still lives inside the present.

Updates

There will be more than a few updates this week. Stay tuned for what's to come.

Article by Brian Joseph Johns and Perlexity AI.

Research by Brian Joseph Johns and Google Search AI.

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Shhhh! Digital Media Presents... The Butterfly Dragon: Heroes of our Own Reimagined: Episode 11 - The Point of No Return (Updated May 21, 16:30 EST)

Do you want to be a fashion or outfit designer?

Play Model Debut 3 #nicola [On Steam]

You are an inspired student of Wing Tsun who has ascended to protect the teachings of your temple...

Play Sifu [On Steam] [On Epic]

You are a champion martial artist, representing your fellow humanity in an eternal competition to the death... FIGHT and Finish him!

Play Mortal Kombat 1 [On Steam] [On Epic]

Want to pick your champion and style and then bout against the other greats of martial arts?

Play Shaolin versus Wutang [On Steam]

Play Kings of Kung Fu [On Steam]

Wanna be a Captain or Admiral?

Play World Of Warships [On Steam] [On Epic]

Warning: This episode deals with sensitive topics and is intended for a mature audience. Reader discretion is definitely advised.

Chapters

1. Prologue (Finished Friday March 27, 19:45 EST)
2. Discovery (Finished Saturday March 21, 14:30 EST)
3. Visiting Hours (Finished Saturday March 21, 14:30 EST)
4. The Garden and the Dragon (Finished Wednesday April 1, 19:30)

A Quick Update And Gripe...

Hi. Brian Joseph Johns here. 

First of all, I don't live in New York, and no content on Shhhh! Digital Media is produced in New York, with all due respect.

Second, I live in Toronto, Ontario, Canada in Regent Park, in 200 Sherbourne Street Suite 701, and all Shhhh! Digital Media content is produced from this home office location and has been since April of 2012.

Third, I am not a security guard and never have been. Security work is honest work for an honesty person, hence I am not putting down or criticizing it as a means of employment. I am however making a distinction as to my identity and my activity, and the activity that goes on with my devices (computer, laptop, tablet and phone).

Fourth, I am not a part of any ideology who switch the responsibility of activities between people or computers in the same building or residence, or the same community, or any swapping of any kind. I enjoy my work and writing, and as much so my occasional gaming during the evening, and at night, my delving into Asian erotic content (mostly Japanese, Korean and Chinese) and always have enjoyed it. I don't have a "brown skin" fetish and never have, and I am not a member of any ideology who alter the context of one's expression to mean the exact opposite of what was expressed. My last two serious relationships were with women from Southeast Asia, and as an adult, I'll stand by them and my love of the fact that they are neither judgmental nor invasive about any aspect of life and one's tastes in the language of love.

Fifth, I've never been involved with a woman named Karen, nor have I ever been involved with an Irish woman. Perhaps I don't know what I'm missing, but the truth is that I've never been involved in that direction, and that I didn't grow up in Allenbury Gardens and that I'm not a rapper, and I'm not Snow. I do have a friend who grew up in Allenbury Gardens, who has a wonderful wife named Karen (she's not Irish however), and they both turned out to be amazing parents too, so no offense meant towards them for my statements. I'm just trying to ensure that I don't end up with the garbage of a snow blower.

Sixth, I've never fathered a child in my life. Either wanted or unwanted. The creation of such situations is often the first step involved in counterfeiting membership to secret societies, and most often, by counterfeiters. Its a method of taking a situation that does not exist, and making it the competitive responsibility of two or more possible fathers, and then using that connection between those men to create a competitive link whereby one can end up with the blame or credit for the actions of another, and this becomes a daily aspect of life as conducted by the cults who create these situations and then use them to hold the identity of others hostage under the idea that if one does not take responsibility, then they are not themselves. These scams are designed to take the identity of other people using that very idiom and by creating situations where others take the responsibility for a person's actions as a means to justify the absconding of their identity. Its a scam and has been around for quite some time, and often sold with the idea of being initiated into a secret society of some form. In all cases I've seen it occur, all of the groups responsible turned out to be counterfeiters.

In the places where such activities occur, there is often a local effort to steal the output of the people they target, and at the same time make the target responsible for the activities of others. Again, using this idea of responsibility where if you don't accept the responsibility for your bad, you don't get the good. Most such cults I've described use this idea, and often combined with auditing, as a means to commit identity fraud and creative and intellectual property theft, with the help of a criminal community, or just a local collective bullies who use the power of their collective to get away with crimes against those who are brave enough to go it alone or have been purposely isolated so as to be victimized in this regard.

