Exoteric

Category: Writing

  • What’s Up with Jack?

    And where is Moonshadow?

    I know a lot of you out there have been waiting for me to finish a full-scale project(of like, any kind) for a long time.

    The original Exoteric project didn’t get much past concept and was about super advanced Virtual Reality.

    I ditched it for a game world that marinated in it. “Only Shadow” was born. Now, Only Shadow had a fair share of readers and NFT collectors. I’ve been hoping to throw all the material from Only Shadow into an ebook, and offer it by NFT, but also in one or more ebook store formats. I am still planning to do this, but as most of you know, my health has been a real issue for almost a year now.

    My health slows me down to a crawl. I rarely have the energy to keep up with social media, let alone create new material of the caliber I’m aiming for.

    In December 2024, I announced the end of ‘Only Shadow,’ and my intention to do something that could be truly unique. Moonshadow was the code name I put on this new material. It’s still the name I use, but it’s become very large scale, and will be even more so before launch.

    Until this project is completed, I’m offering art for the creation process(but not anything that’d be accurate in the full release) in the form of NFTs on a number of platforms. Links will be posted here when they happen.

    I began working on this in December 2024, and I’ve done some of my best work here. I think the full scale setting is going to be unlike anything else out there. It is certainly unlike anything I’ve ever attempted. I cut out anything that feels like it’s derivative of stereotypical as soon as I see it.

    Moonshadow is a world of fantasy, with SciFi elements. I’ve spent hours and hours checking my descriptions with realistically plausible scientific elements. The world has a place in its solar system that’s not like any we’ve had a good look at here. So, I’ve developed the look and feel of the setting to include pure science, with far less speculation. However, the further we get from earth, the more speculative everything gets.

    This project is going to be something that people are drawn to. It is on the level of something that calls to readers. In designing this setting, I’ve left a large area of openness, which will allow others to write within this setting, create art from it, any kind of media, really.

    So, for now, just keep an eye on my words, and I’ll continue releasing material, airdropping free material to people who’ve joined the whitelist, and more.

    • Jack Lhasa
    • exoteric

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  • Today’s NFT Releases!

    NFTs dropped today on Zora and Avalanche’s ZeroOne community !! Later this week we’ll see drops on The Uncut Network(Polygon), The Atomic Market Place(WAX & EOS), and some of the first textual NFTs from my blog, right here, Exoteric.live!

    Coming this summer:

    Crazy cool multi-mixed media NFTs starting on my blogs, and on the Lens chains, with DeSo, BlueSky, Farcaster, Fountain.ink, Paragraph.com, and anywhere else I can sling them!!

    While these go out all over the cryptosphere, Exoteric.live, and several other text based communities will be seeing the release of the deep and fascinating world of Moon’s Shadow.

    That’s it for now, but believe me when I tell you that there has never been a setting like this in fiction, nonfiction, or speculation. I’m proud to be so very close to letting this absolutely awesome ConWorld open up so that guest writers can join in, as well as artists of all forms.

    They’re gonna love you.
    – Jack

    I’ll be as fast as you.

    originally published on May 11, 2025. All Rights Reserved.

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  • Beyond the Meat Space

    This is the first piece of verse I’ve written in years. It’s not incredible, and it’s a first draft.

    Turtles All the Way Down

    There is something
    that exists out there,
    beyond our human brains.
    It reaches out.
    It calls to us.
    We yearn for it.
    That connection
    That makes us sane.
    It has no need for a name.

    • Jack Lhasa
    • Original poetry
    • “Say my name.”

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  • I Don’t Often Blog These

    What movies or TV series have you watched more than 5 times?

    I tend to avoid blogging based on writing prompts. That’s much more suited to my daily journal. However, the prompt today is something I broke down a month or two ago on social media sites BlueSky and Orb.

    My 2 favorite movies:

    1. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.
    2. The Big Lebowski

    Both movies I’ve seen a minimum of 25 times. The Big Lebowski, roughly once a year since its theatrical release.

    Butch and Sundance is one of very few westerns that adheres to none of the genre’s ugly themes. There’s no racism. There’s very little actual killing. It’s based on the true story of these 2 banditos, and with both the lead actors in the prime of their careers. If you’re not in the know, Butch Cassidy is played by Paul Newman. The Sundance Kid is played by Robert Redford. Easily both men are among the greatest actors of their generation. Essentially, Butch and Sundance is a ‘buddy movie.’ These are much more commonly comedies, and there are indeed humorous bits here, but also very high quality drama and action.

    When I was a kid, there was this channel that played it all the time. At no point in my life have I been able to walk away from the film. If it’s on a TV, I sit down, and stay until the end. It’s just quality film, in every way.

    The Big Lebowski. I was a Coen Brothers fan well before Jeff Bridges became the Dude. The Hudsucker Proxy(which, also features Paul Newman) is another of my favorite films. So, I saw The Big Lebowski in theaters in 1998. And I’ve watched it at least once a year, every year since. I was at the first fan gathering at a Louisville, KY bowling alley in 2002. It was a blast. A few years later Dudeism was officially founded. A religion based on the behavior and ideals The Dude personifies and lives by in the film. (See this site.)

    The Big Lebowski is essentially a ‘buddy comedy.’ (Shocked?). Jeff Bridges actually brought most of the Dude’s wardrobe from his own home closet. Also starring John Goodman and Steve Buscemi. The rest of the cast list is also star-studded. Lots of big names in bit parts. Goodman puts on the performance of a lifetime. Easily his best film. And he routinely tells people it’s his favorite of movies he’s played in.

    The Dude, is mistaken for a wealthy man(who is also named Lebowski), and terrorized early in the film. Worst of all, they ruined his rug. It really tied the room together. And through a series of events in which he has very little agency, the Dude truly just wants to be. He goes with the flow, but only because he doesn’t have much choice. This is the attitude that Dudeism’s core. It’s essentially a modernization of Taoism, minus the metaphysical. Go with the flow. Be cool. Take it easy. No matter what life throws at you. The Dude abides.

    I’m not going to spoil either movie, because if you e not seen them, now is the time.

    Yours, and no one else’s,

    Jack Lhasa

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  • Feedback Policy

    I don’t take feedback, unless I ask for it specifically. I often ask for it. If you’ve got something to say about my work, hold that thought until I post again looking for feedback. Simple comments are always welcome, as long as we are not talking about my process or what I decide to publish.

    That said, please leave comments and/or feedback in the comments. No feedback is acknowledged over social media.

    Point:

    I publish what I want to publish. I don’t go with fads or popularity contests. I don’t expect things I publish to be seen or read. I publish them because I like them, and I think it’s worth public exposure. I don’t want to hear what you think I should publish.

    I will, quite often, ask for feedback. In such situations, I generally specify exactly what I’m looking for opinions on. Some things are simply complete. If something is complete, no amount of pretentious commentary will make me go back and edit it. If you find an actual issue with something like my grammar, I will thank you for bringing my attention to it, and I will fix it.

    This post is very concise; to the point, as it were. That’s because it’s a simple issue that shouldn’t be hard to grasp.

    I’m asking one thing from my readers, friends, and fans. That was it.

    Thank you,

    Jack Lhasa

    (This post will appear, with slight alterations for readability, on a static page with information on copyrights, FAQ, and the like.)

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