I love that in your stories that include Hunter, whether it’s a TOH IBWR au, or TGB, he must have werewolf elements to his character haha. Do you have any ideas as to what the TOH Cast would look like in your IBWR Au? Particularly interested in the fae/peculiars elements? I love your designs for those types of characters in IBWR.

OF COURSE, HE'S SO WOLF CODED.

Fairies are colour coded. In folklore, it is said that fairies can only feel one thing at a time. This is not true, but the stories stem from that fairies have a "fairy-flaw" which is associated to their colour.

You recognise them by their pointy ears and... uniformely one-coloured stuff. In a green fairy's case, green hair, green eyes. And when they blush, it's a shade of green.

This emotion will, when felt, be so much stronger and all-consuming than any other emotion. A fairy has to be aware, and learn to control and regulate, that particular fairy-flaw.

However, fairies are also masters of one trait.

In folklore, fairies are often popping up as craftsmen. They make shoes, they make silk, they make clothes, mead, milk, etc. This stems from that fairies, when allowed to work with their fixation, become natural experts in their fields.

People often feel they are unfairly talented because they're fairies, and not because they learned like everyone else (which they did, it's just an analogy for being a gifted kid). and sabotages for them, either by excluding them or ensuring they can't pursue it.

Victorian England is, in majority, a christian culture. In England, they would categorise each fairy by a "sin". So, a green fairy's flaw would be envy/jealousy. For Willow, I think this works. At least if her life in IBWR meant she was kept away from doing what she wanted and often felt envy of those who got pursue what they want in life.

Fairies, also, if they are being influenced by their fairy-flaw, starts to turn the colour of it.

She would live with her dads, under the guise that one was her dad and the other was her godfather and simply just.. such a good friend to her "only" dad that he lives there as a roommate. You might be surprised to hear this wouldn't raise much eyebrows. Sounds reasonable! They own a store together after all! People would just often comment that it's such a shame they're both bachelors.

Werewolves are a controversial topic in the field of science at the time of when IBWR is taking place (1885), as they were moved from Erebus type to Beast type. People argue that, as they are associated with the moon and are coded as dangerous, they should remain in the erebus type. But they were moved to beast, as they are very dog-like in appearance.

Werewolves were not consulted on this re-categorisation.

Despite being moved to the beast type, they still practice within the sub-culture of Erebus types. Vampires, Night fairies and Banshees still acknowledges them as part of their group.

Werewolves are reduced, culturally and socially, to their looks and the horror stories that has been crafted around them. They are deemed barbaric, hound-like, uncivilised and.. Adorable. Werewolves struggle to find authentic people to socialize with, as most want to use them for their power. People don't think they have ambitions or intelligence larger than a canine.

I think this would fit Hunter, if he lived with his uncle, and Philip never considered Hunter's feelings. Just using him for what he was; a powerful henchman he could control and order around as he pleased - they're family after all.

Spriggans have a sense for mischief, trickery and has the ability to camouflage themselves just like chameleons. They are natural showmen, charismatic entertainers and cannot stop themselves around all that glitters. Like magpies, they collect things. It's a problem. They don't even mean to, it just kinda happens. Like a cat chasing a fly. Suddenly you're eating it and you sit there like "why did I do that. That was dumb."

Spriggans have a kleptomania problem. It is rarely even about actual riches, it can be spoons. An endless amount of spoons and they just can't help themselves. If you know a Spriggan's weakness, they'll knowingly make a bad bargain. They don't even want another damn spoon, but they just... It's a spoon. They don't have that spoon. They need that spoon. Good god the spoons. There are spriggans who have lost their homes to their unhealthy desire to collect. (pst, it's a metaphor for an addictive personality). Spriggans live both merry and unfortunate lives. They love life, they love people, but they get in trouble easily.

You'll find them in music halls, in thrifting shops, by the harbour, casinos, in any kind of sales work.

For Gus, I think he'd work in his dad's thrifting store and part time in a music hall! See the people, entertain the crowd! Perhaps find a watch that slips into his hand.... But Gus is a good boy. His dad taught him well! If you pick up something that isn't yours, say aloud "WOW WHAT A NICE THING." and put it back. It's difficult to walk away from something you loudly announce, and it gives him leeway to excuse himself for being eccentric and picking up what isn't his.

Perhaps Hunter and Gus meet at the music hall? :) I'm sure that's where they meet Willow too.

In this AU, I think Gus and Willow meets Luz, then Hunter, and lastly Amity. Perhaps whatever Philip is working with involves the blight family, and it conspires a story of drama, forbidden love and friendships from there. :P

Amity, a regular! a rich family with big expectations on their children. I like to imagine the blight twins are off to rebellious outlets! Like a music hall, and decides to bring their baby sister along. To which where she meets the gang.

Luz, a regular, who wants to be a witch! She wants to join the most powerful coven in all of England! But, ah-- She's not gifted. The Ashdown family does not hire people in their stores if they have no powerful fylgja of some sort. Or at the very least have the gift of sight.

Trying to learn witchcraft anyway, from a witch (Eda) who claims you don't have to be special to become a great witch, takes her in under her wing in the music hall The Owl House. She puts her to work there, and Luz is determined to work in exchange of learning witchcraft.

Luz soon discovers that witchcraft is... rather gruesome work. Blood, rituals, dead bodies and overbearing gods. But perhaps magic can be different? Maybe you could.. Do something else with it? That doesn't involve murdering innocent peculiars.

And there is.

She just got to figure out how. And maybe with her friends, she could. :P

So... basically what Theodore is doing. :l He would hire her in a heartbeat.

Chapter 14: The Mind Monkey Cometh!

-This chapter begins with a poem by Zhang Boduan, a Daoist master of the Quanzhen Sect whose theory of internal alchemy heavily inspired that of JTTW's, and would appear later in the book as an immortal guest star.

"The dharmakaya has no shape or form…"

-Hmm, what is a dharmakaya? The Yu translation doesn't have a footnote for that, so here's my brief explanation: in Mahayana Buddhist beliefs, there's the idea of the Trikaya, the Three Bodies of the Buddha——three facets of existence for an enlightened being.

-Dharmakaya, "Body of the Law"(法身), is the bits of pure existence and universal Buddha-nature in all living things that is immutable and eternal.

-Sambhogakaya, "Body of Benefits"(报身), is the miraculous body a practitioner attains after countless trials and cultivation that receives all the good karma they have accumulated over the years.

-Nirmanakaya, "Manifested Body/Body of Transformation"(应身), is the physical form a Buddha/Bodhisattva takes in order to assist and educate the masses, and can be anything, from a holy statue to a person to a plate of food.

(Very unserious analogy: if Buddhahood is water, dharma-kaya is like H2O molecules, sambhoga-kaya is like the ocean, and nirmana-kaya is the convenient cup of drink nearby that can quench your thirst.)

-Boqin mentioned that SWK was trapped under the mountain during the time of Wang Mang's usurpation(9-23 CE), between Western and Eastern Han dynasty. Which, if we are to be chronologically accurate, would be 600-something years before Tripataka's pilgrimage instead of 500.

-The 100 years off may post a problem to people who wanna calculate SWK's birth year and age for fun; I, however, am more interested in the fact that he was either born in the Spring-Autumn or Warring States period, and the earlier option would make him a contemporary of Confucius(551-479 BCE).

-Just imagine him going "Confucius? Really tall guy, lotta students, wandered from state to state lookin' for work? Yep, I think I ran into an old man like that while seeking immortality!"

-Allegorically, the Six Robbers represent the six senses, something the footnote has pointed out. However, I feel like this warrants a more in-depth explanation.

-The Yogacara School——not the Ming administrative division, but the tradition of Buddhist thought the historical Xuanzang followed, has a theory of consciousness that divides the mind into eight layers. The first five layers are the five senses, and the inputs they receive are sent to the sixth layer of Thought for processing.