I have a lot more to arrive in the future on Shhhh! Digital Media, but I am not going to put up with abuse, either locally or afar. I made every effort to make peace over the last week with my harassers and they indicated they prefer conflict. I'll deal with that later. I just wanted to explain this to my readers who enjoy what I have to offer. I probably don't have a lot of time left, despite being very fortunate to hold my age well. Time is fleeting, and I'd prefer to enjoy it rather than to fight abusive ideologies.

Nobody is controlling me by the way, and I don't control anyone. Its fun to think about, but what kind of a monster would actually try to do something like that to someone unwilling?

There's a big difference between thinking and doing. I live by the idiom: think freely, act responsibly.

I don't take the credit for the efforts of others, but I've lived in the midst of people for whom that is entirely a way of life. To collectively gang up on an individual, and take everything they work on, and give it to the credit of people who have nothing to do with the effort that went into creating it. Whether its artwork, or work on one's own body and health, or work on one's craft at a skill or talent, or anything that is notable and worth wearing as a form of bling, taking it from the person from whom it really originated. Some such collectives turn it into a competitive game, by trying to trick their victims into contradicting aspects of their own life and creations, at which point if you do, you lose what you contradicted and it goes to someone else who is more consistent. There are organized groups for whom this is entirely their daily goal. Take it all from one or more people, and use it to fuel the lives of members of their collective.

My thoughts originate from my own mind and body, and not from anyone else, and I don't put up with cults of any kind imposing some form of surcharge for what I think. My stories and characters don't come from other people, and I very much resent collective ideologies attempting to create the illusion that they do and I will take them on and to task in exposing them in every way that I can. Such ideologies want people to think that the best of me is coming from them, like I'm some puppet of their cult. We'll get that sorted out and to the degree that there's no question that they have no influence over me whatsoever, except to disprove their influence altogether. I'm not a Hell's Angel and never have been, nor am I a Panther and never have been.

I understand the concept of co-creation, and it very much is an enticing idea, but the truth is that for anything to get going, it begins with the action of a person towards the ends of producing something, and most often than not, it begins with a solitary vision that is driven from the ideas of a solitary person inspired by people who similarly pursued the realization of their own creations. As that vision grows and is shaped, it becomes something more tangible and real, but the fact remains that it started as the pu vision and pursuit of one person who made the effort to take it from thought to reality.

We live in a day and age where there is much knowledge about an aspect of existence that has long been a reality, and that is that the human body and biofield is very much like a naturally occurring WIFI on a biological level and there are people who've learned to harness it to the degree that they can literally as a group, connect to another person's body as if it were a WIFI router.

These same people who've practiced such efforts, and collectively work towards targeting specific people for such purposes, can then gain access to that person's senses and even their mind's eye to read their thoughts, and there very much is a scientific basis to explain how all of this is possible. I've been revealing that aspect for years with the first Butterfly Dragon storyline, as a means to expose people who've long been trying to steal my creative and intellectual property, and who've likely done the same with that of other people as well. Taking the steam out of their drive towards such pursuits, or outright stealing it from them with the power of a collective to back it up.

Imagine that you're working on something, and there's a collective who are capable of connecting to your body without your knowing, and essentially listening in on all of your creative process. Your thoughts and contemplations, these people essentially secretly seated close enough to you as the source to spy on your process as it unfolds, and get the scoop on everything that you do, enough so that they can lay claim to it as much so as you. This is an ideology that has been committing this sort of crime for a long time, and more recently, computer technology has made it possible for them to find the people they connect to physically in the world, so they can both know who they're connected to in this fashion, and who they are in the real world, and use the power of their collective to steal everything from you in this regard. Yes, they have done it before. They're doing it now, and they'll probably do it again until they're confronted in some fashion so as to stop them.

If your creative work draws attention, then there's a form of power in a group convincing other people that everything you do, originates from their group. In my case as a writer, this entails with a collective cult who attempt to create the impression that everything I produce comes from them, and specifically from people they've chosen to give the credit for my work, for those people to wear as a form of bling.

I believe that when you know of this, and then truly realize the quality of the people doing this, that will be enough to undo them for good. It would be akin to overhearing William Shakespeare as he wrote the poetry from Romeo and Juliet, and to take that poetry into one's memory, to later use as a pickup line in a pub, in order to lure the wiles and romance of a woman who is looking for serious commitment and a future husband, but using that poetry as a pickup line to obtain a one night stand. Find her. F#ck her, and forget her. That's essentially what this collective is doing and the level of value they place upon what they're taking in that regard.

