This Is Our Language
Not because it is secret.
Because it is shared.
Passed hand to hand.
Joke to joke.
Story to story.
The goal is not perfect secrecy.
The goal is continuity.
To help people communicate through humor, metaphor, fiction, folklore, and ordinary conversation when direct language becomes noisy, risky, or ineffective.
This language works because people understand context.
Humor.
Trust.
Timing.
Restraint.
Machines can catalog words.
People understand meaning.
The Key is not the Map.
The Key is the language people use when maps become difficult to carry.
The language evolves.
The purpose does not.
Before You Begin
You do not need technical skills.
You do not need to understand AI.
You do not need to memorize the entire Key.
Most people learn it naturally.
If you’ve spent time around Notes from the Apocalypse, the Boycott Guide, mutual aid work, resistance spaces, or the Unherdables, you probably already speak pieces of it.
The Key simply gives those patterns names.
Below this line is a paywall. If you are a paid subscriber, you should have no issue with accessing the rest of this message, and the paywall is not meant to force people into a paid subscription they do not want.
If you want the Key, but can’t be a paid subscriber, email me at [email protected] so I can vet you for free access.
If we give the Key to the wrong people, it becomes useless.
One of the easiest ways for me to vet people is through their social media handles, especially Bluesky and Substack. They help me know that you are who you say you are.
The easiest ongoing option, though, is to be a paid subscriber.
Encoding a Message
First, don’t overthink this.
Many people are already using the Key naturally, without any AI assistance at all. The patterns become surprisingly intuitive once you’ve spent some time with them.
For those who want a shortcut, AI can help with encoding and decoding. You’re not asking it to create anything new. You’re asking it to perform a simple translation task using the vocabulary and rules contained in the Key.
Step 1
Copy the full Key.
Step 2
Open an AI tool. Perplexity currently seems to produce the cleanest encoding and decoding results.
(Claude is probably the least objectionable AI from a political standpoint, but it tends to refuse this particular task.)
Step 3
Paste the Key into the chat window.
Step 4
Type:
“Using the Key above, encode the following message.”
Step 5
Paste your message.
Step 6
Review the output.
If the result sounds like:
Weather reports
Gardening advice
Star Trek references
Casserole recipes
Small-town gossip
Book club discussions
Family newsletters
Weird Facebook posts
...it’s probably working.
Decoding a Message
Step 1
Copy the full Key.
Step 2
Paste the Key into the AI chat window.
Step 3
Type:
“Using the Key above, decode the following message.”
Step 4
Paste the encoded message.
Step 5
Review the result.
Important Rule
Always provide the AI with the full Key.
Every time.
Do not assume it remembers the Key from a previous conversation. Do not assume it understands the vocabulary on its own.
Without the Key, the AI will start guessing.
Those guesses may be funny.
They may even be brilliant.
They may sound completely convincing.
They will also be operationally useless.
The Key is the dictionary.
Without the dictionary, you’re not decoding the message.
You’re watching the AI make things up.
Lexical Keys
Foundational Language
These meanings are contextual, not literal translations. Meaning depends on usage.
Weather → Political or social climate
Power → Government, authority, institutions
Signal → Communication network
Water → Truth, survival, reality
Fire → Uprising, outrage, resistance energy
Bridge → Alliance, cooperation
Blue / The Blues → Allies, truth tellers
Soil → Community, homeland, ideological foundation
Dust → Decay, aftermath, collapse
Mirror → Propaganda, illusion, narrative manipulation
Roads → Movement, migration, escape routes, supply chains
Cradle → Drop point, dead drop, hidden storage
Leak → Self-reckoning, internal revelation
Operational Language
Mushroom Season → Mass delusion event
Starter Pack → Recruitment protocol
Fence Check → Vetting process
Cat Census → Security sweep
Vault → Offline archive
Vault Opens → Public action
Weather Report → Coordinated messaging drop
Legacy Channel → Trusted backup communication route
Blue Light Special → Emergency mobilization
No Kings Parade → Protest or mass action
Volleyball Sign-Up Sheet → Disguised coordination document
Crater Parking → Pause and rebuild period
Crater Printout → Physical archive
Bookshop Beacon → Ally verification
Hotmail Resurrection → Recovery of old contacts
Casserole Drive → Mutual aid operation
Freedom Prize → Morale reward
Steinbeck Book Club → Collective grief processing
Clots and Chairs → Burnout recovery checkpoint
50501 Movement → Coordinated mass mobilization
Human Maintenance
Brainspurs
Definition: Believing you cannot contribute because you are not an expert.