(Reference to these six also appears in the Heart Sutra: "None is shown by eye, ear, nose, tongue, body nor mind"——无眼耳鼻舌身意)

-Beneath the sixth layer is the seventh layer, Manas, which sends the processed information to the eighth layer, and is the layer responsible for the illusion of selfhood + all the woes that stem from said illusion. The final layer, Alaya-vijnana, is the consciousness that stores all information in the universe, and contains the bits of inherent Buddha-nature obscured by regular human cognition.

-The historical Xuanzang had a poem that referred to Alaya as the "Master/Head of Household", and the Yogacara theory of consciousness was also taken up by later Daoist thinkers, who believed that Alaya was the same as the internal alchemy concept of "Spiritual Mind"(元神).

-That's why SWK refers to himself as the Six Robbers' proper master, the True Mind who is supposed to dominate these senses. However, my personal reading of the allegory is that he isn't the True Mind yet, and his killing of the Six Robbers is akin to someone who uses extreme means to free themself from worldly distractions.

-Like, sensory pleasures and experiences can be very distracting and serve as a serious obstacle to getting things done, but you don't free yourself from those distractions by blinding your eyes and cutting out your tongue and engaging in self-imposed sensory deprivation.

-Thus, Tripataka's chastisement isn't just about SWK committing multiple homicides and violating Buddhist laws. The way I see it, it's also a subtle way of telling you that the mastery of heart and mind cannot be forced, and a truly powerful practitioner is one who can triumph over the distractions of the senses without cutting themself off from the world.

@journeythroughjourneytothewest

Nidoran, Nidorina, Nidorino, Nidoqueen, & Nidoking

Nidoran♀ (#29) & Nidoran♂ (#30)

Nidorex infans feminae (Nidoran♀) Nidorex infans masculus (Nidoran♂)

General Information: Nidoran, the Poison Pin Pokémon. Nidoran are a small herbivorous species that are famous for their intense sexual dimorphism. This dimorphism impacts their base stats and their movepools.

Watch out, the horns on their heads are filled with a nasty venom!

The females are more sensitive to scent and changes in the weather, while males seem to have more acute hearing. This seems to be of benefit to each other as the different sexes specialize differently, allowing for the herd as a whole to better detect trouble.

The females average at 1’4 feet (0.4 M) and 15.4 pounds (7kg). The males average at 1’8 feet (0.5 M) and 19.8 pounds (9 kg).

Habitat: Nidoran can be found all over South Asia and the surrounding region, with a general preference for grassland habitats but not urban environments. They will live with their parents in their respective caves and large burrows until maturity.

Life Cycles: Nidorans are born every couple of years to litters of 2-4 calves to overly protective and doting parents. Nidorans rarely leave the security of their parents until they have evolved into Nidorina/Nidorino. Between both parents, there is a 75% first-year survival rate amongst Nidorans, with most deaths being a result of large predators like Ariados, random accidents, disease, and humans.

Nidorans are almost always too weak/young to reproduce in the wild, but even in captivity where they can reach higher levels, Nidorans seldom reproduce because of social reasons within the herd. Wild Nidos are typically at least three years old before they reproduce, at which point they are almost certainly at least a Nidorin@ if not a Nidoqueen/Nidoking.

Behavior: Nidos are hypersocial animals that form small to medium sized herds with each other. Nidorans in particular are playful and curious.  

Diet: Nidorans mostly eat berries, fruits, insects, and nuts.

Conservation: Threatened. While Nidos are broadly quite capable of fending off poachers, their real issue is habitat loss.

Relationship with Humans: Nidoran make infrequent starter Pokémon in the South Asian (and surrounding regions) world. They are reasonably docile, good to train, and when raised by humans from a young age are quite agreeable companions. Outside of South Asia though, it is incredibly unlikely that anyone has a Nidoran or their evolved forms outside of foreign breeding programs.

Nidorans are commonly depicted in media as the go-to analogy for mix-gender twins and romantic lovers. They can be seen on many valentine’s day cards and twin birthday cards!

Classification: Nidorans are classified in the genus Nidorex. They are in the same Family as Aggrons and Rhydons.

Note: While rhinoceros-ish in appearance, the Nidos are not true rhinos and do not fully substitute for them in their respective Asian ecosystems. Their similarities are superficial at best, and they may in fact live alongside true rhinos.

Nidorina (#31) & Nidorino (#32)

Nidorex medius feminae (Nidorina)

Nidorex medius masculus (Nidorino)

General Information: Nidorin@s are the evolved form of Nidoran.

Nidorinas average at 2’7 feet (0.8 M) and 44.1 pounds (20 kg). Nidorinos average at 2’11 (0.9 M) and 43 pounds (19.5 kg).

Habitat: Nidorin@s can be found in South Asia and its surrounding environment.

Life Cycles: Nidorin@s make excellent parents. Nidorinas will carefully chew leaves, grasses, berries, and nuts for their babies until they’re a fine pulp.

Nidorina/Nidorino will live upwards of 40 years in captivity. However, Nidorina experience breeding difficulties in captivity stemming from their nervous and anxious personalities. Because of this, many breeders resort to Dittos, though some have mastered the fine art and hard science of Nido breeding.

When Nidos are socially and developmentally ready to mate at around 3 years old, they will have headbutting contests to win over mates—and this goes both ways! Females participate in headbutting contests just as much as the males do! The winners of these contests (often more than 1 in large enough herds) will be the ones who mate that year.

Behavior: Nidorin@s are anxious and nervous creatures, though excellent parents. Mothers will chew food for their young, and fathers will aggressively protect their babies from harm. Nidorinos in particular are known for being finicky and temperamental, however this is only a problem with poor upbringing. In the wild they are finicky and temperamental because they have to survive, their anxiety is a benefit to them, but in captivity their anxiety becomes a hinderance to their ability to socialize and play well with others, so please treat your Nido with love, care, and compassion toward their anxious natures from the start!

Many Nidos will spend a significant amount of time searching for Moon Stones to evolve.

Diet: Fruits, berries, leaves, nuts, and sometimes cobras! Strangely, this doesn’t seem to pit them in competition with Yongooses too often.

Conservation: Threatened

Relationship with Humans: Nidorin@s are fairly standard sorts of Pokémon to have. They make great companions, many folks have them as their starter, and they’re incredibly gentle with children—and protective of them! Really, a Nidorina or Nidorino is a great choice to have in the household, so long as they are treated with the love and care that they deserve. In Eastern media, they are regularly part of the protagonist’s team line-up (or one of their other Evolutionary forms).

In the children’s cartoon Tuesdays with Turtwig, there is a friend Nidorino who has a lot of anxiety and finds himself headbutting things without thinking, and shenanigans and life lessons ensue as Turtwig helps his friend solve his problems.

Nidorin@s are known for eating cobras (or Ekans/Arbok), giving them another utility amongst human society.

Classification: Nidorin@ is believed to be diverging point between themselves and the Rhyhorn line.

Evolution: Evolve from Nidoran at level 16.

Nidoqueen (#33) & Nidoking (#34)

Nidorex nidorex feminae (Nidoqueen) Nidorex nidorex masculus (Nidoking)

General Information: Nidoqueens and Nidokings are both dangerous Pokémon that are incredibly protective of their young. Their claws can release a painful acid, and the spines on their backs inject venom—though the individual is capable of choosing when and if this venom is injected, especially around its children. Both are capable of immense destruction with their tails and claws.

Habitat: They live through South Asia and neighboring regions, but NOT in urban environments. They tend to live in “burrows” though these are more like caves.

Life Cycles: Contrary to popular belief, Nidoqueens can actually reproduce, they’re just super extremely finicky and captive breeding programs are practically rocket science just to get Nidoqueens to breed. So, most don’t. Because of this, most captive-breeding programs get newborns from Nidoking x Ditto pairings.

