#Worm 2.3

[got-into-worm-by-mistake]

Insinuation 2.3 Live Reactions

(This is me, writing reactions as I read, because why the fuck not. They're not complete, mature thoughts taken after I sit back and evaluate what I've read. Consider them as such)

It was stuff like this that made Mr. Gladly my least favorite teacher.  I got the impression he’d be surprised to hear he was anyone’s least favorite teacher, but that was just one more point against him in my book.  I don’t think he comprehended why people might not like him, or how miserable group work was when you didn’t identify with any of the groups or cliques in the school.  He just figured people liked doing group work because it let them talk and hang out with their friends in class.

I'm not sure if I'm gonna say this a lot (probably not) but I agree wholeheartedly with Taylor Hebert here.

Greg was just the opposite.  He was smarter than average, but he had a way of saying every thought that came into his head – his train of thought didn’t have any brakes.  Or tracks.  It would have been easier to be in a group with just Sparky and essentially do the work by myself than it would be to work with Greg.

I know almost nothing about this character except that he's a poorly social nerd that a weird percentage of the SB/SV/QQ side of the fandom is really into.

I sighed as Mr. Gladly picked Greg to do our group’s presentation, and was forced to watch Greg botch it badly enough that Mr. Gladly asked him to sit down before he was finished.  Greg was one of those kids I always figured made teachers groan inwardly when they raised their hands in class.  The sort of kid that took twice as long to answer as anyone else, and was often only half-right or so off-tangent that it derailed the discussion.  I couldn’t imagine what had possessed Mr. Gladly to pick Greg to do our group’s presentation.

On the other hand, given the average userbase of those sites... I can see exactly why they glom onto Greg. Teenage me might have done the same, but by the time I heard of Worm, I was past that...ish

I'm still not sure what purpose any of this extended bit serves. We already know how much the Trio sucks.

I gave a rueful chuckle, feeling the frustration welling up, “Great.  So they might miss a few days of school, and only if I can prove they were behind it all… and whether they get suspended or not, they feel a hundred percent justified in whatever else they do to the rat for revenge.” “If you want things to get better, Taylor, you have to start somewhere.” “That isn’t a starting point.  It’s shooting myself in the foot,” I said, pulling my bag over my shoulder.  When he didn’t immediately respond, I left the classroom.

How much of Taylor's belief there's no way to get justice (which then translates into the fandom) is real? Obviously she has tried to complain and it went nowhere, but I would never have expected Mr. Gladly to actually make this approach at all, honestly.

This feels like another filler chapter, tbh. Feels like 2.1 and 2.3 didn't really need to be there.

Like, all six parts of Gestation felt like they needed to be there, as they were. 2.1 and 2.3... not as much. But I suppose even Wildbow can't knock it out of the park every time, and stuff does need set up and such like that.

[wormbloggign]

thoughts on 2.3

these teen bullies are cringe and im sure when taylor finally snaps or just goes full villain, they will get the disproportionate punishment she believes they deserve

school supplied workbooks really shouldnt be costing money

i like sparky, i hope we see him again

if mr g was concerned for taylor, wouldnt he try to keep an eye on her during class which would immediately reveal who her bullies are?

[bethanythebogwitch]

There's been a distinct lack of invertebrates on my Wet Beast Wednesday posts so let's fix that by adding sea spiders. These arthropods are notable for being probably the creepiest things i've features on this series. Like I'm not afraid of actual spiders at all, but these things give me the heebie-jeebies. And I'm exactly the kind of person who loves to spread the things that creep me out, so let's combine thalassophobia with arachnophobia for the worst of both worlds! The first thing to know about sea spiders is that the name is a lie. They aren't spiders but instead members of their own class: Pycnogonida, meaning that a more accurate name is to call them pycogonids. Another alternate clade name is Pantopoda, which means "all legs", a pretty accurate description. They are traditionally classified as chelicerates, putting them in the same subphylum of life as proper spiders. However, this may change as a few genetic studies (Regier, et al., 2010 and Sharma et al., 2014) instead place them as a sister group to all other extant arthropods. Sea spiders occupy every part of the ocean with around 1,300 documented species.

(Image: a collage of many sea spider species, courtesy of ye olde Wikipedia)

The first thing you'll likely notice about sea spiders is that their legs are much larger than their bodies. In fact, the body is so reduced that many of the internal organs have to extend into the legs because they otherwise wouldn't fit. Sea spiders have a wide range of sizes, with the smallest having a legspan of 1 millimeter and the largest having a legspan of 70 cm (2.3 ft). That is larger than my sister's dog. Most species are pretty small, with the very large specimens being the result of polar or deep-sea gigantism. Most species have 4 pairs of walking legs, but some have 5 or 6 instead. The body consists of 2 segments: a cephalothorax subdivided into a cephalon (head) and trunk, and a very tiny abdomen. The cephalon contains the first pair of legs as well as a smaller pair of legs called ovigers that are used to handle their eggs, for grooming, and courtship. Every sea spider has a proboscis on the cephalon that is their feeding appendage. Depending on species, they may also have a pair of palps and/or chelifores, smaller appendages used to manipulate food. Some species lack both the palp and chelifore and their proboscis is instead flexible and muscular. Many species have a structure on the cephalon called the ocular tubercle which contains the eyes, but some deep-sea species have lost their eyes entirely. The trunk contains the remaining legs. Finally, the abdomen is extremely reduced and almost completely vestigial.

(Image: a diagram of sea spider anatomy)

Sea spiders are carnivores, using their proboscises to pierce soft-bodied invertebrates such as cnidarians, sponges, and some worms. They have no respiratory organs. Instead, dissolved oxygen diffuses into the body through the legs. A small and long heart beats at 90 to 180 beats per minute, circulating hemolymph (bug blood) through the central body and giving them a high blood pressure. Oxygen in the legs is transported through repetitive motion called peristalsis in the parts of the digestive tract that extends into the legs. Sea spiders can move both by walking and swimming, which they achieve by beating their legs in a motion similar to opening and closing an umbrella.

(image: a sea spider riding a jellyfish)

Birds do it, bees do it, and weird underwater spider-beasts do it. With the exception of one known hermaphroditic species, all spiders are dioecious, which is a fancy way of saying they have distinct males and females. During mating, the male will climb on the female and they arrange themselves until their reproductive gonopores (which are eon the legs of course) line up. The female them releases her eggs, which the male fertilizes and catches with his ovigers. The male carries the eggs until the larvae are born, with the female providing no further care. Larvae are very simple, consisting of a head with the only appendages being the ovigers, palps, and chelicerae. The trunk, abdomen, and legs develop as the larva grows. Instead of growing the legs all at once, they will grow in during sequential molts. Some have suggested that the development of the larvae parallels the evolution of the ancestor of arthropods, starting out very simple and gradually evolving more complex structures. Scientists have observed 4 types of larvae: the typical protonymph, atypical protonymph, encysting, and attaching. Typical protonymph larvae are the most common and become free-swimming after hatching. Atypical protonymphs are similar, but will eventually find another animal to live on or in. Encysting larvae will find a polyp colony and burrow in. It then encases itself in a cyst and will not leave until developing into a juvenile. Attaching larvae remain attached to their father's oviger until developing into juveniles.

(Image: a male carrying his eggs)

(Image: a larva)

[uncharismatic-fauna]

The Evergreen Bagworm Moth: The Ultimate Stay-At-Home Mom

The evergreen bagworm moth or common basket worm (Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformis) has one of the more unusual life cycles of the order Lepidoptera. They begin their lives as part of a clutch of 500-1,000 eggs, laid in September or October, and hatch the following April. While they're still caterpillars, both males and females begin constructing large, elaborately decorated cocoons from silk and fecal matter, as well as bits of leaves and bark from their host plant. This case is built around their bodies as they feed, growing up to 6 cm (2.3 in) in length, and is eventually attached to directly to the host plant. The caterpillar molts through seven instars without ever leaving this case, and when it's large enough the larva seals itself inside and pupates for about 4 weeks.

