Hi again. Brian Joseph Johns here.
The next couple of weeks throughout the rest of September will be focused upon getting Era of the Spellbound Episode 15 completed, as well as Grand Tapestry of Moments Episode 4.
The Butterfly Dragon Reimagined will definitely be returning though I’ll be focusing on that toward the end of September/early October. October will definitely be a busy month, especially during one of my favourite holidays of all: Hallow’s Eve, which has a long history with Tales of the Sanctum, both the legacy (Pre-Unfinished Bee’s Wax) and the newer Era of the Spellbound. Both eras of Tales of the Sanctum will be represented this year during Hallow’s Eve, and I promise there’ll be a lot of adventure and laffs in store.
During the crux of October and November, the plan is to return as much of the content from the original Shhhh! Digital website to publication, while leaving December for the push on new material, including the introduction of a new series.
Of Shhhh! Digital Media and Fan Fiction
It has recently come to my attention that Sir Ridley Scott is returning once again to the Alien franchise (which in and of itself is absolutely awesome news). Given the fact that I’ve been working on a sort of fan fiction version of what I believe that the ideal sequel to Aliens would have been (Aliens: Aeolus), I thought I’d bring this news to your attention as it might affect what I’m permitted to publish, especially given the fact that the Alien/Aliens property is not the property of Shhhh! Digital Media. I’ve always been a very big fan of the franchise, and took it upon myself to write the ideal sequel that would revive the key characters who survived the movie Aliens, and return to their situation after escaping from LV-426.
I haven’t received any warnings or notices requesting that Aliens: Aeolus be taken down, but that could change on a moment’s notice. Whatever the case might be or what the future has in store, I will be certain to support and possibly promote whatever new movies originate from Sir Ridley Scott with regard to that franchise, and of the rest of the legacy cast (including Sigourney Weaver (care of Movieweb), Carrie Henn and Michael Biehn).
Just as a side note and given the fact that Sigourney Weaver has joined the Star Wars universe amongst the most heralded of pilots of the X-Wing Multirole Fighter/Interceptor, joining the likes of Appa himself Paul Sun-Hyung Lee, I’ll be watching The Mandalorian and Grogu this weekend on Disney+. Two nights ago, I watched one of my favourite films on Disney+ (Shang-Chi and the Ten Rings) as part of my effort to get pumped up over what’s coming with Avengers: Doomsday.
Of Advocacy and Volunteering
I myself have been an advocate for charity for decades, having associated almost all of the content that I produce online with charity pertaining to the storylines involved. Chances are if there’s an issue in society, then there are likely a team of dedicated people cooperating to solve the challenges implied by as much.
For the most part, advocacy and volunteering make up the vast majority of how such organizations can inspire and mobilize the kind of infrastructure needed to propagate solutions throughout the world. The United Nations and the United Nations Foundation and the United Way are amongst some such organizations who are leading the way forward in terms of such participation in society and the empowerment of how people can make a difference.
Socially speaking, there are still many challenges involved in getting a large workforce of people cooperating to achieve priorities of the organizations they represent, while being sure not to hold such activism to the exclusivity of any social cliques who might hold such participation hostage, denying others of the opportunity to take part. People are motivated to participate for many different reasons, and hopefully their motivations are not about how they can use such effort to create an economy of clearing themselves of their own weight others whom they prevent from participating, because the people whom these organizations exist to help are often the ones who end up shouldering that weight, and most often, those people are already shouldering very difficult challenges to their health, lives and existence.
You can’t police the motivations of why people volunteer, but you can make sure that the opportunity to volunteer doesn’t end up in the hands of people who’d gain control of it, and simply use it as the means to clear their weight, while denying others of the opportunity to participate, especially on the grounds of the fact that its such a means to overcome the feeling of powerlessness that many of us have with regard to our ability to create forward progressing change.
I’ve advocated for two decades using my content as the platform and I’ve never asked for, or received a single thing for it, except the realization that it is possible to make a difference. Over that time, I’ve encountered many different challenges that stem from the very circle whom are supposed to be empowering the people whom such organizations were created to help, and I have a feeling that there are many people, including paid staff and many volunteers within those organizations who are and have experienced the same dynamics and politics about which I’m speaking.
I think that one of the reasons that I’m still around, and that many people take me seriously is because I won’t put up with anything of a nature that operates at a harmful collective capacity, no matter who or where it comes from. Its my responsibility to speak up, but not because its just me and my content that’s affected. I do so because its the charities, their organizations and my readers who are negatively affected. They can’t necessarily speak up as there’s a cost if they defend themselves, because its a potential negative publicity risk, whereas I have no such boundaries except for the law. I will say exactly what needs to be said, and that’s what I’m doing because what I’m protecting is something I’ve worked hard for most of my life to create and it reflects many of my own principles and those of the people whom inspired what all of that means. What it means to make a difference.