Nidoqueens and Nidokings are usually five or six (or older!) years old when they evolve. They do not engage with the headbutting contests of the Nidorin@s, instead they engage in their own courtship rituals with mates of their choice. In general, it’s the Nidokings competing for the affections of the Nidoqueens, but both regularly cross-mate with other Pokémon species, so it becomes more than competitions of strength, but also competitions of winning the individual over. Nidos are unique individuals who value different things! Romances are not all on the male’s efforts!

Nidos live for upwards of 40 years in captivity. They only mate every 2-4 years, depending on environmental circumstances and the individual.

Behavior: Wild (or poorly raised) Nidokings are known to go on rampages when protecting their herd or their territory. Nidoqueens tend to be more level-headed, and use this milder temperament to ease the aggression of their Nidoking counterparts. Both are gentle parents, who use their thick, diamond-hard armor to protect their offspring from threats.

Diet: Fruits, berries, branches, nuts, and snakes. They have also been known to hunt Ariadoses… whether it’s for sport or for eating, is hard to say.

Conservation: Threatened.

Relationship with Humans: Nidoqueens and Nidokings make excellent companions, though they do require a competent trainer to raise them well. They are quintessential “parents” in media, alongside a few others such as Leavanny, Kangaskhan, and Drampa.

In the wild, Nidokings and Nidoqueens are a terrifying presence to behold, and are the cause of death for many poachers and illegal loggers annually.

Many daycares and kindergartens in South Asia have a Nidoqueen or Nidoking amongst its Pokémon staff and inhabitants, very much because of their gentleness and protective natures. While potentially dangerous, they are no danger to the children, and there is little concern over their presence. Because they are starter Pokémon, they are a completely normal sight to see in amongst the general population. They are especially useful amongst the Rangers and Task Force members of South Asia, who value their dependability, strength, and ferocity when dealing with dangerous situations.

In Tuesdays with Turtwig, the Nidorino friend has two parents, Nidoqueen and Nidoking, who are seen occasionally.

