Slang

General terminology

• Link — neural/skin interface. Verb: to link (connect), Adj: linked (active).

  • Hard link: tethered via cable; Softlink: over local mesh.

  • Cold link: powered, idle; Hot link: actively syncing.

• Sync — can have multiple meanings, depending on usage:

  • (1) noun - a shared mental state; a “sync” is subjective and dynamic; the shared subjective state of two or more participants.

  • (2) verb - to synchronize with one or more people via a link and hub setup.

  • (3) noun - informal short-form for "sync raves" generally.

• Hive: the crowd-as-one while synced.

  • Basin: a mental and emotional resting state a hive settles into.

• Conduit — a highly-capable link user (sometimes “driver”).

  • Sync-jockey (SJ): conduit who can guide a sync (not always a performer).

  • Choir: small group of conduits working in unison or in rotation.

• Waves — the patterns and swells the crowd rides (timing + impressions + affect).

  • Soft-lock: a standing wave drawing minds together (intimacy, distance collapse).

  • Hard-lock: a vortex caused by shared high-affect in the sync (panic, rage).

  • Hard-clip: when affect hits the ceiling (can be caused by inner or outer influence).

• Latent Space — the abstract space that connected minds unfold into, containing the sync, the grid, and any sandboxed signals.

• Grid — the technical elements in the latent space including the hub, the vine, and other active endpoints and their connected systems.

• Tempo Health — room stability. “Keep the pocket wide” = make space for emotion.

• Pocket — local subjective room around you (can be widened/narrowed).

• Crest — the thin place in the wave where things pinch or shove if not smoothed.

• Seam — openings in the latent space where people can drop-in, or ghosts can slide through the waves (can form naturally or intentionally by skilled conduits).

• Residual — after-images/sensory echoes from deep sync; also intel source.

• Vine — venue’s utility backbone, heavily filtered (power/comms/control).

• Endpoint — access nodes, used on the sync hub, terminals, and on the vine.

  • Spoof endpoints: fake endpoints; Trap endpoints: stun/trace on touch.

• Bypass — hardcode to bypass specific modules or filters.

• Parachute — soft failover modules that can reduce load on a decohering sync.

• Flip — switching clocks/trees (e.g., to auxiliary timing, alternative modules, etc).

• Clock — module common to sync raves and hives to coordinate neural activity.

• Phase — secondary clocks that produce more layers or waves.

• Mesh — public/semipublic network where devices/links handshake for access.

• Ghost — someone tapped into the sync but resisting connection (shy or nefarious).

• Witness ≠ rider — ethic: observe/log, do not steer the room.

Role taxonomy (who does what)

• Artist (front) — performer (sometimes also serves as sync jockey).

• Sync-Jockey (pit) — runs rig/hub; flips clocks; guards thresholds.

• Heads — experienced sync goers who help steer the vibe.

• Wrangler — tech lead, manages the vine

• Promoter/Handler — brings out the crowd, shepherds scene, artists, and optics

• Liaison (Graybands) — local security fixers between gangs/venue/authorities.

• Bouncer (Door) — enforces entry, scans for weapons and contraband, reads vibes.

• Runner — fetches chems/gear/messages; often the rumor hose.

• Witness — third-party QA/observer typically adhering to the witness ethic.

• Backer — money/gear/agenda, often using sync raves as a front or draw.

Tech stack (from head to house)

• Personal Link: from skull-jacks and skin-patches to temporary adhesive links, rated for:

  • Sense (receive), Connect (two-way passive), Drive (push); most folks carry links that can sense and connect; conduits use all three.

• Hub: illegally modded router for synchronizing link users.

  • Filter stack: specialized filter modules scrub spikes/echo;

  • Shield: blocks electromagnetic interference.

  • Clock tree: master timing, usually pre-tuned; Aux clocks: secondary tree, typically used for changeovers, vibe intervention, or creative effect.

• Rig: sync jockey's kit, includes endpoint map, wave visualizer, fail-safes, and aux clocks.

• Tags/Passes/Armbands: typically used for identifying staff, crew, artists, etc

• Tokens/Keys: mediate access to secure areas, gear, and the vine.

Move grammar

• Hold the wave (stabilize crests, structure interference).

• Break the wave (disrupt basins or locks, create interference, flatten the wave).

• Work the beat (nudge clock timing/managing the cadence).

• Read the room (observe; identify key players, dynamics, sights, sounds, and risks).

• Engage bypass (requires access token for a hardcode bypass module installed between the hub and the vine; can be used to gain deeper access to connected minds or the vine).

• Touch the wave (sense the hub and find a seam for safe drop-in).

• Sandbox (shunt a mental or digital into a harmless loop, and away from the hive).

Economy (what changes hands)

• Merch: apparel, fabric tags, artist datasticks, legit or makeshift temporary "soft" links.

• Drugs: Benders, Manna-derived pills and vials, Touch, Mentle, weed, alcohol

• Contraband: black market hardcode and datasticks, stolen goods, Old World salvage.

• Deals: services from dealers, operators, wallrunners, gangs, syndicates, companions.

• Access: early-door, side-stage, perms for various roles or sections.

• Sync Data: guestlist, telemetry, residual signatures, failure logs (pulled by ghosts).

• Favors: “X owes you (1)” as real currency.

• Protection: gangs or syndicates can offer security (some are even good for it).

Cheat sheet: “talk like you belong”

• “Pocket’s clean but the seam’s getting deep.”

• “Flip was tidy; the clock is immaculate.”

• “Hold the wave.”

• “Don’t be clever...” (Gray Zone proverb)