Fully mature adults emerge from their cocoons in mid-August. While males finally leave behind their protective cases entirely. However, females remain firmly entrenched in their cocoons, and emit pheromones to attract a mate. Once a male arrives, he inserts his abdomen into the cocoon's entrance to inseminate the female. After laying her eggs, the female dies, never having left the protective case that she built for herself. Once her eggs hatch, they disperse along the same host plant or "balloon" on strands of silk to find a new home. Individuals only live a single year.

Adult evergreen bagworm moths are fairly plain, though males and females are easily distinguished. Males are covered with dark brown or black fur, with comb-like antennae typical of moths. Unusually, though, male T. ephereraeformis have transparent wings; these can reach a wingspan of 2.5 cm (0.9 in). Female adult basket worms largely resemble the larvae of the species. They lack wings, as well as eyes, antennae, or a mouth. Her body is about 1.9-2.3 cm (0.74-0.9 in) long, yellowish, and extremely soft and unprotected-- hence the need for a strong cocoon.

While neither sex feeds as adults, caterpillar common basket moths are voracious eaters. Their primary food are evergreens, especially junipers, arborvitae, and red cedar, but they can also be found on a variety of other trees including oaks, willows, maple and elm. The most common predators of the evergreen bagworm moth are wasps and hornets, which are able to more easily infiltrate their protective casings, but both adults and caterpillars may also fall prey to woodpeckers, mice, and sparrows.

This particular species of bagworm moth is common throughout eastern North America, particularly in areas with mixed or evergreen forests. The common basket worm can also thrive in urban environments, as there tend to be fewer predators to control their populations.

Conservation status: The evergreen bagworm moth has not been evaluated by the IUCN. Due to its large and widespread population, the species is likely stable; in many areas it is considered a pest due to the rapid rate at which a population can decimate the local vegetation.

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Photos

Dave Webb

Ben Gruver via iNaturalist

Barbara Speckart

[zenmai--jikake--no--komoriuta]

back on my bullshit after this year's Bobgob Valentione's Appreciation Week-- for this week only, you too can be the owner of another ✨straightforward big fish✨!

short and sweet guide by the ever amazing FruitySnacks here-- good luck! ☆

-------------

• LOCATION: Eastern La Noscea, Hidden Falls (31.3, 22.7) • TIME/CONDITIONS: 17:00 - 20:00, every day • MIN REQUIREMENTS: You must be a Lv.50 FSH AND have 345+ Gathering stat • BEST BAIT: Honey Worms • SPECIFIC TIME FOR YOUR TIMEZONE: Open Carbuncle Plushy's wonderful Fish Tracker App and click the little cogwheels in the top right corner, then click on every expac name to deselect them; then click ONLY the button for 2.3 and exit out, and you should see our fishy friend somewhere down the list! It should automatically display the correct time for your timezone, but you can hover over "in X hours" and it will show you a more specific time-- also be sure to click the pin on the left to keep the fish locked up top for easier viewing :) As is usual for big fish, you'll need to exercise some {Patience} as it might not even show up during your window! (personally I've gone 3 now with no sign of it; just gotta keep at it!)

[rotclaw]

to my fellow bearded dragon owners- this video was made by an australian veterinarian specializing in exotics, BeardieVet. it has tons of info on proper beardie care and i highly recommend watching/listening to it when possible (it's quite long at nearly 4 hours)

here's a long comprehensive list of info, copied from a reddit comment

• Bearded dragons do not bask all day. They come out in the morning and in the evening to bask for a bit

• If you have warm nights, your dragon will bask less. They will only bask based on their body needs and if they are warm all night they do not have a need to bask

• It can get as low as 5°C/41°F at night in Australia during spring and typically is about 11°‐12°C/51.8°‐53.6°F in their burrows

• Preferred core temp for their body is 36.3°C/97.34°F. This is achieved with a basking spot of about 42°C/107.6°F

• They do not have bile acids to ingest vitamin D3. They get this vitamin through proper UV

• Average preferred UVI is 4.1, but any where in the range of 3.8-4.5 is acceptable

• A high amount of bright visible light is needed for them. They know to go to the bright light to bask

• A heat bulb with visible light and UVA (like a halogen bulb), a proper linear UVB bulb, and a full spectrum LED bulb are the preferred lights used to achieve a proper LUX (perceived brightness)

• They are considered beginner pets because they are so robust that they can stay sick for so long without showing signs (not because they are easy to care for)

• Humidity isn't an issue by itself (they actually seek out humidity microclimates). It's high humidity combined with improper temps that causes issues

• They are very active animals and the main reason they aren't active in captivity is because they are bored

• Bare minimum size enclosure is 4x2x2. This is really needed in order to get proper UVI and temps. 5x3x3 would be better.

• They spend a lot of time higher up (more males than females) to be able to survey their territory in places like bushes and trees (not something like a hammock)

• They like to be able to see their surroundings fully

• Deep Heat Projectors are unnatural wavelengths and cause them to dry out which increases water loss

• In the wild they will sleep out in the open in 15°C/59°F, but will go into a burrow with anything under 10°C/50°F

• "Brumation" during our summer months is due to increased temps that cause them to stay sheltered to reserve their energy

• Substrate in Australia is 0.3% gravel, 1.5% silt, 2.3% clay, 95.9% fine sand (quartz & iron oxide)

• If they try to ingest their substrate it's a nutritional deficiency or a psychological reason: not proper UV, fed high phosphorus & low calcium, MBD & parasites, husbandry issues

• If you don't have loose substrate, you're depriving them of one of their 5 freedom rights

• Straight play sand isn't the best because it lacks clay

• Pin worms are needed to break down cellulose

• An overload of parasites is due to poor husbandry. The parasites are a secondary issue, so fix the husbandry and the parasites will go back in check

• No loose substrate equals a loss in muscle mass and causes stress on the joints, this becomes a welfare issue

• Keepers that bathe their dragons so they can defecate that is trying to solve a problem that's caused by poor husbandry (i.e. temps not high enough, parasite overload, not enough UV)

• If your husbandry is correct, you should not have to bathe them at all. It's not something they typically do (sit in puddles of water). Unless of course they are visibly soiled

• They should be able to do normal bodily functions on their own. If they can't, it's a welfare issue

• They do not absorb through their skin or their cloaca. They are not designed to take water in that way.

• They should be getting enough water from their food. You can mist them (from above not straight in the face) and the enclosure to mimic rain as well once a week. This will create little spots for them to drink from too

• Some causes of MBD include: not enough vitamin D production, not enough heat, not enough calcium, and too much phosphorus

• In the wild they eat a lot of flowers, wild sage, hibiscus, and Australian blue bells

• We grow them way too fast in captivity. It should take them 2 years to grow to full size, not 6 months

• Babies should get 5-6 protein items (about the size that is between their eyes) a day

• Adults should get 3-4 protein items (about the size that is between their eyes) 3 days a week and 3 times that in greens

• They do not need to eat if they are overweight

• Absolutely no fruit ever. They do not eat any in the wild at all and it causes dental disease and fungal cultures

• All protein items should be dusted with calcium

• BSFLs do have high calcium, but a majority of that is in their exoskeleton which is indigestible so they still need to be dusted

• You can dust a salad with a multivitamin once every other week

• ADV is something natural to them and is only an issue if husbandry is wrong (like cold sores in people, only comes out under stress)

• Obesity causes a lot of health issues

• Their insides are in one cavity so when they are obese it pushes their lungs in and they have a really hard time breathing

• Obesity also insulates them which prevents them from reaching optimum core temperature as the heat cannot penetrate past the fat

• Weight and length to compare what an ideal body composition should be (SVL= snout to vent length):

• Male: 372 grams; 24cm/9.45in SVL

• Female: 254 grams; 21.5cm/8.46in SVL

• Gravid Female: 315 grams; 22cm/8.66in SVL

• Average Dragon: 341 grams; 23.3cm/9.17in SVL

(thanks to schance99 on reddit for writing all this down)

[talonabraxas]

The Sky This Week from March 22 to 29: The Full Moon eclipsed

Gear up for the big game — April’s total solar eclipse — with a penumbral eclipse of the Full Worm Moon in the sky this week.