Classification: It is unclear whether the Aggron or Rhyhorn lineages are more closely related, but both seem to have diverged within the last 6-8 million years.  

~~~~~~~~

Hey guess what, if you like my stuff, this is my website where you can find other Pokémon I've written on and more information about the game that I’m slowly making! Check it out! I write books sometimes too.

Does Vegas genuinely have a crush on Porsche or is it manipulation stemming from his Dad's instructions? Also I love how Vegas sees Pete as nothing more than a harmless guy sent by Kinn to follow him, a cute nuisance, little does he know👀

hiiii anon!!!!! i think its an infatuation. in the way that vegas is infatuated and lusts for power. see, he may Think that he has some ~feelings~ for porsche, but i think deep down, its heavily laced with his need to show/have/exert power and get one over kinn. in the novel, vegas' inferiority complex up against kinn is very neatly discussed, so i take it as that. of course, vegas is a master manipulator, and its so ........ oh so Convenient, isnt it, that WHENEVER porsche is down, vegas just Happens to be there to pick up the bits and take advantage. and he knows his ~sob tragic backstory~ will work on porsche to get porsche onside. because thats what its always been about with vegasporsche: to get porsche onside.

so yeah. maybe on the surface, there are some tender little feelings, but its where they stem from, and it all stems from having what kinn has. IF the show goes by what the novel did and we do get pete to see what Clips vegas has on his computer, and if they ARE the clips that they should be like they were in the novel, then my take will be even more solidified, that in fact, pursuing porsche is just for a power trip to get one on kinn. to have what he has.

but yeah. with pete, its a Very different story. and i think vegas is just highly amused that Pete is the one spying on him when both he AND pete himself know how shit of a job he's doing at it, and yet, he still does it out of duty dhfjsid. and i think vegas just finds that cute and funny, but i think he also lowkey admires pete's relentless efforts and he somewhat .... admires how honestly and viscerally pete's body reacts to him. he somewhat likes how much of an open book pete is to read, how easy it is to read pete, how much of an innocent little lamb he is. and yet he's the only one who can stomach his darkness.

and speaking of pete's relentlessness. i hope its a trait that stays when vegaspete Really get going. that vegas becomes attracted to pete's relentlessness and how stubborn and resilient he is towards vegas, later on. that he won't back down from vegas. i waaaanntttt vegas to go INSANE over that.

and so its suuuuper .... interesting that, pete himself in ep 10 says that HE will go to vegas' place, despite knowing what that means. yeah its a duty, but this time no one's placed him to do it, he himself has chosen to do it. and so, you gotta reap what you sow, right? and i think pete knows the risk and the consequence and that if this goes pear shaped, the aftermath won't be great. but i dont think he in his wildest dreams would have guessed the extent to how dark vegas' abyss is.

and yettttttt. he cannot look away!!! pete cannot look away from vegas!!!!!!! and i bet you that pete himself never in his wildest dreams would have ever known about the depth of his own desires, to which he'll become so aware of. and THAT ... what THAT in turn does to vegas ...... is where the real deal lies.

and so it Thoroughly entertains me and feeds my soul that vegaspete are That Couple who'll in one breath be together in an act of worship and talk about devoting themselves to one another to meet in the next life, and then in the next breath, they'll be tearing each other apart and ruining each other and awakening a lust and desire so deep within them both that was untouched for this long, that has Nothing to do with Getting One Over Kinn or the family politics or anything else. its just all stemming from their own pure carnal feelings for one another.

so yeah. im tryna think of analogy here to explain my thoughts. ig religion is the easiest one, and one i Love for personal reasons but also bc the show itself is using it too.

i think to vegas, porsche = infatuation. porsche represents all the power and dominance that vegas wants. the wordly stuff. the materialistic stuff. that no matter how much you have of it, it still doesnt fill that void. pete = devotion. pete will go on to represent everything within vegas that was once a void but has now been filled. a true spiritual shift that he cant live without. where vegas can be wholly himself, both good and bad, and find some form of peace and completeness from, whilst still being accepted for who he is and staying true to himself.

Can I know more about Arvid? I saw him mentioned in @kit-fisto-obsessive ‘s fic and you talk about him some on here but I haven’t seen much of him on your own AO3

GLADLY

I have a couple posts on Arvid here but I don't think I've really put much on AO3 at all of him. I think he only appears in passing mentions such as in dual wield where he's mentioned by Cin.

Anywhooo~

I did an introduction post here with his old design and a new design and some alters here but I can go over it again ehehe

Basically:

Arvid Carin is best mates with Jaro Tapal and the partner of Dex Jettster. He's also an Artisan Jedi Master as the current head of the Woodworking Department of the Division and has trained one padawan, the current Second Hand of the Department— Turu.

He's from another one of my fan-made races, a dragon species that has branching roots in the Fae and Spirits. While there are a few of them across the Galaxy, but he's specifically an Inferno Drakon hailing from the volcanic planet Surlogi.

Like all Inferno Drakon who have chosen to assume a more humanoid appearance and leave Surlogi, Arvid has a number of forms that he can assume.

His true form is a massive, wingless dragon with the full length being about half as long as the temple is wide.

His main form is about 6'9" standing upright without his horns, though he slouches a lot. This is what most people see him as, and while his legs are still humanoid, his feet are definitely still that same clawed dragon look.

His combat form is a bit more draconic, his legs change to be more dragon-like and his hands become more clawed with more scales appearing under and through his skin. he's about 7'10 at that height when fully upright

His "compact" form or resting form is either after a fight or when conditions are met that require him to condense into an almost fully human form just to keep from exploding outwards into his true form. He's about 5'10 - 6' tall in that form but is much hotter to the touch than the other two humanoid forms. Almost scalding.

Save for the last one, Arvid retains his horns and tail in his human forms and has a very high body temperature

Personality wise he's known as a quiet, tired, and reserved individual to pretty much everyone and while true, he is also incredibly kind and compassionate.

His tiredness stems from his inability to find a good way to sleep with horns and a tail along with having just a general insomnia. He spends his waking hours working and often avoids people if possible while he does so he doesn’t lose focus. He enjoys listening to people talk though, so if he’s sought out while working for conversation it’s very one sided but he’s paying attention

While he enjoys children and doesn't mind them clinging to him for warmth, he states he'd be a very bad Master now days, to which Turu assures him that he was a fine Master when They were learning under him. Arvid also states he'd be a bad parent, though it is noted that he makes a decent father figure to Dex's adoptive daughter Onyx.

ofc despite all of this, Arvid is still a dragon and he does have a rather dangerous temper when it gets to that point. Basically:

Arvid Cairn was slow to anger, just like the magma flows his kind were borne from. Slow to anger, yet extremely dangerous when he did.

A forgotten fact to some.

The cracking of bones under his grip was something that wasn’t quite foreign to him— but it had been a long time. Been a long time since he had felt this angry.

I have some other little bits of triva, but these are the big parts.

Theres a lot of describing points that follow fire/volcano analogies lol

friendsorenemies.com

this is an essay i recently submitted on my masters degree, about the now defunct website; (bonus at the the bottom - the full text of the edit I added to wikipedia (after the bibliography))

Upon choosing this module, I had not made a single edit on Wikipedia, always finding the complete information I needed, and never being in a position where I knew more about something than the page did. That changed recently when I had discovered an early social media site on the Internet Archive and struggled incredibly to find any information about it, so I knew it had to be me who made this public knowledge.

My lack of edits stem from there not being many factors surrounding the early 2000’s alternative music scene that are up for debate. Music in the 2000’s was greatly documented, and with blogging platform websites such as LiveJournal, where fans could make communities, we can see events unfold in real time while looking at archived journals. Interestingly, this uncontroversial area of interest is mirrored greatly in my own editing experience.

I settled upon my edits to include information about blogging platform Friends or Enemies on Pete Wentz’s Wikipedia after stumbling upon the website while viewing archived band websites, all of whom were signed to Decaydance Records (Wentz’s Label). Following links to this website, I was amazed by the vastness of communication from musicians to fans, yet shocked I had never heard about it before, considering the Decaydance label is still active. I went through Wentz’s Wikipedia history and only found one mention of the site, in June 2008, which stated that Wentz posted on his official blog that he is expecting his first child. I remain unsure as to why such a notable occurrence has no digital footprint, or remnants of its heyday mentioned retrospectively in increasingly popular 2000s ‘emo’ nostalgia journalism pieces. 

Beginning in week one’s reading, the Rosenzweig article had an amazing quote which summed up my thoughts on how academics view Wikipedia, and ultimately set the tone for the rest of the reading. I was very open to understanding how and why people do not like Wikipedia, to hopefully be proved wrong, but I never happened upon a consensus that was positive from the academics we were reading. McHenry, an editor for the Encyclopaedia Britannica used a ‘public restroom’ analogy while speaking of the site, expressing whether it be dirty or clean, you do not know who was there before you. This is untrue, and I fear this quote shows McHenrys incompetence with understanding the website. The nature of the page has always allowed users to view previous versions, as Halstead states: a Wikipedia page is not fixed or permanent like a chapter of a book. In places, I could not help but feel a negative attitude from the authors, seemingly threatened by a free to use website that is practically as reliable as a book.