These are people who from the people they target, take everything, absolutely everything, and give nothing at all ever, and then to top it off, create the illusion that everything they take originated from them, when in fact it never came from them at all. They've been doing this to the people they target for decades, perhaps even longer. It is only now that they've really grown into a power given the fact that they can synchronize their efforts using modern technology, stealing from one network (the network of the body and nervous system), and using it to propel themselves in another network.

I have spent most of my effort promoting women, and certainly very unique characters, women and men alike. I've never used my writing to pickup women, or to "get laid" or for anything of that purpose, especially to pull one over on women, or otherwise lead them on believing they're getting one thing, when in fact they're only getting abandoned the next day. I don't use my writing as a currency, but given my unique situation, it is very difficult for me to be social seeing as I'm isolated by a very abusive collective cult, who have yet to answer for this. They will, eventually. Several women from my earlier life have been stalked by this cult, and implored not to communicate with me, or protect me, and when and if they do, they're often punished. I know because I've checked this out myself in the effort of investigating this cult, who've attempted to replace my history with that of someone else, even creating situations later in my life that would be used to replace my previous relationships, and this group are a form of organized crime, and yes, I'm doing everything I can to take them down short of breaking the law.

I just thought I'd make you aware that there are things afoot that are destroying the peace and fabric of society and posing a very big hurdle to the progress of Shhhh! Digital Media towards the end of becoming a full fledge publisher and production house. If you think I'm being too toxic by confronting this, then I'd be all to glad to withdraw my content and do something else, but I won't see my content cannibalized by any abusive collective, and I will not cease in exposing this as well. 

Keep in mind that this group has even stalked ex-girlfriends of mine, threatening them not to speak about me in any positive manner or to help me, while the group also created one or two situations to wreck my reputation with women and make the men in their cult appear to be more consistent with my ideas and creations. The people doing this should be investigated for it.

Anyway, I'll be back with more tomorrow, and even if I don't get Grand Tapestry of Moments Ep 5 done by tomorrow, I will in the afternoon start working on Butterfly Dragon Reimagined and hopefully have something published by tomorrow in that regard, so you don't have to put up with what you may perceive to be toxic masculinity in the form of a very different version of Brad Stanton.

My hair is much shorter than in the image below, but it should be grown back to close to that length within a month. I don't have hepatitis and never have, but I'd never harass anyone over their health issues, let alone anything else, and being reactive to the abuse of others isn't a sign of a lack of consciousness. Consciousness is directly proportional to what you encourage in other things. If you try to reduce it, by means of manipulation like the action/reaction assumption, then you're reducing your own consciousness, and nobody else's.

Hate isn't love and love isn't hate, and I definitely have not said the opposite of what I intended in this post. Everything is stated exactly as it is intended, and I am not a member of any ideology that reverses the polarity of expression and never will be.

I've never been incarcerated in jail or prison. I'm a heterosexual male and I am not a member of Jehovah's Witness or a member of Prince Hall and never have been. I'm a secular Atheist that leans toward Buddhism and Taoism.

I am Brian Joseph Johns and this is Shhhh! Digital Media at https://www.shhhhdigital.com or https://www.shhhhdigital.ca in Toronto, Ontario, Canada at 200 Sherbourne Street Suite 701.

Click image for contact information...

Happy Mother's Day 2026

  

The video above depicts the Aerth Mother. A goddess very similar in concept to Gaia, or Mother Earth, who in my Tales of the Sanctum books, is the source of all nature oriented magic. She's both the source of life and soul of the Earth and as much so its culmination, watching over it protectively. 

Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers of the world. Some mothers do have 'em, but all children have mothers.

If you'd like to download the above video and animation, here's the link and the CC 4.0 terms.

To commemorate Mother's Day 2026, I'll be watching Malcolm in the Middle: Life's Still Unfair [Disney+], episodes 1 & 2. I'll follow up the next two on Monday May 11, 2026. The first two episodes were awesome.

Enjoy the day,

Brian Joseph Johns

This content is entirely produced in Toronto, Ontario, Canada at 200 Sherbourne Street Suite 701 under the Shhhh! Digital Media banner.

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Shhhh! Digital Media Presents: Era of the Spellbound: Episode 13 - Hell Hath No Fury (Finished May 7, 2026 12:00 EST)

Despite this storyline taking place mostly in Shepperton off the Thames, United Kingdom, it is entirely written in Moss Park, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Shepperton is close to my heart in ideas rather than kilometers.

I am Brian Joseph Johns and this is Shhhh! Digital Media at https://www.shhhhdigital.com or https://www.shhhhdigital.ca in Toronto, Ontario, Canada at 200 Sherbourne Street Suite 701.