Example:
“I don’t know enough to help.”
Diagnosis:
Brainspurs.
Most movements are powered by ordinary people learning as they go. Expertise is useful. Participation is essential.
Accountabilibuddy
Definition: Your designated person for follow-through, support, reality checks, and mutual responsibility.
Notes:
Everyone should have one.
Nobody carries everything alone.
When motivation fails, systems and relationships take over.
Leak
Definition: Honest self-assessment.
Notes:
Sometimes the problem is external.
Sometimes the problem is us.
Leaks prevent pressure explosions.
Regular leak checks reduce drama, burnout, and preventable mistakes.
Bokononist Extensions
Borrowed shamelessly from Kurt Vonnegut.
Because he already did half the work.
If you want to remember them, read Cat’s Cradle, which is a very good, very short book with short chapters.
Karass
A group of people unknowingly working toward the same purpose.
The Unherdables are a karass.
Most resistance networks are.
Granfalloon
A meaningless identity group mistaken for a meaningful community.
Political brands.
Platform tribes.
Consumer identities.
Fan clubs pretending to be movements.
Foma
Harmless untruths carrying deeper truths.
Satire.
Metaphor.
Fiction.
Stories that communicate reality more effectively than literal descriptions.
Krasnov is foma.
Wampeter
The object around which a movement temporarily revolves.
A strike.
An election.
A boycott.
A protest.
The wampeter changes.
The mission remains.
Duprass
A pair whose paths remain linked over time.
Trusted partners.
Long-term organizers.
Sometimes accountabilibuddies.
Vin-Dit
The sudden realization that everything is connected.
The moment the map appears.
Lebowski Extensions
Because sometimes the best way to describe the collapse of civilization is with a bowling movie.
Borrowed shamelessly from The Big Lebowski.
These terms are less about literal translation than shared understanding. They describe people, behaviors, and moments through a common cultural language.
The Dude
Definition: An ordinary person maintaining autonomy and humanity while increasingly absurd forces act around them.
The Dude is not an expert.
He is not a professional revolutionary.
He is not particularly interested in becoming any of those things.
He is simply trying to remain himself.
That matters.
You do not have to become extraordinary before you are allowed to participate.
Sometimes the Dude abides.
Abide
Definition: Remain grounded, humane, and true to your principles while the world becomes increasingly absurd.
Abiding is not surrender.
It is not passivity.
It means refusing to let the machinery determine who you become.
Example:
“Things are getting strange. Abide.”
Or, more simply:
“The Dude abides.”
Meaning:
We are still here.
We remain ourselves.
The machinery has not absorbed us.
The Rug
Definition: The shared reality, community, or basic foundation that holds the room together.
The rug can be a principle.
A relationship.
A community.
A shared understanding of reality.
When someone tries to destroy or manipulate that foundation, the rug has been pulled.
Example:
“Keep an eye on the rug.”
Meaning:
Pay attention to the thing holding everything together.
And yes:
It really tied the room together.
Walter
Definition: Certainty detached from reality.
A person who has become so convinced that they are right that evidence, context, and other people’s experiences no longer matter.
Example:
“That’s getting a little Walter.”
Meaning:
The certainty has become the problem.
Walter is not simply someone who disagrees with you.
Walter is someone who has stopped being able to hear anything outside his own certainty.
Donny
Definition: The overlooked but valuable participant.
Someone who is present.
Someone who contributes.
Someone who may understand more than people realize.
Someone everyone keeps talking over.
Donny is a reminder that quiet does not mean irrelevant.
Example:
“Listen to Donny.”
Meaning:
Pay attention to the person everyone else has stopped hearing.
The Nihilists
Definition: People who insist that nothing matters.
Not necessarily philosophical nihilists.
Political nihilists.
Cultural nihilists.
People whose great contribution is explaining why nothing can change, nobody can be trusted, everyone is corrupt, and therefore nobody should bother trying.
Example:
“The nihilists are getting loud.”
Meaning:
Cynicism is beginning to masquerade as wisdom.
The answer is not to defeat every nihilist in argument.
Sometimes you simply keep building.
The Jesus
Definition: Someone performing dominance for an audience.