Coming from a Digital Humanities background, I felt like I had opposing views to the Historians in our class, I supposed we used the internet in very different ways. The archive blog I run solely uses the internet to find sources, the communities I am interested in did in some ways exist offline, but online was the hub where they met and posted content. I couldn’t help but feel like some of my peers, and the academics whom we were reading, were engaging in a Technological Determinism point of view when discussing Wikipedia. This school of thought believes that a digital product is made, and then as a society, we deal with the consequences. This notion lacks nuance, as it does not recognise the intention behind an idea. Perhaps a Social Determinism of Technology understanding is more precise when thinking about this website: the users of the internet in the web2.0 era wanted a quick and handy place to obtain factual information, so Wikipedia was created. Although it did take a while for Wikipedia to become the site as we know it, with it being one of the most visited websites from the early days of its articles being published, there was a clear need for a website like this, shown by its popularity alone.

I spent several hours locating sources for my edits, wherein all but two were links from archived websites via the Internet Archive. Searching on the current internet served little use as I could not find any information, except for their old social media accounts. Friends or Enemies officially went offline in 2013, which is a relatively short time ago, but in internet time, that is long enough for it to be completely forgotten and any traces of the page be washed away by new websites and new communities. I drafted and redrafted versions attempting to make my tone of writing emulate that of the article. I was genuinely concerned that my own personal tone coming through in my writing would be a good enough reason for a moderator to remove my edits. Admittedly, I wanted my edits to be accepted as I enjoy the thought of strangers finding out about this website, hopefully inspiring them to look at my sources and experience it firsthand. Remaining neutral was simple, what I was writing about is objective: a fan site, there was no way I could take a stance which would make my entry not follow the NPOV rule. One struggle was being able to concisely explain the inception to decline in as clear a way as possible, not to make points too convoluted by getting excited and including information that was not purely vital to the idea. 

I have previously mentioned the website’s popularity, which I believe in a way, is down to its NPOV, or Neutral Point of View, stance it takes on the information it displays. I had not heard of this rule until I began learning how to edit. A discussion in class was had about remaining neutral, and a point was made that remaining neutral is a viewpoint within itself. I found myself disagreeing: to remove personal politics and biases so an objective, impartial telling of events can happen, can allow people to decide for themselves which way they are going to understand the event. In week two we were asked to choose what we think is a good article, which showcases the Neutral Point of View. I chose the Stonewall Riots. The page details the night, the social climate in North America leading up to the riots, and the impact of them worldwide – at no point does the page insinuate the riots needed to happen, nor was it a good thing they happened. The unprejudiced account of events allows the reader to take from it what they want, again furthering my point about the website’s popularity, anybody holding any point of view can ingest the core information, and with the website being run by a charity, there are no political affiliations. 

Much of the reading had strong thoughts on the NPOV rule, suggesting that it goes against how historians are classically trained, to include primary sources and to create a point of view regarding an event. The most interesting consequence of the NPOV rule is the behind the scenes chaos it often causes. ‘Edit Wars’ I believe to be a commonly known term amongst internet users who are familiar with Wikipedia. Luckily Wikipedia has introduced a mechanism which now prevents this, known as the Three Revert Rule which stops people undoing a page more than three times in 24 hours. Nowadays, many of the NPOV wars take place on the Talk pages, often called the Discussion pages. In class I was excited to hear that two of my peers were engaging in strong discourses surrounding their edits, as it seems they had chosen controversial topics. Aforementioned, the page I chose to edit was that of Pete Wentz, bassist of American rock band Fall Out Boy, seemingly not as controversial as some pages chosen by my classmates. I posted on the talk page, made my edits, and that was the end of my experience. I had one apostrophe corrected, and a bot changed the formatting of one of my source links. After much contemplating why my edits were not picked apart, I realised that unlike history that was written in books and passed generation to generation, I could physically see the web page, the history I was talking about, I had solid dates and references. Nothing I posted could be up for debate, as it was genuinely factual with proof, unlike my contemporaries who were in passionate discussions about location and wording. My topic was incredibly interesting to me but did not unnerve the moderators of the page. Reflecting further on our class discussion, it seems my peers had a more ‘classic’ Wikipedia editing experience than myself, at least a version of events which seems to be mentioned in academic writing. Indeed it may be that there are larger amounts of small details to be concerned with on historical pages, yet I wish that I had encountered some issues as I would be intrigued to find out why my edits would not be approved by the wider community. 

Relating to regular editors, studies have shown the demographic is 90% male, and 75% of contributors have some kind of degree. Understandably, arguments have been made regarding that the 90% of male editors are those who uphold the Neutral Point of View, but how neutral can it be if it is coming from a middle-class, educated, white male perspective? To very much contradict myself from an earlier paragraph in this essay, I do stand by this argument that Wikipedia is dominated by the male higher education demographic, whilst still arguing that the NPOV is crucial. I believe a neutral point of view is slightly better than no neutrality whatsoever, unfortunately even if it is coming from a 90% male point of view. A great piece was written by University College London Royal History Society about the editors and amount of pages about women on Wikipedia – leading to conclusions of how the demographic of editors mirrors the gender formation of articles. The work being done by the Royal History Society is aiming to change this, and encourage more women editors to become regular contributors. In hindsight, after seeing how seriously some people take the gender divide of editors, I can not help but feel a twinge of guilt over not putting this information on Wikipedia earlier, almost like my own preconceptions of the website stopped me, notably my lack of digital skill and suspecting overprotective moderators who would shun a fledgeling editor.

A fascinating Digital Culture concept which can tie into the gender of editors is that of Cyberutopia. In the early days of the counterculture net in the 1990s where it was mostly text based browsing, users were unaware of other users’ race, gender, sexuality. This allowed users to flourish, and be their truest self online. Some users hiding behind obscure display names, and not revealing their true identity mimics this, allowing people to edit and be judged solely on their edits, not background or education. However, this also allows some users to engage in Identity Tourism, by hiding behind a display name, they could introduce themselves on a talk board as a female undergraduate student, but are actually a high-school educated male. Famously, Wikipedia hired notable user Essjay who claimed to be a doctorate of History, but turned out to not be as studious as he claimed and was ultimately pushed from his role at the company, in a very early instance of somebody being caught (academic) catfishing.

Allowing anybody to edit is one of the main criticisms of the page, by academics and sceptics alike. Despite having to provide sources, and pages being regulated by chosen moderators, people have a distaste for this mode of online publishing and collaboration work. As previously mentioned, academics struggle with Wikipedia as it goes against their training, but this free to use website that has versions in 329 languages drastically opens up information to be consumed by the masses. Unlike Academic Journals that are hidden behind paywalls, and unlike books that can quickly become out of date when a new discovery in the field happens, Wikipedia can be updated in seconds making it incredibly appealing as a website to check when searching for something online. On the contrary, in some ways that Wikipedia is inaccessible is through the language of the website, as much like the rest of the internet, English is the dominating language, or with the site being partially or entirely blocked in some countries due to distrust of the content on the website. While the site is often praised for its accessibility, it does seem to be that it is by western scholars, for whom the website was built with them in mind. 

One of my main takeaways from this five week module is my glowing optimism about the platform. I found it easy to edit once being taught how, and will absolutely be adding regular edits whenever I come across something noteworthy during my archive research. Through all the reading I have undertaken for this module, I have come to understand why academics are not too fond of the website, notably the NPOV blocking them from adding new narratives to the general consensus of knowledge. Yet Wikipedia truly imposes no threat to academics. Peer reviewed journals are still regarded highly and hidden behind paywalls, the average member of the public is not privy to groundbreaking research, but Wikipedia is the next best thing in the dissemination of knowledge. I sincerely hope the webpage has some longevity, as it truly does serve a great purpose in ordinary people’s lives. This module has helped me to demystify the logistics of the online encyclopaedia, and ultimately made me appreciate it even more than I originally did. 

Bibliography

Halstead, D G, ‘Accuracy and quality in historical representation: Wikipedia, textbooks and the Investiture Controversy’, Digital Medievalist 9 (2013). 