Saturday, March 23

The Moon reaches apogee, the farthest point from Earth in its orbit, at 11:45 A.M. EDT, when it will sit 252,460 miles (406,295 kilometers) away.

Our satellite is now in Leo, located to the lower right of the 2nd-mangitude star Denebola, which marks the tip of the Lion’s tail. The constellation is already high in the east by 9 P.M. local daylight time. To the Moon’s upper right, as part of the Sickle asterism that looks like a backwards question mark, lies Algieba (Gamma [γ] Leonis), a magnitude 2 double star whose components are just under 5″ apart and can be split in most backyard instruments.

Those components have just over a magnitude in difference between them, shining at magnitude 2.3 and 3.6. Take a close look at their colors — the brighter star should appear slightly more orange, while the dimmer is a bit more yellow-hued. The two stars take an estimated 510 years to orbit each other, and the brighter star, cataloged as Gamma1 Leo, hosts a gas giant planet nearly 9 times the mass of Jupiter.

Sunrise: 6:58 A.M. Sunset: 7:16 P.M. Moonrise: 5:56 P.M. Moonset: 6:28 A.M. Moon Phase: Waxing gibbous (98%)

Full Moon Eclipse - Talon Abraxas

[spacedragonstar]

Worm liveblog Part 2

Ark 2: Insinuation

The title makes me worry slightly. What is being insinuated, in what context? Is Taylor trying to get somewhere, is something else going on? Let’s see if I can guess at this question at some point.

2.1

Videogames certainly are a… theme. Depends entirely on the execution. Technicolor does not point to 'terrifying guy who keeps coming back from death' Congratulations on the theme though.

Man, there is clearly a lot of affection there, but they can't really communicate with each other and keep what they are actually thinking secret.

It's understandable but arrghh

2.2

I like that there are entire websites, and what seems like pretty large ones at that, that are dedicated to people with powers. Very nice bit of worldbuilding

Oh no Taylor you are going to do something stupid, aren't you?

2.3

I feel like the combination of causing severe harm to someone, as well as damaging school property should get people expelled.

Then again, I know nothing about US schools.

I hate this helplessness of never being able to do anything at all and if you ever do fight back, chances are that no one takes your side.

Oh fuck no!

2.4

I want to just punch all the bullies.

Hmmm, I wonder if the teacher is planning on doing anything or if he's genuinely just ignoring this. Because he could interfere right now without making Taylor look even worse.

Oh, that's what happened to her mom.

Aw, their friendship was so nice and now it's just a vulnerability. I kinda wonder if the reason for them breaking apart is really just this weird social pressure thing or whatever else it is that makes people turn against you or if there is some other reason for it.

I can see her reasoning for never even attempting to use her powers. Not sure how smart of an idea it is to treat the superheroing as escapism.

2.5

I'm excited and worried about meeting the gang from the fight with Lung.

Tattletale seems to know a lot of things, which would be very dangerous in case of a potential conflict.

Oh boy, we are doing this now.

How badly could this possibly go?

[sillovn]

The World Before #2: Primeval Man

Sorry, for the long wait for part 2. Here, we try to explain the relationship between humans-dragons and vice versa. all entries -> #worldbefore

2.1 Primeval Men

Besides Dragons and Beastmen, Farum Azula was also home to Wormfaces and Humans. Humans only appear depicted in art, as its uncertain if the Banished Knights, Crucible Knights or Godskins are native to the city (more on this in the future).

But more interestingly, the nature of humanity in Elden Ring is unclear - are the Zamor or Numen human? Also, the human body featured scales, horns and tails in ancient times (see. Crucible Talismans).

Adding this; Ancient Dragons can take human form. Also, the mentioned but never shown Draconians, ’people of the ancient dragons’.

There’s an implication that (some?) humans descend from Giants (see. Northerner preset). Giants seem to have shrunk over time (see. Trolls vs. Mountaintop Skeletons) and that humans might be larger in the past (see. Godfrey, Giant Crusher).

This post (X) (thanks @eyestrain-addict) points out that Misbegotten resemble the ‘Malformed Dragons’ depicted on armour. More specifically, Misbegotten appear to be dragons that have human features (or vice versa).

What Im trying to say is: in prehistory, there may not have been clear distinctions between human, beast and dragon. This could also explain how Maliketh can be Marika’s half-brother.

2.2 Grand Designs

An idea I'd like throw out - do creatures touched by the Greater Will attain human form over time? ? (ie. Beasts gain sentience, hence the ‘man’ in Beastman, Dragons become Misbegotten, Giants shrink in size).

Ultimately, this is a question of what you think The Greater Will (TGW) is, and what it's plans may be. As previously, Im of the opinion that sentience is the direct mark of TGW's influence. More specifically: sentience allows mortals to categorize the world - thus enacting order. This sentience physically manifests as a 5-fingered hand but also in an increasingly human form over time.

Is it simply that all sentient life should culminate in humanity?

Another potential (and related) idea is that order is the creation of new "fundamental categories" of being. To paraphrase Hyetta/3 Fingers: "from the One Great... came fractures, and births, and souls... but The Greater Will made a mistake". To me, the implication here is that TGW is *the* original sentience in the universe, mortal existence becoming possible due to it's ordering ~ life vs inanimate, person vs animal.

There's probably an entire rant one could do, tying this to anthropomorphism and God in Abrahamic Religion. But I personally don't have the religious history chops for it.

2.3 Worms and Giants

With previous theory in mind, its notable that some creatures have a dichotomy of sentient 'person form' and wild 'beast form'.

Beasts vs Beastmen

Ancient Dragons vs Flesh Dragons

Therefore, are Wormfaces simply invertebrate life that has been given person-hood by TGW?

Personally, not very convinced on this. Wormfaces seem tied to the Deathroot and could just be afflicted Beastmen; their proportions (large head, thin limbs, general stance) do somewhat fit. Though, Wormfaces do have very distinct male/female morphs - very large, solitary females, surrounded by small, gregarious males. Reminiscent of certain social insects, so maybe that's a point in favor of the 'Insect-people' theory?

Another of these cases of "wilderness vs. civilization" could be "Human vs. Giant". This one is harder to defend, as Giants are clearly sentient beings who left countless constructions and artifacts across the lands. You could argue that Giants (in their numerous sizes and generations) occupied a spectrum from the immense Giants (known only from skeletons) to present-day humans. Then, there is the Giant Crusher; which states that humanity turned on itself after the Giants were destroyed.

A scenario for the "ordering of giants and men" is one where ever-shrinking generations of giants wage war on their forebears (note: the Trolls and Zamor stood with humans against the Giants). First the true Giants of old were destroyed, followed by a second conflict within early humans. Possibly the reason why "unusually large humans" exist in a marginal state in the present (see. Fire Monks and Zamor. Also Godfrey and Rennala.)

This also the earliest point Marika seems to be involved in the world, having been the one to defeat the Giant's God. In short, Marika is involved in the ordering of humanity (have more to say on this in the future).

Giants in ER seem to homage various ideas in folklore about "wildmen", such as being covered in shaggy red hair. There's also the idea that language is one the characteristics unique to modern humans (note: Fire Giant does not have intelligible speech, but Iji can speak). Not too sure where Im going with this, as I don't know Anthropology well enough to say more/definitive things here.

2.4 Increasing Order

Running with the idea that the Greater Will's idea of order is an increasingly 'specific and structured' existence. With each era of order, categories become more distinct with ambiguity less tolerated. This pretty much explains the prejudice against chimeric beings like Misbegotten, but potentially also has gender implications.

Placidusax was Elden Lord but has no distinct gender (game uses 'he', but the Dragon's original form is likely 3/5 female and 2/5 male). As opposed to the later order of Marika x Godfrey.

Perhaps why Marika needed to discard her masculine half to ascend as god queen?

The caveat to this is Miquella/Trina being an empyrean, and that Marika/Radagon eventually marries themself. Though the self-marriage produces afflicted children, the Greater Will seems to have no opinion on this.

