Guide to the Realm

What is FolkRealms?

FolkRealms is a community for kin who share an interest in folk traditions, paganism, Norse heritage, craftsmanship, and the kind of slow conversation that's been disappearing from the internet.

It is not Facebook. It is not TikTok. There is no algorithm pushing endless content at you. There are no ads. No features are locked behind a paywall - everything is free. The realm is kept running by donations, the occasional t-shirt, and kin who choose to become Supporters.

There are no AI-generated images. There are no bots running accounts. The conversation here is between real people - that's the whole point.

What you get back depends on what you put in. Show up with your real name, your real face, and your real interests, and you will find kin who do the same.

Getting Started

Your Profile

• Click your avatar (top-right) to view or edit your profile.
• Upload a profile picture - real faces preferred. Default-avatar accounts often look like bots.
• Set your traditions (Norse, Celtic, Hellenic, Shamanism, Animism, etc.) so other kin can find you.
• Add a bio. Even a sentence helps people understand who you are.

Posting

• Click the composer at the top of the feed to write and share a post with the realm - it greets you by name when you arrive.
• Photos, videos, voice notes, polls, and links are all supported.
• Choose privacy: public (whole realm), friends only, or just you.

Finding Kin

At the top of the feed there's a switch that lets you move between three views:

• Discover - the broad public feed: posts from across the whole realm, tuned for finding new voices outside your usual circle.
• Following - posts only from the kin you follow, for keeping up with your own circle.
• Popular - posts kin are reacting to and talking about. Good for catching up on what's resonating right now.

Plus the search for finding specific kin by name, traditions, or interests.

Traditions

Traditions are the spiritual and cultural paths kin walk - Norse, Celtic, Hellenic, Shamanism, Animism, Wiccan, Druidry, and more. They're how we organise the realm and find each other.

Setting your traditions

Pick the ones that resonate with you in Settings → Account. You can pick more than one - many kin walk multiple paths. Your traditions show on your profile so other kin can find you.

Filtering the feed by tradition

Above the feed there's a horizontal pill strip with all traditions. Click any pill to see only posts tagged with that tradition. Useful when you want to focus on a specific path for a while.

Why traditions matter here

FolkRealms is a place where people who care about old ways and folk paths come to find each other. Traditions aren't tribal markers - they're how we let each other know what we know, what we're learning, and where we'd love a conversation.

The Feed & Pulse Cards

Mixed in between regular posts on the feed, you'll see small interactive cards highlighting community activity. These are called Pulse Cards.

Card Types

• Active Today - kin who posted or commented in the last 24 hours.
• Active Gatherings - live campfire chats burning right now.
• New Kin - newest signups (with profile pictures so you don't see empty avatars).
• Returning Kin - kin back after a 14-day quiet stretch.
• Top Voices - kin whose words have moved many lately.
• Realm Pulse - a randomly-chosen active realm to discover.
• Page Pulse - a randomly-chosen active page.
• Trending Post - the post most kin are reacting to recently.
• Games - recent winners across our games.

Greet Popovers

On New Kin and Returning Kin cards, clicking a kin's avatar opens a quick popover where you can post a welcome straight to their wall. No need to click through to their profile.

Post Engagement Glow & Fire

Posts visually warm up as they gain reactions and comments. The top edge of the post bubble has a subtle gradient that gets richer the more engagement the post has:

• 1-4 subtle dark grey glow
• 5-14 warm brown tint
• 15-29 deeper warm tint
• 30-49 rich amber
• 50+ deep ember + an animated flame icon shown next to the post

It's a quiet way for the realm to show which posts are catching kin's attention right now, without the obnoxious 'X people are talking about this' counters that other platforms use.

Archive Post (Throwback)

At the very top of your feed, you'll sometimes see a single random post pulled from the realm's archives - a post worth re-surfacing. It's a small reminder that good conversations from the past are still here, not buried by the algorithm.

Don't want it? Toggle it off in Settings → Privacy under 'Show Archive Posts'.

Don't want Pulse Cards?

Realms & Pages

Realms

Realms are group spaces around shared interests - a realm for Norse paganism, a realm for hand-hammered runes, a realm for music, and so on.

• Each realm has its own posts, photos, and gatherings.
• Some realms require admin approval before your post appears - this is normal in moderated communities.
• Each realm has an inline chatbox at the bottom for quick exchanges among members.

Pages

Pages are like realms but for an entity rather than a community - a craftsperson's shop, an organization, a specific tradition's voice. Pages have followers rather than members.

Notifications & Bells

FolkRealms doesn't push notifications at you for everything. The default tries to stay out of your way - the feed already shows posts from realms you're in and kin you follow. Bells exist for the times you'd rather not miss something specific.

Realm bells

On every realm you're a member of, there's a bell button next to the green Joined pill at the top of the realm page.