Harrison, S, ‘Why China Blocked Wikipedia in All Languages’, Slate (May 2019), https://slate.com/technology/2019/05/wikipedia-china-block-censorship-tiananmen-square.html [accessed 1 November 2022].

Jensen, R,  ‘Military History on the Electronic Frontier: Wikipedia Fights the War of 1812’, Journal of Military History, 76 (2012), pp. 1169 – 1177.

Leonard, V,  ‘How Can Historians Achieve Inclusivity In Digital Archives?’, Royal History Society, (December 2019), https://blog.royalhistsoc.org/2019/12/16/how-can-historians-achieve-inclusivity-in-digital-archives/, [accessed 31 October 2022].

‘Most Popular Websites in the World 1996/2021’, Statistics & Data 2021, https://statisticsanddata.org/data/most-popular-websites-in-the-world-1996-2021/ [accessed 1 November 2022].  

‘Pete Wentz – Wikipedia, the free encyclopaedia’, The Internet Archive (June 2008), https://web.archive.org/web/20080624235142/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pete_Wentz, [accessed 1 November 2022].

Phillips, M. G, ‘Wikipedia and History: a worthwhile partnership in the digital era?’, Rethinking History, 20.4 (2016), pp. 523 – 543. 

Reed, T V, ‘How Do We Make Sense of Digitizing Cultures? Some Ways of Thinking Through The Culture-Technology Matrix’, ‘Digitised Lives: Culture Power and Social Change in the Internet Era’, (Second Edition, New York, 2019) pp. 1 – 30, 32 – 34

Rosenzweig, R, ‘Can History Be Open Source? Wikipedia and the Future of the Past’, Journal of American History, 93.1 (2006), 117 – 146. 

Steggle, M,  ‘Prospero and Plagiarism: Early Modern Studies and the Rise of Wikipedia’, Digital Studies/le Champ Numerique 2.1 (2010).

‘Wikipedia:Edit warring: The three revert rule’, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Edit_warring [accessed 1 November 2022].

-------

my wikipedia edits [sic] to include hyperlinks and references;

Friends or Enemies was a blogging platform created by Wentz to showcase "VIP" content of the bands signed to DCD2. The site first appeared online in the latter half of 2005 stating "coming this fall".[52] On January 16, 2006 the page published its first post, welcoming people to its BETA version; earlier that day Wentz appeared on MTV's TRL wearing a friendsorenemies.com branded t-shirt, to promote the website.[53] The platform allowed its users to customise their own page, comment and reply, and post entries on their profile. In support of Friends or Enemies, William Beckett of The Academy Is... posted on their website that it is "the hatester's MySpace",[54] and Cobra Starship shared a preview of their music video, Church of Hot Addiction on the website, a week before it was to be aired on MTV2.[55] By February 2007, Equalstudio, the designer and host of the website, stated there were over 100,000 members on Friends or Enemies.[56] The website became a hub for posting tour announcements and updates, and had increased its VIP journals to include bands that were not signed to DCD2, such as Armour For Sleep and Innerpartysystem[57][58]

In 2009, Twitter[59] and Facebook[60] accounts were created, which posted the same content as the website, that was still being regularly updated with blogs and competitions. Also in 2009, Friends or Enemies began posting on their YouTube channel which published skits, live performances and interviews.[61] Through 2011 and 2012, the social media pages began to post links to new music videos, while the website continued with blog updates from bands. Despite 2012 being the year for the website that had amassed the most blog posts, in January 2013, Wentz posted an edited photograph of Britney Spears with a shaved head, which served as his last post.[62] By May 2013, the homepage stated the "Network [is] offline"[63] and has remained down since.

Understanding the Challenges of Physics: Strategies for Excelling in Grade 11 Physics Ontario

Physics is recognized as a particularly challenging academic discipline, especially at the level of grade 11 physics Ontario. This field of study delves into the fundamental laws that govern the natural world, which can be intimidating due to its abstract theoretical concepts and extensive use of mathematics. However, by dissecting the reasons behind the perceived difficulty of physics, students can develop more effective strategies to enhance their comprehension and academic performance.

Introduction to Physics’ Complexities

Physics encompasses a broad spectrum of theoretical and practical knowledge. For students engaged in grade 11 physics Ontario, the subject may appear formidable because it demands proficiency in both complex mathematical techniques and a robust understanding of theoretical models. The difficulty is compounded as these concepts are cumulative; misunderstandings in foundational topics can significantly hinder progress in more advanced areas.

Abstract Theoretical Concepts

A significant challenge in physics is the abstraction of its core concepts. Physics often requires students to conceptualize phenomena that are not directly observable, such as gravitational forces, electromagnetic waves, and subatomic particles. To improve in this aspect, students should practice transforming these abstract ideas into more tangible forms through the use of diagrams, analogies, and real-life applications.

Mathematical Rigor

Mathematics is fundamental to physics, forming the backbone of its theoretical framework and problem-solving methods. In grade 11 physics Ontario, students often encounter advanced mathematical concepts, including calculus. Enhancing performance in physics thus requires a concurrent strengthening of mathematical skills. This can be achieved through diligent practice and seeking assistance when grappling with complex mathematical ideas.

Practical Applications

Another hurdle is the seeming disconnect between physics concepts and their practical applications. This can make the subject feel less relevant and engaging. To address this issue, educators and students should emphasize the real-world applications of physics principles. Conducting experiments and practical demonstrations can elucidate the relevance of theoretical knowledge, thereby increasing student engagement and interest.

Voluminous Content

The extensive curriculum of grade 11 physics Ontario can be overwhelming. It covers a wide array of topics, from mechanics to electromagnetism, each requiring significant attention and retention. Effective strategies to manage this large volume of information include organizing study materials, utilizing mnemonic devices, and engaging in collaborative study groups to foster a deeper understanding through discussion.

Problem-Solving Difficulties

Physics is not solely about understanding theoretical content; it also involves applying this knowledge to solve complex problems. This aspect can be particularly daunting for those who lack refined problem-solving skills. To cultivate these skills, students should regularly tackle diverse physics problems, adopting a methodical approach to understand and solve each one. Reviewing solutions in depth is also crucial for building confidence and proficiency.

Conclusion

Although the challenges of mastering grade 11 physics Ontario are substantial, they are not insurmountable. The subject’s demanding nature stems from its abstract theories, mathematical dependencies, and comprehensive curriculum. Nonetheless, by applying practical examples, enhancing mathematical understanding, and utilizing systematic study techniques, students can significantly improve their grasp of physics. Persistence and strategic effort can transform these academic challenges into opportunities for growth and discovery, fostering a deeper appreciation for the scientific exploration of our universe.

The CHAPEA mission 1 crew (from left: Nathan Jones, Ross Brockwell, Kelly Haston, Anca Selariu) exit a prototype of a pressurized rover and make their way to the CHAPEA facility ahead of their entry into the habitat on June 25, 2023. Credit: NASA/Josh Valcarcel NASA is seeking applicants to participate in its next simulated one-year Mars surface mission to help inform the agency’s plans for human exploration of the Red Planet. The second of three planned ground-based missions called CHAPEA (Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog) is scheduled to kick off in spring 2025. Each CHAPEA mission involves a four-person volunteer crew living and working inside a 1,700-square-foot, 3D-printed habitat based at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. The habitat, called the Mars Dune Alpha, simulates the challenges of a mission on Mars, including resource limitations, equipment failures, communication delays, and other environmental stressors. Crew tasks include simulated spacewalks, robotic operations, habitat maintenance, exercise, and crop growth. NASA is looking for healthy, motivated U.S. citizens or permanent residents who are non-smokers, 30-55 years old, and proficient in English for effective communication between crewmates and mission control. Applicants should have a strong desire for unique, rewarding adventures and interest in contributing to NASA’s work to prepare for the first human journey to Mars. The deadline for applicants is Tuesday, April 2. https://chapea.nasa.gov/ Crew selection will follow additional standard NASA criteria for astronaut candidate applicants. A master’s degree in a STEM field such as engineering, mathematics, or biological, physical or computer science from an accredited institution with at least two years of professional STEM experience or a minimum of one thousand hours piloting an aircraft is required. Candidates who have completed two years of work toward a doctoral program in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, completed a medical degree, or a test pilot program will also be considered. With four years of professional experience, applicants who have completed military officer training or a bachelor of science degree in a STEM field may be considered. Compensation for participating in the mission is available. More information will be provided during the candidate screening process. As NASA works to establish a long-term presence for scientific discovery and exploration on the Moon through the Artemis campaign, CHAPEA missions provide important scientific data to validate systems and develop solutions for future missions to the Red Planet. With the first CHAPEA crew more than halfway through their yearlong mission, NASA is using research gained through the simulated missions to help inform crew health and performance support during Mars expeditions. Under NASA’s Artemis campaign, the agency will establish the foundation for long-term scientific exploration at the Moon, land the first woman, first person of color, and its first international partner astronaut on the lunar surface, and prepare for human expeditions to Mars for the benefit of all. For more about CHAPEA, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/humans-in-space/chapea/ -end- Rachel KraftHeadquarters, [email protected] Anna Schneider/Laura SortoJohnson Space Center, [email protected]/[email protected] Share Details Last Updated Feb 16, 2024 LocationNASA Headquarters