----------------------

This is all for today

TLDR: Human form is favoured by The Greater Will. Order is to split the world into finer and stricter categories.

still need to do that Marika origin entry

[makima-s-most-smile]

Trigun Ultimate 2 (Part 4)

Will this volume ever end? Why do I have so much to say?

OOOOooOOooooh, it is woowootime. Nyehehehehehehe *continues to say even more about its favourite character!*

Trigun Ultimate: 1.1, 1.2, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4 Trigun Maximum: 1.1, 1.2, 2.1, 2.2, 3.1, 3.2, 4.1, 4.2, 5.1, 5.2, 6.1, 6.2, 7.1, 7.2, 8.1, 8.2, 8.3, 9.1, 9.2, 10.1, 10.2, 10.3, 10.4, 10.5

Chapter 6: A gathering of demons

Oh, I love how nightow portrays the vastness of the desert. How much is an ile? How big is this planet? Is it earthlike? With no oceans and all... are the cities splayed out? I am European and live in a big city conglomerate. In two hours, I can switch countries and visit like 20 different cities. This picture reminds me of the "Wild West". I remember American friends being shocked at how connected everything is and how we Europeans see distance. For them a 4-12 hour drive is totally normal and you are still in the same state. I can only imagine that No-Man's-Land is even worse than that.

But what does that entail? Is travel between cities something regular or something you only do if you try and get work or flee from something? There is the big trade between the cities, but those have to be the outliers. Sandstreamers being something like trains. I imagine that they are mostly used for commerce, then. Transporting people has to be a lesser side hustle.

But how long does the journey with a bus between the cities take? I'd say days with the thoughts I just had.

I leave the Wolfwood introduction panel out, because of the limitations for pictures, but damn, it is good. It also took me too long to realise that this was not fabricated, but that Wolfwood literally had a bike mishap. His whole interaction with Vash reads differently for me when I take this into consideration.

Three things. 1. what I like about Wolfwood’s design is that if you don’t take the tit window and the facial scruff into consideration, he is dressed like a typical Japanese salary man! A nobody, one of many. Black short hair with suit, he could be a 0815 background character/random casualty in nearly any anime/manga. But here, he falls out of the line. All in black in the desert heat, that is suicide! He is not dressed like the others in typical western clothes. He’s an outlier from the start but at the same time a very usual sight for us readers!

2. I love how silly and welcoming he is. He is just a very charming random dude. We next to never see him interact with random people after this, so we miss this side of him in the later volumes. But he easily fits in and connects, even as a weird outlier. He is an idiot, but an idiot with street smarts.

3. Maybe because I am not a native English speaker, but I stumbled more than once over the word “tradesman” as a colloquial term for assassin. Kinda a roundabout way to say, hey, if you’re interested in me, I may provide you with more information and maybe I have the kind of skill you’re looking for. Tradesman basically means person with a specific skill, so not elaborating on that, but letting people mock him always reads for me as Wolfwood playing with being caught/putting his “profession” down/offering work. That he has a good eye is shown on the next page with him immediately realising who Vash is (at least he know the bounty pics and knows how to look. Wolfwood is not faceblind!)

Without the context of Milly being especially perceptive, this always read for me as Vash being absolutely annoyed by Wolfwood and being distrusting, when in reality he seems to be already warming up to him. Like with us readers, Wolfwood has wormed himself into his heart already. Who could deny Wolfy?

“‘Bout time I left, anyway.” Rings differently when you know him more. Wolfwood is a person that has his foot already out of the door to be not a burden to anyone nice. And we learn that in his introduction.

Wolfwood looks so damn fucking young there. I always have big problems in discerning ages in Manga. But even with his scruff, Wolfwood looks barely out of his teens.

When I think about the different WooWoo-versions, I always deck '98 as the oldest in his mid to end thirties, Ultimate barely 20, Trimax 30 max and Stampede... Sorry, StampWolfwood, you are still in your teens for me. You are baby.

I always remembered Wolfwood as a liar by omission, but damn, he is doing everything but spelling stuff out.  “Not exactly just that…” Damn, and he looks so pained. Vash surely zoomed in on it. I now believe, the only reason why we know stuff so late about Wolfwood is because Vash never asked or tried to pin Wolfwood down.

The following pages is Wolfwood sharing his money with the orphans and I love it. We get to know Wolfwood as a very perceptive, benevolent and honest guy, who seems to be desperately begging for people to see him, to ask more about him. As much as he is funny, we also see someone who sees himself as a burden and who is burdened by a big responsibility and who still shares and gives as much as he can. No wonder Vash smiled with such earnesty. Wolfwood is the personification of what makes him still have hope in humanity.

Chapter 7: The demon’s eye

You know him just for this little bus drive and you already trust him with that info, Vash. Wolfwood is part of the team now, wether they realised it or not. Like I said in the chapter before, the journey must take longer, so they may have had a few days to bond.

He knows what happened. We learn in the next chapter why Wolfwood is there. It is easy to put two and two together for him.

Or regrets that they have to part ways and Wolfwood has to go back to being the Punisher. He had a short dance with Lady Death and then a little vacation where he could be human.

As much as we learn that Wolfwood hates his predicament, it is his duty. There is a reason why he does what he does.

It is kinda sad that Wolfwood left immediately. Nightow, most likely, had other stuff planned, but the cancellation of the magazine kinda threw a wrench into it. I kinda like how '98 did it with Vash and Wolfwood having their own little adventure on the journey.

Funny observation. People are there, because there is gunshots. Not children’s laughs or anything, it is gunshots that show that people are there. What a shitty world they live in.

08: The fifth moon

Did Legato control the corpses? Or did he “take in” the survivors and used experiments on them? Nicholas knows his bounties. Without him, I wouldn't peg them as the Slavers.

First of all, the hint/info that Vash and Knifes are both not human. A man between a rock and a hard place. A well-prepared dead man, but a dead man either way.

Since we as a reader already have a bond with Wolfwood, he is our point of reference for a "normal" human reaction to the shit that goes down. Nightow regularly flashes back to Wolfwood's reaction to it all. Either so we don't forget that he is part of the EVUL or to bring down that point how fucked up Knives is (especially with the SA-symbolism). People with uteri will agree either way that the scene with the sister being that pregnant and Knives bursting out is… massive body horror.

At least both legs and one arm are smashed, pelvis most likely, too, his head is squished into his torso, neck broken? and I have no idea how else he is crumbled up. Paper doll Legato

Vash didn’t only shoot himself to regain control. He shot Knives, too! He shot Knives to get free, but it was already too late.

While someone else (I am sorry, I am bad with names D; If I find you again, I will link your post) has put it brilliantly how Knives taking control over Vash can be read as assault, there is something else I’d like to point out.

Knives is the only person in the whole story who has been able to take control from Vash. We have seen him fight so many people, like Neon, Monev and others, but Vash never was not in control. He put rules upon himself that constricted him, e.g. the pacifism, but those constrictions were by his own decision. Vash takes into consideration that he may die, but it is by his own free will and as we have seen, he is a bit suicidal. Likewike, Vash gives people all the agency, all his agency. He mostly reacts to their decisions towards him. Knives is the only person in the whole world who is able to take away Vash’s agency and he uses that power over him. Not going into powerscaling or such a thing, but it shows what a powerful player Knives is.

Again, Wolfwood is our focus point for human reaction. Dude is scared out of his mind and mixing both brothers. Messengers of God coming to cast down judgement on us? That would be Knives, not Vash. But he demands an answer from Vash, with whom he already formed a connection. Wolfwood may feel even somewhat betrayed, as hypocritical as that is.

[got-into-worm-by-mistake]

Arc 2, Reflections

So, I had some... strong opinions about some of Wildbow's choices in the Interlude 2 Live Reactions.

That's going to happen. I don't always agree with or like or even really 'accept' the choices of creators sometimes. I bitch about them. Happens. They don't necessarily mean much about my broader opinions about the creator as a creator, and they definitely don't mean anything about what I think about them as a person.