• By default, the bell is on for realms you've joined - you get a notification with a link to each new post in the realm.
• Click the bell to mute it. The icon changes to a struck-through bell and you stop receiving new-post notifications for that realm. Posts still appear in the realm and on your feed - you just won't get pinged.
• Click again to turn it back on. The setting is per-realm, so you can be loud about one realm and quiet about another.

Posts that need admin approval don't fan out until the admin approves them, so you won't be notified about pending posts.

Profile bells

On any kin's profile, there's a bell button next to the Follow / Following pill.

• The bell is independent of following or friendship - you can subscribe to anyone's posts without following or being friends. Just click the bell.
• Default is off. Click the bell to opt in. From that point on, you get a notification each time that kin makes a public post on their own wall.
• Click again to stop. The subscription is yours and stays whether you follow them or not.
• Use this for kin you really don't want to miss - an elder, a craftsperson posting work, a voice you want to keep up with.

Profile bells only fire on public posts. Friends-only or private posts don't notify subscribers.

Page bells

On any page, there's a bell button next to the Like / Unlike pill.

• Like profile bells, page bells are independent of liking - you can subscribe to a page's posts without liking it, and unliking doesn't unsubscribe you.
• Default is off. Click the bell to opt in. You'll get a notification each time the page posts a public update on its own timeline.
• Good for craftspersons, organisations, or specific tradition voices whose updates you don't want to miss.

Only public posts on the page's own timeline fire notifications.

Messages

Private messages let you speak with kin one to one, or with a few together in a group thread. Open them from the speech-bubble icon in the top bar.

Starting a new conversation needs Level 1

To open a brand new conversation with someone you have never messaged before, you need to have reached Level 1 (500 points). The kin voted for this in an open poll, and it exists for one reason: scam accounts were signing up and cold-messaging members to lure them onto other apps. Asking for a little genuine activity first stops that at the door.

• Replying is never restricted. If someone messages you first, you can always answer, whatever your level.
• Realm and gathering chats are not affected at all. You can speak in those from your first day.
• Supporters can start conversations right away, at any level.
• Post, comment and react around the realms and you will pass Level 1 soon enough.

Gatherings (Campfires)

A gathering is a real-time chat lit from a regular post. While the fire is burning, kin who arrive can chat in real time. When it goes out, the conversation lives on as part of the post.

Lighting a gathering

On any of your posts, click 'Spark a gathering' in the action row. You choose how long the fire burns and pay points to start it:

• 30 minutes - 100 points
• 1 hour - 250 points
• 2 hours - 600 points

You need to be at least Level 5 (Fire-Watcher) to light a gathering, and there's a 1-hour cooldown between fires.

Throwing wood (extending the fire)

If a fire is going strong and you want to keep it burning, anyone at the gathering can 'throw wood' on it. Each log costs 50 points and adds 5 minutes to the timer. The hard cap is 2 hours total - past that, even more wood won't extend it further.

How others find your fire

• Your followers get a notification when you light a gathering.
• Active gatherings appear in the Active Gatherings Pulse Card on the feed.
• Anyone can drop in while the fire is burning. There's no invite list.

Music (Listen)

FolkRealms has its own music section - Listen - a Spotify-style player for folk, pagan, Norse, and traditional music shared by kin.

• Browse curated playlists or kin-shared tracks.
• Play in the background while you scroll the feed.
• Discover artists and pieces you wouldn't find on the big platforms.

Music is a deep part of folk traditions across cultures. Listen sits alongside the feed because the realm is meant to be lived in - not just scrolled.

Tributes

A tribute is a public acknowledgment to a kin you appreciate. Tributes show up on the recipient's profile and contribute to their standing in the community.

Sending a tribute

• From a post: click the chevron menu (⌄) on any post and choose 'Send Tribute'. The recipient is auto-filled.
• From a profile: open the more-options dropdown (⋮) on someone's profile and choose 'Send Tribute'.
• Add an optional message and category. Send.

Use them sparingly - tributes mean more when they're not handed out for every interaction.

The monthly Tributes Ranking

The Tributes Ranking page shows the top 10 most-honoured kin - for the current month only. The ranking resets at the start of every month, so each new month is a fresh chance to be recognised.

Inviting Folk

FolkRealms grows the way the best communities always have - by word of mouth. If you know someone who'd belong here, invite them.

How invitations work

• Go to Settings → Invitations to generate your personal invite codes.
• Share a code with the person you'd like to invite. They use it during signup.
• When they sign up successfully, you earn 100 points - and we'll know who brought them in.
• Send them the first message yourself once they arrive. New kin can't start a conversation until Level 1, but they can reply to you from their very first day.

Who to invite

Kin who'd actually belong here - people interested in folk traditions, paganism, craftsmanship, real conversation. The realm stays good because the people in it are good. Inviting friends thoughtfully is one of the most valuable things you can do for the place.

The Points System

Points reflect how engaged you are in the realm. They unlock Pro tiers and contribute to your level title. Earning is automatic - just be active.