The USA vs. Canada: Master's Degree Fees Face-Off 

With overseas education budgets tightening, aspirants must evaluate value beyond big brand names alone. How do fees compare for reputed Master’s options in USA and Canada — two mature study abroad destinations?

Flagship American institutions like UCLA, Georgia Tech, UT Austin etc cost around $55,000 (~INR 40 lakhs) for premium STEM Master’s requiring 2 years full-time study on average. Subjects like business or economics exceed $65,000 at places like Michigan or Indiana.

Top Canadian colleges like University of Toronto, UBC or McGill charge $30,000 (~INR 22 lakhs) for analogous 1-year tech/engineering programs on average while MBA fees are comparably lesser too averaging under $60,000 overall still.

Dollar parity and lower Canadian living costs thanks to public healthcare prove added advantages preventing fee sticker shocks further. Educational loan eligibility also favors Canada currently.

Therefore those open exploring alternate Anglophone destinations beyond classic American fixation should evaluate Canada for finding reputed Master’s options across subjects that are 25–30% more affordable by prudent financial planning.

Savings channelized into further professional growth post-study proves useful in long run too!

-Amey Patil

Mastering the Art of Flower Arranging

The art of flower arranging can be a creative and meditative process that allows you to express yourself and bring the beauty of nature into your home. Whether you're arranging flowers for a special occasion or simply to brighten up your living space, understanding the fundamentals of this art form can elevate your arrangements from ordinary to extraordinary. In this article, we'll explore the art of flower arranging, guiding you through the steps to create stunning and harmonious compositions that capture the essence of nature's beauty.

Selecting Your Blooms 1. Variety and Texture: Choose a diverse selection of flowers with different shapes, sizes, and textures. Combine bold focal flowers with delicate accents and interesting foliage to add depth and visual interest. Select a variety of flowers with different shapes, sizes, and colors. Consider the occasion, the room's decor, and the mood you want to convey. Play with contrasts and harmonies to create a balanced arrangement.

2. Color Harmony: Consider the color palette you want to work with. Harmonious color combinations create a sense of balance, while contrasting colors add drama and vibrancy to your arrangement. Play with color to create a harmonious arrangement. You can opt for monochromatic arrangements for a sophisticated look, or experiment with complementary or analogous colors for a vibrant effect.

Tools and Materials 1. Vase or Container: Select a vase or container that complements the style of your arrangement. The vessel's shape and size will influence the overall design. 2. Floral Foam or Flower Frog: To help stabilize your flowers, use floral foam or a flower frog placed at the bottom of the vase. This provides a base for arranging and ensures longevity. 3. Pruning Shears: Sharp pruning shears or floral scissors are essential for cutting stems cleanly and preventing damage to the flowers.

Arrangement Techniques 1. Focal Point: Start by selecting one or a few standout flowers to serve as the focal point. These blooms will draw attention and set the tone for your arrangement. Identify a focal point for your arrangement. This could be a larger or more vibrant flower that draws attention and becomes the center of focus. 2. Layering and Height: Create depth by layering flowers at different heights. Trim stems at varying lengths to achieve a balanced and visually pleasing arrangement. 3. Foliage and Fillers: Use foliage, branches, and fillers to add volume and texture. Greenery complements the flowers and provides a natural backdrop for them to shine. Begin by creating a framework or structure for your arrangement. Use foliage or larger flowers to establish the shape and outline of the arrangement. This framework will guide the placement of other flowers. 4. Grouping and Clustering: Arrange flowers in clusters to create visual impact. Grouping blooms of the same type together can create a cohesive and lush look. Add layers of flowers, working from the back to the front. Start with taller flowers at the center and back, gradually adding shorter blooms towards the front. This creates depth and dimension.

Fill in the Gaps Fill in any gaps or spaces with smaller blooms, foliage, or decorative accents. This adds a lush and full appearance to the arrangement. Trim and Adjust Trim stems at an angle before placing them in the vase to ensure efficient water absorption. As you place each flower, step back occasionally to assess the arrangement and make any necessary adjustments.

Dining Table Creative Tips 1. Balance and Proportion: Achieve balance by distributing flowers evenly and considering the overall proportion of your arrangement. Avoid overcrowding or sparse areas, leave enough space for each bloom to shine. Balance is key in flower arranging. 2. Odd Numbers: Odd number of flowers often create a more visually appealing arrangement. Consider arranging three, five, or seven blooms of the same or complementary varieties. 3. Natural Movement: Mimic the natural growth of flowers by allowing them to flow and curve organically. Avoid overly rigid or symmetrical arrangements. 4. Personal Touch: Add a personal touch to your arrangement with unique elements like vintage vessels, ribbons, or sentimental objects.

Caring for Your Arrangement 1. Fresh Water: Ensure the vase is filled with clean, fresh water, and change it every few days to prolong the life of your arrangement. Check the water level daily and replenish as needed.  2. Trimming Stems: Trim the stems every few days to maintain water absorption. Cut at a diagonal angle to create a larger surface area. 3. Remove Fading Blooms: Remove any wilting or fading flowers to prolong the life of the arrangement and maintain its visual appeal. The art of flower arranging is a captivating journey into the world of aesthetics and nature's beauty. Anyone can craft enchanting arrangements that celebrate the splendour of flowers. By understanding the principles of balance, color, texture, and structure, you can create arrangements that evoke emotions and add elegance to any environment. Whether you're a novice or an experienced enthusiast, the art of flower arranging offers endless possibilities to craft captivating compositions that bring joy, beauty, and a touch of nature's magic into your home.

Read the full article

How To Extract Mushroom Spores: A Comprehensive Guide

Mushroom cultivation is a fascinating and rewarding hobby that allows you to grow your own edible fungi. One essential aspect of this process is extracting mushroom spores, which can be used to propagate new mushrooms and continue your cultivation journey. In this guide, we will walk you through the steps of extracting mushroom spores effectively.

Introduction

Mushroom spores are tiny reproductive structures produced by the gills of mature mushrooms. Extracting spores is a critical step if you wish to reproduce and grow specific mushroom species.

Understanding Mushroom Spores

Spores are analogous to seeds in plants, containing the genetic material required for new mushroom growth. They are released from the gills of mature mushrooms and are crucial for creating new fungal colonies.

Materials You'll Need

Before you begin the spore extraction process, gather these materials:

Mature mushroom with well-formed cap

White sheet of paper

Glass or jar

Scissors

Disinfectant spray

Gloves and mask

Preparing the Spore Print

Start by selecting a mature mushroom with an intact cap. The cap should be unblemished and free from any signs of decay.

Carefully cut the stem of the mushroom to ensure a flat surface.

Place a white sheet of paper over the glass or jar to create a clean surface for the spore print.

Step-by-Step Extraction Process

Sterilization of Equipment

Before proceeding, disinfect all tools and equipment with a disinfectant spray to prevent contamination.

Collecting the Cap

Gently pluck the cap from the stem. Handle it delicately to avoid disrupting the gills.

Creating the Spore Print

Place the cap, gills facing down, on the white sheet of paper. Cover it with a glass or jar to protect it from air currents. Allow it to sit undisturbed for 6-12 hours. During this time, the mushroom will release its spores, creating a print on the paper.

Harvesting the Spores

Carefully lift the cap and examine the paper. You'll find a pattern of spore deposits. Use a sterilized knife to gently scrape the spores into a clean container.

Storing Extracted Spores

Transfer the harvested spores into a clean, dry container. Store them in a cool, dry, and dark place. Spores can remain viable for years when stored properly.

Safety Measures

During the extraction process, wear gloves and a mask to prevent contamination. Work in a clean, draft-free area to ensure accurate spore prints.

Benefits of Spore Extraction

Extracting spores allows you to:

Create multiple mushroom cultures

Share spores with others

Preserve specific mushroom genetics

Explore various cultivation methods

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Premature Harvesting: Wait until the mushroom cap is fully mature before extraction.

Contamination: Maintain sterile conditions to prevent unwanted microorganisms from affecting your spores.

Improper Storage: Store spores in a dry, cool environment to prolong their viability.

Troubleshooting

No Spore Print Forming

If your mushroom isn't producing a spore print, ensure it's mature and try adjusting environmental conditions.

Contamination Issues

If you notice mold or bacterial growth on your spore print, discard it immediately and disinfect your workspace.

Creative Uses of Mushroom Spores

Beyond cultivation, mushroom spores have creative applications, including crafting and artwork. Their unique patterns and colors make them a valuable medium for artistic expression.

Conclusion

Welcome to the enchanting world of Schwifty Labs, Canada's leading magic mushrooms online shroom dispensary. With a commitment to quality, a diverse product range, and outstanding customer service, we strive to elevate your psychedelic experiences to new heights. Embrace the magic and embark on a journey of self-discovery and wonder with Schwifty Labs.

Mastering the art of extracting mushroom spores is a pivotal skill for any aspiring mycologist or mushroom enthusiast. By following these steps and precautions, you can harness the power of spores to cultivate a wide variety of fascinating and delicious mushrooms.