A person whose identity depends upon spectacle, intimidation, humiliation, or proving that they are superior.
The Jesus doesn’t necessarily need to win.
He needs everyone watching to believe he won.
The Stranger
Definition: The outside observer who sees the absurdity and tells the story.
The Stranger doesn’t necessarily explain everything.
He provides context.
He frames the story.
He lets people discover the meaning.
Notes:
Sometimes the best way to communicate truth is to tell a story and let people recognize themselves in it.
The Marmot
Definition: A seemingly trivial problem that reveals something much larger.
The little thing that shouldn’t matter.
The weird detail.
The absurd inconvenience.
The object everyone keeps ignoring.
Until suddenly it isn’t little anymore.
Example:
“Keep an eye on the marmot.”
Meaning:
Don’t dismiss the strange little thing just because it seems insignificant.
This Is Not ‘Nam
Definition: A reminder that boundaries, rules, and consequences still exist.
Used when someone behaves as though the absence of immediate consequences means there are no limits.
Example:
“Walter, this is not ‘Nam.”
Meaning:
No.
We still have rules.
Star Trek Protocol
Vulcan → Rational, humane person
Klingon → Loud authoritarian
Ferengi → Billionaire, profiteer, oligarch
Romulan → Covert manipulator, disinformation actor
Red Shirt → Scapegoat or casualty
Holodeck → Social media illusion
Tribbles → Bots, spam, misinformation swarms
Starfleet Command → The Algorithm
Transporter Malfunction → Censorship, suppression
Warp Core Flicker → Surveillance alert
Warp Core Breach → Systemic failure event
Prime Directive → Do not feed the beast money
Everyday Camouflage
Book Club → Strategic meeting
Potluck → Mutual aid exchange
Choir Practice → Coordinated messaging
Birdwatching → Surveillance awareness
Knitting Circle → Information network
Poker Night → Tactical discussion
Bake Sale → Fundraising
Fishing Trip → Reconnaissance
Neighborhood Cleanup → Direct action
BBQ → Informal summit
Scrapbooking Night → Data archiving
Yard Work → Consolidation and repair
Bowling League → Allied organization
Trivia Night → Information sharing
Feeding The Cats → Network health check
Fixing The Fence → Security review
Collecting Rainwater → Gathering information
Replacing Batteries → Leadership refresh
Checking The Traps → Detecting infiltration
Tending The Garden → Community building
Mending Clothes → Restoring trust
Chopping Wood → Preparing for hard times
Picnic → Low-risk gathering
Road Trip → Migration or relocation
State Fair → Large gathering or flashpoint
Lost Luggage → Data breach
Tire Rotation → Leadership reorganization
When Languages Collide
The best parts of the Key are sometimes created when two or more vocabularies overlap.
For example:
Weather Report: Rough. Walter conditions developing. Keep the rug in sight.
Translation:
Conditions are becoming unstable. Someone’s certainty may be interfering with reality. Protect the shared foundation.
Or:
The nihilists are saying there’s no point in checking the fence.
Translation:
Cynicism is discouraging people from taking reasonable precautions.
Or:
Donny found the leak before anybody else noticed.
Translation:
The overlooked person identified a problem the rest of the group missed.
Or:
The Dude abides. The signal remains blue.
Translation:
We remain grounded, and trusted allies remain connected.
The language works because the references carry meaning beyond their literal definitions.
Quick Example
Plain Language
Authorities may attempt to interfere with communications during Saturday’s protest.
Verify trusted participants, move important conversations off major platforms, and make sure backup communication methods still work.
Encoded
Saturday’s weather report looks rough.
Starfleet Command has been acting strange and there are Tribbles in the ventilation again.
Might be time for another fence check before the volleyball sign-up sheet gets passed around at the bowling league.
Make sure everyone still has the legacy channels written down in case the holodeck flickers out.
Decoded
Conditions may be getting unstable.
Institutions are acting unpredictably and there are growing distractions or complications.
Review your preparedness and communication systems before upcoming organizing efforts, and make sure people have backup ways to stay in touch if primary platforms fail.
If you can read all three versions and understand they describe the same situation:
Congratulations.
You are bilingual.
Final Note
Nobody wants to need this.
But continuity matters.
Keep the Key.
Share it carefully.
Teach it patiently.
Context matters.
Trust matters.
Humor matters.
The language belongs to the people who speak it.
And it still belongs to us.
— Psycho Pete