 

I am Brian Joseph Johns and this is Shhhh! Digital Media at https://www.shhhhdigital.com or https://www.shhhhdigital.ca in Toronto, Ontario, Canada at 200 Sherbourne Street Suite 701.

[Spellbound - Siouxie And The Banshees]

Do you like enigmatic characters, engrossing story, magic and the ever atemporal weave?

Play Baldur's Gate 3 [On Steam]

Do you like Dark Fantasy, Sword and Sorcery, while forever averting the greed of the Stygian Empire or the Priests of Set?

Play Conan Exiles Enhanced [On Steam]

Chapters

1. Virtuoso's Instrument Of Choice (Finished April 29, 2026)
2. They Came Calling (Finished April 30, 2026)
3. When Aerth Doth Call (Finished May 2, 2026)
4. Shadows In The Day (Finished May 6, 2026)
   
5. To Change The World, Begin With Thyself (Finished May 7, 2026)

 

Lets Do Away With The Identity Switching Cult...

Just a short post here to deal with a nuisance.

First off, I'm Brian Joseph Johns, despite how you might think I am someone else given my post with regard to martial arts.

We live in a society in the midst of a rather invasive cult who impose their ideas about the nature of identity and self upon other less aggressive and forceful members of society, every time such a targeted member of society steps off of the train tracks to which they've been assigned, and expresses anything that doesn't coincide with the ideas of such a cult.

If you can't prove how you know what you know, then you're not yourself according to their cult's ideas. You're someone else, that is, inhabited by someone else's mind who is doing the speaking for you, and the members of said cult then audit that fact, and ensure that that expression is given to the credit (or blame) of the person they see fit to receive it according to these ideas, never mind the fact that it always seems to benefit the membership of their cult, and always leaves the people whose expression they take it from at a disadvantage.

So. My expression of those observations with regard to martial arts comes from my own life truthful experience, and not someone else's.

Such a cult might look for any signs or inconsistencies to lay such a claim upon a person, and I kid you not. For instance, I am attracted to women mostly by their face, when not considering the importance of personality. I am not really attracted to "large" endowments of any kind for example, and never have been. A more modest figure has always been a turn on for me, as much so as shapely legs, but it always is about a pretty face, when not considering personality, the most important factor of all.

Just to give you an idea of how obsessively this cult audits these aspects of my life, they would for instance, use my YouTube watch history, and count how many times I watched videos where the women in those videos did not match my tastes in women (as if I only watch videos for that purpose alone).

The moment there's any video that doesn't meet that criteria, that occurs at a time when I've written something, especially a post like I did recently with regard to martial arts, said cult uses my watch history as evidence that I am not myself on the grounds that I've so plainly exposed. They then seek one of their fellow cult members, whose tastes match the videos I watched, and give the credit for my writing to that person. If that isn't completely shallow on their part, I don't know what is.

I have no fear over this (I don't experience fear), but it is a nuisance and enough so that I prefer to address it from time to time, as it is a violation of my sense of being, that seeks to replace it with someone of their choosing and benefit. Kind of like doing all of the heavy lifting yourself, only to find that someone else got paid for it instead of you.

There are times where I do watch video because I find a woman in the video attractive, but to honest, I do not objectify or sexualize anything where that isn't the intended purpose from the get go. Its the context and the content that comes first to me.

I have a lot of interests, and a lot that I want to achieve with Shhhh! Digital Media. I would suggest to those people who are obsessed with the idea that I, or others are somehow possessed by them or their fellow cult members, to get your collective heads out of your ass, because most of you seem to be doing the extent of your thinking with your posterior, and believe me, it shows.

Me? I'm doing my part by speaking up for the rest of us who know the truth of the matter. I'm not selling an illusion that seeks to cheat anyone out of anything, in the same way that the members of this cult are seeking to cheat gullible but ignorant people, out of their cooperative power by fooling them into a trail of nonsense that benefits the cult doing so, who by the way, are only taking. They're not in the business of giving anything back. Its a one way exchange, and those who are buying into it, you're being taken.

Remember, that when I'm speaking up for myself, I know that my defense applies to any number of other individuals who've been subject to this sort of treatment, and it is worth the time it takes to write something of this nature, because these words might help many people who didn't know exactly how to describe what they are experiencing.

Anyway, as you see on the right of this page, I've updated my daily plan.

I'll be writing for the first part of the day, and then doing some other stuff later in the day that will take Shhhh! Digital Media another step forward.

I'll see you soon with more content...

I'm Brian Joseph Johns and this is Shhhh! Digital Media at https://www.shhhhdigital.ca and https://www.shhhhdigital.com

Click image for contact information...