I don't know Wildbow, and I'm not likely to. Whatever he's like as a person, I don't know. As a writer, he's obviously talented, dedicated, and somehow able to churn out words at a disturbingly fast pace. He's also made choices I don't agree with (I've never met a creator that doesn't) or like or think were really the best choices he could have made with the characters/story. But so what? It's his work.

Doesn't mean I don't like Worm. 2 Arcs in, and I still do.

Anyway, the point is, the occasional bitching about Wildbow and his choices, or the Sequel to Worm that Really Should Not Be Named don't represent some sort of 'I hate Worm and Wildbow' thing.

Anyway - as for Arc 2 itself, it's good. It does feel a little fluffed up, there's definitely some parts of 2.1, 2.3 and 2.4 that could have been cut, or condensed, but it's not so bad that it substantively or really even noticeably detracts from the arc.

Arc 2 is clearly both establishing for Taylor why she's going to make the choice to join up with these villains despite her stated desire to be a hero, the desire that has motivated her for three months, kept her going, and why we the readers should see this as reasonable, both for her, and from a broader standpoint.

Taylor obviously justifies it to herself with 'I need to find their boss', but equally, she I think, pretty clearly, wants to be... well, wanted (not in a sexual sense, though perhaps that too, but just in the 'they want me around' sense. Minus Rachel, anyway). She hasn't had a place to belong, or people that aren't Danny and... I guess maybe Greg, that really wanted her around in a very long time (as a teenager reckons things). And Armsmaster does a poor job of showcasing the Hero side, and Taylor's got too much baggage to really grasp the case about the Wards he was making, etc.

So yeah. It does make sense. She's got no trust in authority in general, be it Protectorate, PRT or the School. The Undersiders have a boss, but Money is nice, and a place to belong is even more, and she can tell herself she's still aiming to be a hero and turn on them eventually.

And yet - we as the readers see humanized villains, who are all kids too. All (well, maybe not Rachel, yet) decent...ish people. They're not Lung, they're not Empire 88. They're not dealing drugs. They don't really hurt people. (Rachel again excepted)

And we as the reader already have a poor opinion (ish) of Armsmaster, and then we have Vicky.

Vicky, Vicky, Vicky. Glory Girl the Cop. Police Brutality in a Tiara. Collateral Damage Barbie.

She gets better, I believe that, and that this picture of her is just an out of context one, but it really doesn't make a good showing of the character, or of the Heroes side in general. Even Panacea - she's a hero too, and she's calling Victoria out, but she does it the same, all the same, covers it up.

And then there's that Aura, which - we don't know much about it yet, but the fact that a character is just... slinging a mind-altering Aura around like that so casually, to the point where her sister calls herself 'immune' from overexposure, even as what may have been a joke...

Yeah. That seems... fucked. Vicky being this way, so casual about what she did to the guy, effectively torturing him (and Amy kinda gleefully joining in at the end, sorta)...

It doesn't do a great job of showing the heroes of the Wormverse in a good light. Which is, I would imagine, the whole point.

We as the readers are supposed to be okay with our MC being a wannabe hero that decides to join Villains, and one way we're expected to be okay with it is the classic trope - the good guys are actually as bad or worse than some of the baddies.

The Undersiders try not to hurt random people. Vicky fucking - I mean, fuck she nearly kills a guy. Not in self defense. Not in a fight. Not to save anyone.

Just because she got angry and didn't care to stop herself.

Maybe, just maybe, the heroes aren't all they seem cracked up to be. Maybe Taylor being a villain is the more moral choice. That's what the Interlude is trying to imply to us.

Ish.

It's hard to really read Interlude 2 in Isolation, since Amy is my Blorbo so much already, since the Brainrot™ of her has taken over my brain, but I suspect I would like Amy anyway, between her generally bitchy attitude, how much she does care about her sister (not that we know the full details yet) and her 'Fucking hell Vicky, stop doing this shit!' attitude. She makes a good, appealing showing of herself, and she's the sort of character I'd tend to like anyway.

Of course, I'm not reading this blind, and I know Amy is even more the sort of character I'm into, narratively. And here she is at the start of her fucked up journey into fucking up so fucking much. Poor little Amy. If she knew what was coming...

Well, I honestly wouldn't put it past her to just try and kill or birdcage herself now, so she doesn't do that to Vicky. Or she snaps early and goes hogwild, I suppose, but I don't think so.

Anyway, back on topic, before I babble about Amy for hours ( :rofl: ), Arc 2 is a big set up piece, really. Arc 1 is the inciting incident, the big deal that sets the tone for what's to come, introduces the world and some key players, the basic ideas and notions...

And Arc 2 is building out on that. A lot does and does not happen, but what definitely happens is a fluffing out of the world, a showing us more than just what we had seen, laying the groundwork for what's to come.

Certainly Amy and Vicky will be showing up again at the Bank, and yet, we probably don't realize, as blind readers, where they fit in. Or that the bank is coming.

But we have to know, have to suspect, that Taylor is gonna have to do villain stuff at some point.

Arc 2 lays all the groundwork of who these people are, the world they live in, and the consequences of Arc 1, of Taylor fucking taking out Lung.

Fucking LUNG.

Pound for pound, objectively, Arc 1 is better. But Arc 2 has a lot going for it, and of course, AMY!

I have no doubt I'm going to continue to enjoy this work. What I'm most curious about rn is if I'll keep hating Tattle-bitch.

[adamwatchesmovies]

Coach Carter (2005)

There are only so many ways a film about a basketball team can go. What really matters isn’t the plot but the characters who populate it. Thankfully, Coach Carter has a strong pillar at its centre. With a compelling sports story and a couple of decent side characters to add some spice, it’s a basketball movie worth seeing.

Based on a true story, Ken Carter (Samuel L. Jackson) takes a coaching job at Richmond high school. The players are rude, disrespectful and in need of discipline so he hands them contracts they must sign and agree to in order to play. The players, which include Kenyon (Rob Brown), the coach’s son Damien (Robert Ri’chard), Timo (Rick Gonzalez), Jason (Channing Tatum), and “Worm” (Antwon Tanner), must attend all their classes and sit in the front row, wear suits and ties to all games, clean up their dialogue and maintain a 2.3 grade point average. When Carter begins enforcing his rules, he rubs many people the wrong way.

Samuel L. Jackson is at his best when he’s screaming at people or bossing them around, and that’s what he does here. He rules the basketball court with an iron fist, tossing punishment to anyone who mouths off without mercy. Coach Carter is fun to watch because of him. It’s also enjoyable because you can see the logic in his method. Ken Carter has the best intentions in mind and no one else seems to believe in these players. When they do, it’s only because of their basketball abilities. Things don’t always go well with his team but it just makes you more eager to see him double-down on his efforts. You don’t want him to change or grow. You want him to inspire the others and when he does, you feel great.

The players he’s coaching also help make the film enjoyable. They’ve got their own little dramatic stories, the best of which is Kenyon's. Until recently, he didn’t think his future would amount to much. He’s got a baby on the way with his girlfriend, Kyra (Ashanti). Now that going to college might actually be a possibility, he’s caught between the plans that were thrust upon him by circumstances, and the one he wants to craft for himself. There’s a compelling story there. The other players and their stories accentuate how important it is for them to get out of the rut they’ve allowed themselves to fall into. At least, most of them do. Carter’s son, Damien, for example has few scenes. You’d think with the controversy his father faces when he stands his ground about demanding his players keep up their grade or skip games, he’d have something to say.

At points, Coach Carter milks its drama a little much. Every teacher at Richmond high school is depicted as lazy and without any hope for their students, whatsoever. Director Thomas Carter tries so hard to make us outraged you smell the phoniness and it prevents the film from being all that it could be.

Whether the story of Ken Carter followed the events depicted in this film or not, this is a formulaic picture. You won’t mind too much, as the central performance by Sam Jackson and his character gives you something to root for, look forward to, and look up to as well. (April 18, 2019)

[holethoa2010]

(Exotic) With Smoked Fish - Secrets to Harvesting Fish & Making Smoked Fish

Fish smoke, a characteristic and delicious dish, not only gives a special taste, but also a method of long-term preservation of fish. In this guide, you will learn the secrets to harvesting fish efficiently and how to prepare smoked fish perfectly.