How to earn points

• Posting in the realm
• Commenting on posts
• Reacting to posts
• Receiving reactions on your own posts
• Following kin and gaining followers
• Inviting kin who join (100 points per successful invite)
• Winning a match in the realm's games (Hnefatafl, Shieldwall, and more to come)

Daily cap

There is a daily cap on points earned to keep things fair and prevent farming. Slow and steady kin always come out ahead.

Levels & Titles

Every 500 points = 1 level. Each level has its own title that shows on your profile next to your name.

Level 1 is the one worth reaching early: it is where you can start new conversations in Messages.

Your level also rides with you on the feed: a ring wraps the avatar on your composer, filling as you close in on the next level and warming in colour as you climb - a cool ash-grey in the early days, deepening to a warm ember-orange at the highest ranks - with your rank title beside the greeting. Prefer to keep it private? Turn off 'Show XP Bar on the feed' in Settings → Points.

Leaderboard

The Leaderboard ranks the kin who have shown up the most in the realm, by total points. The top three sit on a podium; the rest follow ranked below.

Each kin's row shows their level title, tier, and total points. It's a way to see who's been the most active over time - and a quiet acknowledgment that consistency is what builds a community.

Pro Membership Tiers

Most Pro tiers in FolkRealms are earned by accumulating points - the realm's way of recognising kin who've shown up consistently. There's also one paid tier, Supporter, for kin who'd rather back the realm directly. Each tier comes with its own visual presence.

The points are a threshold, not a price. Once your total reaches a tier you'll find an Activate button on the Packages page, and activating takes nothing away from you. Pro Member opens at 2,500 points, Elder Pro at 10,000 and Elite Pro at 25,000.

Badges

Badges show up next to a kin's name (or page / realm name) with a hover description explaining what each one represents. There are a few different kinds:

Verified badge

A small blue checkmark for kin whose identity has been confirmed. Earned through verification, not bought.

Pro tier badge

A coloured emblem reflecting your Pro tier - red, gold, or bronze - or a shield for moderators. See the Pro Membership Tiers section for what each looks like.

Custom badges

FolkRealms has its own custom badge system, separate from the standard tiers. Custom badges come in two flavours:

• Manual badges - awarded by admins for specific contributions, achievements, or roles within the realm. Things like 'Founding Kin', 'Skald', 'Realm Helper', and similar marks of distinction.
• Milestone badges - auto-awarded when a kin crosses a specific threshold (such as a points total, post count, or anniversary). They show up automatically the moment you hit the milestone.

Custom badges aren't just for kin - pages and realms can also earn them. Each badge has its own name, description, icon or image, and colour, so the realm's recognition system can grow as the community does.

Each kin can hold up to 3 custom badges at a time. The cap keeps recognition meaningful - if every kin had a row of badges, none of them would mean much.

Games

FolkRealms has its own in-realm games, with lobbies, matchmaking, spectating, and points for winners.

• Hnefatafl - the Viking board game. King vs attackers. Skill-based. Fully built with lobby + matchmaking.
• Shieldwall - our second game.

More games are planned. Want to suggest one? Drop it in the FolkRealms feedback realm.

Marketplace

FolkRealms has its own Marketplace - a directory where kin showcase what they make and link out to where it can actually be bought.

FolkRealms doesn't process payments or hold inventory. Each listing links straight to the seller's own shop (Etsy, Shopify, their own site, wherever). That keeps the realm out of the middle - kin buy from kin directly, and the seller keeps everything they earn.

Browsing

Open the Marketplace to scroll listings by category - hand-hammered runes, leatherwork, art, books, music, instruments, herbs, anything folk-aligned. Click any listing to read more, then follow the seller's external link to buy.

Listing your work

If you make something kin would want, post it as a Product. Add photos, a description, and most importantly the link to your own shop where it can be bought. The post is your storefront on FolkRealms; the actual transaction happens on your own site.

Settings, Privacy & Safety

Privacy controls

• Wall posts - public, friends only, or me-only.
• Direct messages - public, friends only, or off entirely.
• Profile visibility - control who sees your bio, work, location, etc.

Block & Report

• Block - you won't see their posts and they can't reach you. Available from any post's chevron menu or the kin's profile.
• Report - flag a post or kin for moderator review. Genuine harm is reviewed quickly.

Notifications

• In-app notifications for replies, mentions, friend requests, and gathering invites.
• Optional desktop browser push notifications.
• Email notifications for important events (controllable in settings).

All of these live at Settings.

Supporting the Realm

FolkRealms is run as a labour of love. There are no ads and no algorithm selling your attention. No features are locked behind a paywall - all of the Pro tiers are reachable through points alone. The place is supported by:

• Becoming a Supporter - a $4.95/month subscription that gives you the same warm-glow tier as Elite Pro and helps keep the lights on. Cancel anytime from Packages.
• Donations - one-time or recurring, in any amount you can manage.
• Official t-shirts and other merch in the realm shop.
• Showing up - the most valuable thing you can do is be a real part of the conversation. The realm is its kin.