Tales of the Sanctum/A Lady’s Prerogative

2012 Tales of the Sanctum: A Lady’s Prerogative Legacy

A Lady’s Prerogative I: The Yearning and the Learning (coming soon…)


A Lady’s Prerogative II: Wounded Aerth





Credits and attribution

Special Thanks To Rocket Fuel Lakeshore Blvd West, perhaps the best place in history to get a coffee, circa 2001-2004. Miss you all very much. Its great to see that special place still inspires so many.

Special thanks to Udemy, whose courses I have relied upon for the last few years to allow me to grow my skills at my own pace, even finding time between my frantic work pace here at Shhhh! Digital Media.

Special thanks to Perplexity AI and their Comet browser, who have recently become a part of my software toolkit. Their AI powered helpers accelerate your research, reference at every step of the way, not to mention built in tools for content generation, though Shhhh! Digital Media does not rely on text generation for any of its stories, though I do work with AI for suggestions, and scientific accuracy of concepts in Butterfly Dragon, and for delving into the more esoteric traditions of mysticism that are aligned with the story and background of Era of the Spellbound.

Artwork: Amy WongWendy PuseyGhastlyBirdman, Brian Joseph JohnsDaz3DUnreal Engine

Tools: Daz3DCorel PainterAdobe PhotoshopLightwave 3DBlender, InstantIDSadtalkerGoogle ColaboratoryMicrosoft Copilot (Windows 11), HitfilmPhotoPea (a great web based Photoshop stand-in if you’re on a low budget or in a pinch), Borderline Obsession…

Shhhh! Digital Media 2026 Tools: Word Press, Gutenberg, Blockspare, Sliderberg, Rank Math SEO, Elespare, JS Archive List, Google Site Kit, Ultimate Blocks and WProofReader.

SEO is an entire mountain unto itself. My advice is to content creators is to set aside a budget for professional SEO setup and management. It’ll give you much more time to focus on creating meaningful content. If you’re budget limited, then stick to the easy optimizations and build up your audience until your budget includes room for professional SEO.

Mage Flow AI model which I’m using increasingly for editing and occasionally, generation from text.

DeepSeek AI for suggestions on exercises to improve aspects of describing scene and settings with a more sensory focused grammar.

InstantID by: Wang, Qixun and Bai, Xu and Wang, Haofan and Qin, Zekui and Chen, Anthony.

Research Paper Title: InstantID – Zero-shot Identity-Preserving Generation in Seconds.

Sadtalker by: Zhang, Wenxuan and Cun, Xiaodong and Wang, Xuan and Zhang, Yong and Shen, Xi and Guo, Yu and Shan, Ying and Wang, Fei.

Research Paper Title: SadTalker: Learning Realistic 3D Motion Coefficients for Stylized Audio-Driven Single Image Talking Face Animation.

Two Minute Papers: A YouTube channel dedicated to computer science geared towards the end of the advancement of computer graphics technology.

Gratitude: Our Mentors, Senseis, Sifus, Sebomnims, lifetime inspirations, family, friends, the Nomads (ask Stanton about that one), the Music, the Movies, the Theatre, the Arts, ASMR, (both YouTube and Bilibili and the many other creators on those platforms), the Gaming and Developer communities and of course, the audience.

Martial Arts (in the words of real experts and at least one comedian)

  • https://brucelee.com (home of the real Dragon and an entire family of inspirations)
  • http://iwco.online International Wing Chun Organization (International presence of a very scalable intensity martial art, protected and developed by Shaolin Nun Ng Mui) and the alma mater of Jinn Hua’s own specialized variation thereof, 
  • https://iogkf.com International Okinawan Goju-Ryu Karatedo Federation (even Hanshi had his teachers), 
  • https://itftkd.sport International Taekwondo Federation (Here there be Tigers), 
  • https://tangsoodoworld.com Tang Soo Do World (the path of Grandmaster Chuck Norris), 
  • https://www.aikido-international.org International Aikido Federation (how else would Navy Chef Steven Seagal liberate a
    Nimitz Class Aircraft Carrier from a team of hijackers?),
  • https://www.stqitoronto.com Shaolin Temple Quanfa Institute (The City Of Toronto’s own Shaolin Temple),
  • https://www.enterthedojoshow.com Master Ken’s Ameri-Te-Do presence (If we can’t laugh at ourselves, then we can at least laugh the loudest at others, and other Zen)

Thank you to the Divine Miss M and to Ms. Hirose of our Own for the inspiration for the character Aikiko Tanaka. May they always embody the empowerment of women and their self determination, despite the direction that some of the stories on Shhhh! Digital Media might take.