**Part 1: T**1.1 Selecting a Venue

Location: C

**Period

**1.2 Sentence C Technique

Tool: Use a fishing rod and bait that is suitable for the type of fish you want to fish. Baits such as worms, worms, or artificial bait can all be effective.

**Technique

1.3 Handling fish after harvest

Cleaning: Immediately after harvesting, the fish should be cleaned to remove dirt and blood. Wash the fish under cold water and use a knife to remove the scales, intestines, and head if necessary.

Storage: If not processed immediately, the fish needs to be stored in the refrigerator or ice to keep it fresh for a long time.

Part 2: Smoked Fish Processing2.1 Fish Preparation

Salting: Before smoking, the fish should be salted to enhance the flavor and help preserve it. Mix salt with cold water in the ratio of 1 part salt to 4 parts water, soak the fish in this solution for about 12-24 hours.

Wash and dry: After salting, rinse the fish under cold water and allow the fish to dry completely before putting it in the smoke process.

2.2 Preparing the Smoker

Choose wood: The wood used for smoke should be woods such as oak, hickory or pine. Avoid using wood that contains plastic or wood that has been chemically treated.

Set up the smoke machine: If using a smoke machine, make sure the unit is cleaned and installed at the right temperature. The smoker should be kept at a temperature of about 70-90°C (160-200°F) in order for the fish to dry evenly.

2.3 Smoke Procedure

Put the fish in the smoker: Arrange the fish evenly in the smoker, ensuring the distance between the fish pieces so that the smoke can circulate freely.

Fish smoke: The duration of the smoke depends on the size and type of fish. Normally, the fish needs to be smoked for 4 to 8 hours. Monitor and adjust the temperature as needed.

2.4 Finishing and Storage

Check: After smoking, inspect the fish to make sure it has been smoked evenly and has the proper moisture.

Storage: Smoked fish can be stored in the refrigerator or in a cool, dry environment. Be sure to store the smoked fish in an airtight bag or container to avoid mold.

Conclude

Preparing smoked fish is not only an art, but it's also a great way to enjoy your favorite fish for a long time. With the secrets of fish harvesting and smoked fish processing techniques shared in this guide, you can confidently create amazing dishes and unique flavors for family and friends.

[brookston]

Holidays 2.3

Holidays

American Painters Day

Artist Appreciation Day

Battle of San Lorenzo Day (Argentina)

Benelux Treaty Day (EU)

Booty Pic Day

Bowling Green Massacre Day (Kellyanne Conway Fictional Event)

Commemoration of the Batepá Massacre (São Tomé and Príncipe)

Communist Party Foundation Day (Vietnam)

Cow Day (French Republic)

Day of Finnish Architecture and Design (Finland)

Day of the Virgin of Suyapa (Honduras)

Desmond Tutu Day

Doggy Date Night

The Day the Music Died (according to Don McLean)

Elmo’s Day

Endangered Species Act Day

Feed the Birds Day

Four Chaplains Day

Halfway Point of Winter

Heroes' Day (Mozambique)

International Golden Retriever Day

International Lawyers Day

International Straw Free Day

John Lewis Day (Alabama)

Liberation of the Battle of Manila Day

Martyrs' Day (São Tomé and Príncipe)

Meaka Bochea Day (Cambodia)

National Cordova Ice Worm Day

National Doggy Date Night

National Honey Badger Day

National Missing Persons Day

National Patient Recognition Day

National Trevor Day

National Wedding Ring Day

National Women Physicians Day

National Women’s Heart Day

Nuestra Señora de Suyapa (Festival of the Virgin of Suyapa; Honduras)

Number Day

Take a Cruise Day

Veteran’s Day (Thailand)

Veterinary Pharmacists Day

Wedding Ring Day

World Free Love Day

Food & Drink Celebrations

National Carrot Cake Day

National Carrot Day

1st Saturday in February

Barber Day [1st Saturday]

Burning the Hom Strom (Graubünden, Switzerland) [1st Saturday]

Global Chaplains Day [1st Saturday]

Ice Cream For Breakfast Day [1st Saturday]

International Pisco Sour Day [1st Saturday]

Lace Day [1st Saturday]

National Play Outside Day [1st Saturday of Every Month]

Pork Rind Appreciation Day [1st Saturday]

Satyr's Day (Silenus, Greek God of Beer Buddies and Drinking Companions) [1st Saturday of Each Month]

South African National Beer Day (South Africa) [1st Saturday]

Take Your Child to the Library Day [1st Saturday]

Independence & Related Days

Danielland (Declared; 2015) [unrecognized]

Illinois Territory Day (Illinois; 1818)

Keep Watch (Declared; 2009) [unrecognized]

Liberation Movement Day (Angola)

Festivals Beginning February 3, 2024

Arizona Renaissance Festival (Apache Junction, Arizona) [thru 3.31]

Carnival Brasiliero (Austin, Texas)

Carnival of Viereggio (Viereggio, Italy) [thru 2.24]

Carolina Chocolate Festival (Moorehead City, North Carolina) [thru 2.4]

Downtown Gadsen Chili Cook-Off (Gadsen, Alabama)

Florida Renaissance Fair (Deerfield Beach, Florida) [thru 3.24]

Hudson Valley Wingfest (Poughkeepsie, New York)

Kurentovanje Carnival (Ptuj, Slovenia) [thru 2.13]

Melodifestivalen (Malmö, Sweden)

Northwest Briefest (Chicago, Illinois)

South Florida Garlic Festival (Wellington, Florida) [thru 2.4]

Temecula Valley Barrel Tasting (Temecula, California) [thru 2.4]

Yukon Quest (Whitehorse, Yukon)

Feast Days

Aaron the Illustrious (Syriac Orthodox Church)

Ansgar, Archbishop (a.k.a. Anskar; Christian; Saint) [Denmark]

Auscharius (Christian; Saint)

Berlindis of Meerbeke (Christian; Saint)

Blaise (Christian; Saint) [Blessing of Throats]

Blessing of Throats Day (St. Blaise’s Day); Everyday Wicca)

Build a Relationship with Brigid Day (Starza Pagan Book of Days)

Celsa and Nona (Christian; Saints)

Claudine Thévenet (Christian; Saint)

Day of Remembrance for Oleg the Prophet (Asatru/Slavic Pagan)

Dom Justo Takayama (Christian; Saint) [Japan, Philippines]

Ewok Day (Pastafarian)

Festival of Sulis Minerva (Pagan)

Fiesta de San Blas (Protector of the Harvest; Puerto Rico)

Fukuju no mai (Jimai; Dance of the Seven Gods of Fortune; Japan)

Gaelic Lullaby Day (Celtic Book of Days)

Gertrude Stein (Writerism)

Gillian Ayres (Artology)

Hadelin (Christian; Saint)

Henning Mankell (Writerism)

Hickety Pickety (Muppetism)

ia (Christian; Virgin)

James Michener (Writerism)

Laurence of Canterbury, Srchbishop (Christian; Saint)

Laurence of Spoleto, Bishop (Christian; Saint)

Lesser Eleusinian Mysteries, Day 3 of 3 (Ancient Greece festival honoring Ceres, Demeter, Persephone, and Proserpine)

Magnolia and Fish Jubilee (Shamanism)

Margaret of England (Christian; Saint, Virgin)

Norman Rockwell (Artology)

Our Lady of Suyapa (Honduras)

Pagerwesi (Festival to Sang Hyang Pramesti Guru, god of teachers and creator of the universe; Bali)

Paul Aster (Writerism)

Pokémon Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint) 

Richard Yates (Writerism)

Setsubun (Bean-Throwing Festival; Shinto/Japan)

Theocritus (Positivist; Saint)

Werburga (a.k.a. Werburgh; Christian; Saint)

Woodrow Wilson Day

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Fatal Day (Pagan) [3 of 24]

Taian (大安 Japan) [Lucky all day.]