So if you volunteer, don’t let racket-like behaviour overtake those organizations, why not have a backbone and stand it down, because the people who those organizations were created to help, don’t deserve the weight of the people who operate that way. When it comes to these causes, there is no love hate or blood and fire. There is only a situation where there are people who need help, and there are people who are honestly trying to help without the motive of using their struggle as a platform for cleaning the weight of others off and onto the people who are in need of that help. If you’re trying to run volunteering or anything of that nature like a racket, then perhaps you should seek another avenue in life.
To those who know exactly what I’m speaking about, and who are negatively affected by it, please do not take offense to my words. I’m speaking up for the people who want to say something, but can’t because of the politics involved. The cause is more important than the impetus to remain silent, and I’ll take that risk any day of the week. I say what I mean and mean what I say, not the opposite.
Real courage entails standing against that temptation to use group power as a weapon against people who have the courage to stand independently. Such groups often use identity denial and identity switching tactics to achieve their ends, hence why I often make effort to clarify my identity, not to mention that denying a person of their own identity tends to push them towards the appearances of egotism in their effort to protect identity, which ultimately becomes another weapon against them as used by people who try to paint them as being selfish or self-involved.
I’m protecting my independence, but more so the rights of others who can’t or are too afraid to say anything. Suffice it to say that nobody is “remotely controlling” me (with brown technology?), and I’m not possessed by someone else’s disembodied persona or spirit that is making me write stories, create art and support charity on a website and company that I created and I won’t put up with any ideology no matter who, that operates toward the ends of denying a person of their own identity.
I’ve recently updated the Support and Charity page to include some new entries while correcting some missing entries, and will do my best to keep it updated any time I receive word of any promotions associated with the charities I advocate for on Shhhh! Digital Media, including the latest announcements from the United Nations and the United Nations Foundation. I’ve also added the National Breast Cancer Foundation to the supported charities list, given the fact that it has been a big part of Shhhh! Digital Media in the past (with the legacy site), not to mention that I’ve been part of the Pink Ribbon campaign for years, and in numerous venues, both online and offline. Enough said.
I think the real point is that the people who created these charities, and who were motivated to help those in need by organizing resources to make all of that possible would most likely be the humble heroes who are grateful for the opportunity to be of assistance to others, especially those who need that kind of help, but never realized that they could ask for it upon their need for it.
I’d never take the credit for what those innovators made possible to the lives of others, but I’d be amongst the first to sing their praises and do my part in making sure that there is awareness of their work and that there are ways to help. There are many examples of people who do that sort of thing tirelessly and selflessly.
Me, in all of my multitude of flaws learns the most from such people and of the courage of the people they’re helping.
Remember Terry Fox for example? Norm Macdonald?
I think that one important aspect of all of this is also to consider the importance of Survivorship and how it is viewed. After all, to quote Mila from the most recent episode of Era of the Spellbound: “When you’re riding a horse through a forest, aim for the path, not the trees,” and the same applies to surviving and overcoming any challenge to your health, especially Cancer. Survivorship should reflect not only the importance of supporting Cancer research, but what comes after you survive. Support building the path through the trees, but also the life that comes after getting through the forest safely.
For many survivors, especially women who’ve survived Breast Cancer, it becomes an issue of anonymity given the fact that most women don’t want to be identified with the treatment and changes to their life that surviving Cancer has afforded them. That issue can have a great impact upon a woman’s life and career. And so we’re often left to reflect only upon the lives of those who didn’t survive. In the interest of protecting the anonymity of women who have survived, suffice it to know that there are many, but that supporting Cancer research is still very much necessary in order to ensure those numbers of survivability continue to grow, not diminish. There are many women heroes out there who have survived and continue to be the same heroes they were before.
Likewise, supporting organizations like Global Survivorship are a means to focusing on the path, while navigating the trees.
The survivors as much as those we’ve lost, are a testament to the importance of Cancer research. I personally have friends who are Cancer survivors too, so I know the importance of this research first hand, and strength, resilience and determination is something that permeates those struggling against Cancer, those who we’ve lost, and those who’ve survived. And cats. 😸
Saturday September 12, 2026
There is a community event going on called the St. James Town Festival, which celebrates community, culture and the spirit of volunteering. I was notified about this festival a few weeks ago so I’ve decided to post it here as part of this update. If you live in the Cabbage Town area of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, or are in town this weekend, then you might want to check it out. I won’t be attending myself, but I’d recommend it to those who are in the area.
Have a great weekend, and I’ll see you next week on Monday, lest I be tempted to post here on Saturday
Brian Joseph Johns
Shhhh! Digital Media