Magic (performance, illusion and perhaps the real thing)

  • Magic Week Archive Videos from the history of the performance magic masters.
  • Doctor Angela’s Symposium Learn about the truth and history of magic from a scholarly Phd. A great informed resource of both knowledge and speculation.
  • Da’at Darling A student of the esoteric mysteries ✶ Thelemite & Pagan YouTuber • Podcaster • Author of Planetary Theurgy (2026) Creative Director of Katharsios Press. She’s a real busy Wytch.
  • Real Witchcraft in Romania An insightful video whose central subjects are all witches in the country which originated the Dracula and Undead mythos that still pervades modern society to this day.


Special thanks

Martial Arts Education, Courseware And Artisanship

  • Jade Xu
    Ladies and gentlemen, this is the lady who will choreograph and perform all of the Butterfly Dragon’s martial arts performance sequences if ever there is a live action version. Regardless, Jade Xu is an inspiring Wushu martial arts performer, along with her cast of co-stars, they really bring performance encounters into next level experiences for all to enjoy.
  • Aikido Shinburenseijuku
    Experience the spirited tradition and execution of waza (technique) through the expertise and guidance of Shirakawa Ryuji, each of his videos exploring intriguing and applicable aspects of this circular and angular focused martial art, but most of all, step away from the claustrophobic perspective of many martial artists with regard to this branch of jujitsu, and learn to understand the true dynamics and application at play here from a renowned master.
  • Martial Club
    These fellows are the living embodiment of performance martial arts, producing absolutely vivid and incredible action stories, taking martial arts to the next level. They’re literally doing what I’d always hoped I could do with Butterfly Dragon, but with their own well written and performed live action stories and stunts, after gruelling rehearsals and training to achieve their ambitions. In their own humble words: promoting the virtues and ethics of traditional martial arts in the modern world.
  • Shi Heng Yi Shaolin Training For Self Mastery
    A reknowned Sifu under whose tutelage you can study the theory and practical applications of the Shaolin Arts for health, physical and mental wellbeing in every day life. His online and self-study courses offer students the chance to train in the comfort of their own choosing, and at their own pace under Shi Heng Yi’s informed guidance.
  • Jesse Enkamp: Karate Nerd
    Jesse, a reknowned Sensei who runs his own dojo, explores the world of Martial Arts, traveling around the world to many exotic locations to meet practitioners of a variety of different arts. Truly an adventurer into the world of martial arts, delving into new territory with every video.

    Jesse’s Kobudo Mastery at kobudomastery.com
    Jesse’s Karate Flexibility & Mobility Training
    Jesse’s Strength Training for Karate
  • Rokas Sensei: Martial Arts Journey
    A reknowned Sensei of Aikido who in seeking to understand the roots of Aikido and its applications, seeks to stress test its effectiveness in a number of real world situations while studying its history.

    Rokas Sensei has also developed an incredible seasonal series called the Ultimate Self Defence Challenge that introduces select martial artists from the world over to face challenges that test their rank and mettle against other competitors. An absolutely amazing series with top notch production.
  • Seamus O’Dowd
    An extensive and growing archive Katas, Techniques and Waza (mostly Shotokan), focusing on form, precision and technique.
  • Iaido: Train For Katana Mastery Like Samurai
    The original weapons focused curriculum under which Samurai became masters of their art.
  • Tapp Brothers Exercise For Better Motion
    Extensive courses for calisthenics and body strength, stamina and flexibility. They offer course that are geared directly for the improvement of flexibility, athletics and overall performance.

Special thanks to Captain Shayne and his wonderful butterfly sister!

Special thanks to Bandcamp for giving indie music artists a home under one roof.

Written and published by Brian Joseph Johns, Shhhh! Digital Media.

Copyright © 2026 Brian Joseph Johns.

Brian Joseph Johns, Shhhh! Digital Media. March 20, 2026. Contact: info@shhhhdigital.com