Unfortunate Day (Pagan) [8 of 57]

Premieres

Air Force (Film; 1943)

Amapola, by Jimmy Dorsey and His Orchestra (Song; 1941)

Birds of a Feather (Disney Silly Symphonies Cartoon; 1931)

Boys on the Side (Film; 1995)

Canned Feud (WB LT Cartoon; 1951)

Chilly Con Carmen (Oswald the Lucky Rabbit Cartoon; 1930)

Chronicle (Film; 2012)

Dead Man’s Curve (TV movie; 1978)

Death Be Not Proud, by John Gunther (Memoir; 1949)

Earthling, by David Bowie (Album; 1997)

Earwig and the Witch (Animated Film; 2021)

Fun, Fun, Fun, by The Beach Boys (Song; 1964)

Hanna (TV Series; 2019)

The IT Crowd (UK TV Series; 2006)

Jane Eyre (Film; 1944)

La Dolce Vita (Film; 1960)

Norman Normal (WB Cartoon; 1968)

Rock You Like a Hurricane, by the Scorpions (Song; 1984)

Roman Carnival, by Hector Berlioz (Overture; 1844)

Santa Clarita Diet (TV Series; 2017)

Semiramide, Gioachino Rossini (Opera; 1823)

Shanghai Knights (Film; 2003)

Society Dog (Disney Cartoon; 1939)

The Space Between Us (Film; 2017)

Transformations, by Anne Sexton (Poetry; 1971)

What the Bleep!?: Down the Rabbit Hole (Documentary Film; 2006)

Yield, by Pearl Jam (Album; 1998)

Today’s Name Days

Ansgar, Blasius, Oskar (Austria)

Simeon (Bulgaria)

Blaž, Tripun, Vlaho (Croatia)

Blažej (Czech Republic)

Blasius (Denmark)

Hubert, Hugo, Huko (Estonia)

Hugo, Valo (Finland)

Blaise, Nelson, Oscar (France)

Ansgar, Blasius, Michael, Oskar (Germany)

Asimakis, Asimina, Malamati, Simeon, Stamatia, Stamatis (Greece)

Balázs (Hungary)

Biagio (Italy)

Aīda, Ansgars, Ida, Laida (Latvia)

Blažiejus, Oskaras, Radvilas, Radvilė (Lithuania)

Ansgar, Asgeir (Norway)

Błażej, Hipolit, Hipolita, Laurencjusz, Maksym, Oskar, Stefan, Telimena, Uniemysł, Wawrzyniec (Poland)

Ana, Simeon (Romania)

Blažej (Slovakia)

Blas, Olivia, Óscar (Spain)

Disa, Hjördis (Sweden)

Simon (Ukraine)

Ansgar, Barclay, Baxter, Blaise,, Blase, Blasia, Blaze, Norma, Norman, Norris (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 34 of 2024; 332 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 6 of week 5 of 2024

Celtic Tree Calendar: Luis (Rowan) [Day 14 of 28]

Chinese: Month 12 (Yi-Chou), Day 24 ()

Chinese Year of the: Rabbit 4721 (until February 10, 2024)

Hebrew: 24 Shevat 5784

Islamic: 23 Rajab 1445

J Cal: 4 Grey; Foursday [4 of 30]

Julian: 21 January 2024

Moon: 42%: Waning Crescent

Positivist: 6 Homer (2nd Month) [Theocritus)

Runic Half Month: Elhaz (Elk) [Day 10 of 15]

Season: Winter (Day 45 of 89)

Zodiac: Capricorn (Day 13 of 28)

[brookstonalmanac]

Holidays 2.3

Holidays

American Painters Day

Artist Appreciation Day

Battle of San Lorenzo Day (Argentina)

Benelux Treaty Day (EU)

Booty Pic Day

Bowling Green Massacre Day (Kellyanne Conway Fictional Event)

Commemoration of the Batepá Massacre (São Tomé and Príncipe)

Communist Party Foundation Day (Vietnam)

Cow Day (French Republic)

Day of Finnish Architecture and Design (Finland)

Day of the Virgin of Suyapa (Honduras)

Desmond Tutu Day

Doggy Date Night

The Day the Music Died (according to Don McLean)

Elmo’s Day

Endangered Species Act Day

Feed the Birds Day

Four Chaplains Day

Halfway Point of Winter

Heroes' Day (Mozambique)

International Golden Retriever Day

International Lawyers Day

International Straw Free Day

John Lewis Day (Alabama)

Liberation of the Battle of Manila Day

Martyrs' Day (São Tomé and Príncipe)

Meaka Bochea Day (Cambodia)

National Cordova Ice Worm Day

National Doggy Date Night

National Honey Badger Day

National Missing Persons Day

National Patient Recognition Day

National Trevor Day

National Wedding Ring Day

National Women Physicians Day

National Women’s Heart Day

Nuestra Señora de Suyapa (Festival of the Virgin of Suyapa; Honduras)

Number Day

Take a Cruise Day

Veteran’s Day (Thailand)

Veterinary Pharmacists Day

Wedding Ring Day

World Free Love Day

Food & Drink Celebrations

National Carrot Cake Day

National Carrot Day

1st Saturday in February

Barber Day [1st Saturday]

Burning the Hom Strom (Graubünden, Switzerland) [1st Saturday]

Global Chaplains Day [1st Saturday]

Ice Cream For Breakfast Day [1st Saturday]

International Pisco Sour Day [1st Saturday]

Lace Day [1st Saturday]

National Play Outside Day [1st Saturday of Every Month]

Pork Rind Appreciation Day [1st Saturday]

Satyr's Day (Silenus, Greek God of Beer Buddies and Drinking Companions) [1st Saturday of Each Month]

South African National Beer Day (South Africa) [1st Saturday]

Take Your Child to the Library Day [1st Saturday]

Independence & Related Days

Danielland (Declared; 2015) [unrecognized]

Illinois Territory Day (Illinois; 1818)

Keep Watch (Declared; 2009) [unrecognized]

Liberation Movement Day (Angola)

Festivals Beginning February 3, 2024

Arizona Renaissance Festival (Apache Junction, Arizona) [thru 3.31]

Carnival Brasiliero (Austin, Texas)

Carnival of Viereggio (Viereggio, Italy) [thru 2.24]

Carolina Chocolate Festival (Moorehead City, North Carolina) [thru 2.4]

Downtown Gadsen Chili Cook-Off (Gadsen, Alabama)

Florida Renaissance Fair (Deerfield Beach, Florida) [thru 3.24]

Hudson Valley Wingfest (Poughkeepsie, New York)

Kurentovanje Carnival (Ptuj, Slovenia) [thru 2.13]

Melodifestivalen (Malmö, Sweden)

Northwest Briefest (Chicago, Illinois)

South Florida Garlic Festival (Wellington, Florida) [thru 2.4]

Temecula Valley Barrel Tasting (Temecula, California) [thru 2.4]

Yukon Quest (Whitehorse, Yukon)

Feast Days

Aaron the Illustrious (Syriac Orthodox Church)

Ansgar, Archbishop (a.k.a. Anskar; Christian; Saint) [Denmark]

Auscharius (Christian; Saint)

Berlindis of Meerbeke (Christian; Saint)

Blaise (Christian; Saint) [Blessing of Throats]

Blessing of Throats Day (St. Blaise’s Day); Everyday Wicca)

Build a Relationship with Brigid Day (Starza Pagan Book of Days)

Celsa and Nona (Christian; Saints)

Claudine Thévenet (Christian; Saint)

Day of Remembrance for Oleg the Prophet (Asatru/Slavic Pagan)

Dom Justo Takayama (Christian; Saint) [Japan, Philippines]

Ewok Day (Pastafarian)

Festival of Sulis Minerva (Pagan)

Fiesta de San Blas (Protector of the Harvest; Puerto Rico)

Fukuju no mai (Jimai; Dance of the Seven Gods of Fortune; Japan)

Gaelic Lullaby Day (Celtic Book of Days)

Gertrude Stein (Writerism)

Gillian Ayres (Artology)

Hadelin (Christian; Saint)

Henning Mankell (Writerism)

Hickety Pickety (Muppetism)

ia (Christian; Virgin)

James Michener (Writerism)

Laurence of Canterbury, Srchbishop (Christian; Saint)

Laurence of Spoleto, Bishop (Christian; Saint)

Lesser Eleusinian Mysteries, Day 3 of 3 (Ancient Greece festival honoring Ceres, Demeter, Persephone, and Proserpine)

Magnolia and Fish Jubilee (Shamanism)

Margaret of England (Christian; Saint, Virgin)

Norman Rockwell (Artology)

Our Lady of Suyapa (Honduras)

Pagerwesi (Festival to Sang Hyang Pramesti Guru, god of teachers and creator of the universe; Bali)

Paul Aster (Writerism)

Pokémon Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint) 

Richard Yates (Writerism)

Setsubun (Bean-Throwing Festival; Shinto/Japan)

Theocritus (Positivist; Saint)

Werburga (a.k.a. Werburgh; Christian; Saint)

Woodrow Wilson Day

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Fatal Day (Pagan) [3 of 24]

Taian (大安 Japan) [Lucky all day.]