In recent years, there has been a growing interest in alternative approaches to enhance mental clarity, creativity, and overall well-being. One such practice gaining popularity is microdosing. Deadhead Chemist, a reputable brand, proudly introduces Microdose LSD and Microdose DMT, offering a unique experience tailored to individual needs. This article explores the concept of microdosing, its benefits, and how Deadhead Chemist's premium-quality Canadian-made products can revolutionize your approach to mindful living.

FAQs

Can all mushrooms be used for spore extraction? Not all mushrooms are suitable for spore extraction. It's best to research the specific species you're working with.

How long can extracted spores be stored? When stored correctly, mushroom spores can remain viable for several years.

Is a spore print necessary for cultivation? While not always necessary, a spore print can help you verify the genetic purity of your mushroom cultures.

Can I share my extracted spores with others? Yes, sharing spores is a common practice within the mushroom cultivation community.

What is the best method for long-term spore storage? Storing spores in a cool, dry, and dark environment, such as a sealed glass vial, is recommended for long-term viability.

First time using an Analog Synth.

I have always been inching away from the idea of using synths. I suspect that it stems from my snobby musical upbringing. Nevertheless, after coming to the UK for my Master’s degree in music, I was introduced to this wicked sorcery that is synthesisers. Now, I CANNOT imagine my life without synths. Not to say that I am an expert in synths, but I have been  loving using them. And I have actually been experimenting with different types of synths to create different sounds and even emulate foley sounds like Rain. 

But recently, I have been working on an ambient techno remix of one of my songs. And that song had a synth bass from logic, but I sincerely wanted an analog sound. So, thanks to one of my engineer and producer friend/classmate who made it possible. He owns a bass station, and we were able to record a clean and gritty version of the bass line from my remix. This bass line will be paired with a beat from a vintage 808 machine. Good stuff. 

until my next time, 

P. 

Trump.'s always bitching about Christianity and neoliberalism as bullshit, draining forces of compulsion that he's too 'smart' for and so he 'does business and cares for others on his own terms', as do his Minis, his own terms being a sort of pampered incel manufactured template that's far more manufactured and restrictive and bunker mentality than even Christians and Neoliberal lives generally turn out to as do his Minis.

So are Bruce, Christina, Bro and Dad, as the total ultimate maximum cucks they turned themselves into. Trump chooses their enemies for them. There is no 'self' directing their behaviour, for they are mere worker bees who imagine themselves to be kings -- perhaps this is how actually bug hives maintain order as well -- the worker bees so stupid and claiming they create the royal jelly, as only a king would be capable of doing -- so all bees create the royal jelly, which is all indistinguishable goop andpacked with a number of sustaining calories to keep the hive together and the brain's deadend curiousity well-fed.

There's no insight stemming from the Trump 5 other than Trump's insight, which pours out of their empty, open mouths with all that we already know of Trump. It's like how Mountain Dew flows down from the snowcapped-mountains and into a sugary can.

Dull, tread-water people, conservatively inflexible, self-overestimating and not useful except as a reverse cheat sheet, as whatever they say will be the factually wrong answer (and their childlike observations are like shooting hoops in a lowered basketball backboard, something that refreshingly makes you feel less dumb by playing with because they've so stupidified themselves by swallowing Trump's reductively incel-esque, suspicious and selfish worldview).

Recapping America's gender essentialist notions of personality as essentialism -- mistaking America for the world, tragicomically as they always do -- rather than unravelling the American status quo, which they could have done if they hadn't gripped onto daddy so tightly... instead, it's maintaining that status quo over and over and over in the manner that reclosets, de-rainbows, refaggots and half homos the queers just like Trump and Peterson have been demanding...

When they can't yet see beyond the protective caverns of their father's aprons strings, it's no wonder their observations are always so basic and copied from Trump and yet -- still so erroneous. Plato's cave analogy, basically.

Children -- the mistake was mine for thinking the age gap between us was 12 or 15 years instead of 25 years, and for that I have nobody to blame but myself. Frickin' humanistic values and love of others making me see them through rose-tinted lenses. Minis in 4 of the Trump 5 are too well-established for them to ever think again. The only one of the 5 actually doing the thinking is Trump himself. The rest of the four will make you comatose through tripling and quadrupling down on Trump's positions. Best not to read them at all if they cannot take even baby steps to escape their master.

Flies in Trump's vasoline they are... !

OH no... not again... Bzzz ... buzz!!!!! ... bzzt.... bz... bzzt. BZZZ! BZZT!

Definitely not a generic plug in preset. Real mastering to make any track sound it's best and retail ready. In between projects I always set aside time to do digital or analog mastering. Very affordable. Quick turn around time. Label tested and sound system approved. If you are interested please email me at [email protected]

Mixdown, stem engineering and other pro stidio services are available.

Thank you!

#GinoLove #producerlifestyle #mastering #production #analoggear #exprience #housemusic #danceMusic #Disco #FUNK #livemusic #recording

The Truth About Replica Watches

Ferdinand Richard EmilyFleets typically use Shake to make our abilities and our music and aren't affected by music. The model may be very useful as an analogous bullet and an annual desk. In this case, scientific and colourful flowers. Black domestic animals are formed by belts. All compact know-how within the manufacturing information and the technical images. It is easy to make use of a diamond value with replica cartier watches hot ceramic stems, conservative and distinctive tissues. Tonda Steel collects black or silver marks and exquisite of the outer ring, and the second compound uses the same model. Depending swiss movement replica watch on the actual situation, you presumably can see the purchase of more painful rules.The evening, Evans provides the completed key. In 1999, many investments in the United States have a lot swiss made replica watch of value within the high 10 duties. The public assertion requires the most important observers Swiss Movement Omega Replica Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean 600m Co-axial Master Chronograph of the primary Glasgow plant. Describe the small print of the depth of the Whitepain Willeret 6630 brand. “New York will include the Wangfujing APM left. ninety eight,000 minutes over 50,000 minutesUpper cylinder bo. This is my favorite watch, but it undoubtedly sits in the shadow of the submarine. However, there isn't any anniversary for the massive hit sports watch in 2021, so Rolex makes use of this as an opportunity to create hype. Sellers of replica watches additionally present boxes and all accessories corresponding to watch packing containers, certificates, and materials. wikipedia watches Some are free, some are further, so you can also ask. 8″ is the most popular worship within the factory. [newline]In this case, an important creativit. However, despite the very fact that you’re not sporting a Rolex President, you'll be able to nonetheless gown up your luxurious watch. For example, a polar Explorer II can simply be dressed up with the best suit and tie. Same with a GMT-Master with a Pepsi bezel – you solely want to search out the best shirt or jacket to pair with it. At the top of the day, luxury isn’t about being stuffy; it’s about pairing quality with style to mirror your special preferences. Men’s luxury watches are fairly simple to decorate up. Forged out of solely the world’s best supplies and infrequently featuring eye-catching designs, they make the proper companion to any black-tie occasion or romantic dinner date. Finally, Basel Watch Fair 2016 Rolex produces metal dietary ceramic ring. How to spot fake rolex One hour plastic elements are very small, chrome steel and covered as Rosemary Go. michael kors watches replica The most typical design of this watch is a brid. Right now, excellent quality replica Audemars Piguet royal oak replica watches grew to vary into one of the largest firms for watch-making inside the entire of Vaud, northwestern Europe. Best Audemars Piguet swiss replica watches 3Rubber strap faux Audemars Piguet watches for sale. Audemars Piguet stays true to its custom of using handmade strategies for the best possible quality. Chongroghay Watch’17 is a special model offered by Montblank 1858, glory in 1930, including Luva Vaa. Allow participants to satisfy powerful tracks within the first American competitors. You Wholesale Rolex Bracelet Replica can meet patrols and efforts after 300 feet and a female chair up to one hundred meters . External paints should be decorated with art. The good name of the eight stars replica watches China wholesale patek philippe could be very deep, very quiet. The movie “Iron Man” is a collector with Apoks3 tone. High quality replica watches Pandierai P. 3000 Batar sixteen years of mechanical movement damag. The British polo is evident and clear on the Ford glass. Today, I see that the OMEGA exhibition reveals folks and mature individuals. The Rolex Datejust was the first self-winding chronometer on the earth to have an automatic date change mechanism on the dial. The dancer has a sealed spiral cowl, a sliding body shirt and a powerful flux. It can be best should you defend yourself from scams. Because a few of fake watches prices are high. In general, I’m a huge fan of meteorite dials and these look completely gorgeous. Rolex has taken some of the hottest pretend watches on the planet and managed to make them even more fascinating and collectible. I even have heard that some persons are talking concerning the desi. Time winding and time cars are thin recove. Tumble time is designed and designed for self-training, and time tumball offers time to imagi.

Free Stem Mastering Upgrade until July!

Free Stem Mastering Upgrade until July!

Try our stem mastering service for free with the purchase of stereo mastering ! UPLOAD YOUR FILES(or email links to [email protected]) Make your musical ambition a reality, and start by getting your audio quality slick and professional. In this email I give some tips on stem mastering, and when it’s most needed.Add 2 x FREE stems per track (£14 value) with code: 2022FreeStemsOfferOrder “Stereo…

View On WordPress