Unfortunate Day (Pagan) [8 of 57]

Premieres

Air Force (Film; 1943)

Amapola, by Jimmy Dorsey and His Orchestra (Song; 1941)

Birds of a Feather (Disney Silly Symphonies Cartoon; 1931)

Boys on the Side (Film; 1995)

Canned Feud (WB LT Cartoon; 1951)

Chilly Con Carmen (Oswald the Lucky Rabbit Cartoon; 1930)

Chronicle (Film; 2012)

Dead Man’s Curve (TV movie; 1978)

Death Be Not Proud, by John Gunther (Memoir; 1949)

Earthling, by David Bowie (Album; 1997)

Earwig and the Witch (Animated Film; 2021)

Fun, Fun, Fun, by The Beach Boys (Song; 1964)

Hanna (TV Series; 2019)

The IT Crowd (UK TV Series; 2006)

Jane Eyre (Film; 1944)

La Dolce Vita (Film; 1960)

Norman Normal (WB Cartoon; 1968)

Rock You Like a Hurricane, by the Scorpions (Song; 1984)

Roman Carnival, by Hector Berlioz (Overture; 1844)

Santa Clarita Diet (TV Series; 2017)

Semiramide, Gioachino Rossini (Opera; 1823)

Shanghai Knights (Film; 2003)

Society Dog (Disney Cartoon; 1939)

The Space Between Us (Film; 2017)

Transformations, by Anne Sexton (Poetry; 1971)

What the Bleep!?: Down the Rabbit Hole (Documentary Film; 2006)

Yield, by Pearl Jam (Album; 1998)

Today’s Name Days

Ansgar, Blasius, Oskar (Austria)

Simeon (Bulgaria)

Blaž, Tripun, Vlaho (Croatia)

Blažej (Czech Republic)

Blasius (Denmark)

Hubert, Hugo, Huko (Estonia)

Hugo, Valo (Finland)

Blaise, Nelson, Oscar (France)

Ansgar, Blasius, Michael, Oskar (Germany)

Asimakis, Asimina, Malamati, Simeon, Stamatia, Stamatis (Greece)

Balázs (Hungary)

Biagio (Italy)

Aīda, Ansgars, Ida, Laida (Latvia)

Blažiejus, Oskaras, Radvilas, Radvilė (Lithuania)

Ansgar, Asgeir (Norway)

Błażej, Hipolit, Hipolita, Laurencjusz, Maksym, Oskar, Stefan, Telimena, Uniemysł, Wawrzyniec (Poland)

Ana, Simeon (Romania)

Blažej (Slovakia)

Blas, Olivia, Óscar (Spain)

Disa, Hjördis (Sweden)

Simon (Ukraine)

Ansgar, Barclay, Baxter, Blaise,, Blase, Blasia, Blaze, Norma, Norman, Norris (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 34 of 2024; 332 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 6 of week 5 of 2024

Celtic Tree Calendar: Luis (Rowan) [Day 14 of 28]

Chinese: Month 12 (Yi-Chou), Day 24 ()

Chinese Year of the: Rabbit 4721 (until February 10, 2024)

Hebrew: 24 Shevat 5784

Islamic: 23 Rajab 1445

J Cal: 4 Grey; Foursday [4 of 30]

Julian: 21 January 2024

Moon: 42%: Waning Crescent

Positivist: 6 Homer (2nd Month) [Theocritus)

Runic Half Month: Elhaz (Elk) [Day 10 of 15]

Season: Winter (Day 45 of 89)

Zodiac: Capricorn (Day 13 of 28)

[dramatic-shitpost-poet]

American Toad

Enclosure:

When it comes to frogs/toads most times a 10 gallon is good for one frog and this applies here. One toad will be fine in a 10 gallon, but if multiple then more space accordingly and bigger is better

Make sure the enclosure has a screen lid as well to prevent them escaping and for ventilation

Their needs to be at least 2 inches of substrate (they like to burrow) and examples that can be used include: coco fiber, soil w/peat moss, leaf litter (more on top and can be used as enrichment too)

Branches, logs, rocks, live/fake plants, and cork bark all work great for enrichment and hiding places

They need at least one water dish in the corner of their enclosure and fresh, fully clean water should be provided daily

UVB is not required, but a day and night cycle is required. 

They are also used to a large range of temperature, so it can vary a bit, but sticking to about 70-90 degrees F is good and it can drop a bit during the night

They need at least 50% humidity, but it can range from 15% and daily or 2-3 mistings a day are needed

Water dishes should be scrubbed once a week and entire enclosure should be cleaned with 5% bleach solution once a month and substrate should be replaced

They can be housed together and do just fine on their own and with others. They can even be housed with other amphibians sometimes, but it’s better to stick with just toads in one enclosure with enough space for each. If there’s a male and female then they might breed, but you can also house multiple males or females together (one sex per enclosure) and they will get along fine.

Diet/feeding habits:

They are insectivores and eat: crickets, mealworms, dubia roaches, spiders, worms, slugs, and waxworms

Juveniles need to be fed appropriately sized insects daily and adults need to be fed about 3-6 crickets daily or as much as they wanna eat in 15 minutes

Their food should also be dusted with calcium and multivitamin powder 2-3 times a week

Age identifican:

Lifespan is about 15-20 years, but some can live up to 30 years old

Physical traits:

A full-grown male grows between 2.3 – 3 inches in length and a full-grown female measures between 3.5 – 4 inches in length. So females are slightly larger than males. (males also have a mating call and have darker throats)

Tadpoles take about 2 months to transition into frogs, but I will not cover that here and breeding won’t be covered either

This toad carries bufotoxin, a white substance that has to be squeezed out to be seen so it does not appear to most keepers. If you get some on you, then set the toad down in a safe place and clean your hands (don’t touch your face or eyes as well)

They are greyish-brown in color with bumpy and mostly dry skin

They can be distinguished from other, similar toads from the two large bumps on their head, just behind their eyes.

They can be speckled or be solid in color and the colors can vary from dark brown to dirty yellow, but most times it averages out to a light brown

Personality:

They are mostly nocturnal and like to hide under leafs during the day a lot

If they feel threatened they may urinate or defecate on the predator they feel threatened by, but it is harmless so just wash your hands

Health concerns:

Nutritional deficiencies caused by not having a proper and varied diet. You need to contact a vet about this and symptoms are weak legs, lethargy, difference in skin color, etc.

Intestinal obstructions can be caused by eating gravel or too many hard shelled insects and you need to contact a vet

Chemical intoxication is caused by contact with active soap or other chemicals, so ensure they avoid that and other skin infections can be caused as well such as bacterial and fungal infections. You will need to contact a vet for infections.

Handling:

Try to avoid handling as much as possible as they absorb through their skin and there could be harmful chemicals on their skin. Before handling always wash your hands and make them a bit wet, then wash after handling

They do not usually mind being handled sometimes, but hold them gently but firmly in case they try to jump