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naveensarohasblog · 1 year

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#Wayofliving_Part218

Code of Conduct of Bhakti (Worship) || Part-L (12)

Gita Adhyay no. 15 Shlok no. 3

Na, roopam, asya, ih, tatha, uplabhyate, na, antH, na, ch, aadiH, na, ch,Samprtishtha, ashvattham, enam, suvirudmoolam,

asangshastren, drden, chhitva ||3||

Translation: This Creation has neither a beginning nor an end

and it is also not perceived like its real form. And here in this discussion i.e. in the knowledge of Gita being delivered by me, even I donot have full information because even I do not know about the properstate of the

creation of all brahmands. By slashing with this firmweapon of untainted i.e. pure Tatvgyan which has a properly stabilized state and a strong form, i.e. by considering the bhakti of Niranjanto be short-lived.

Gita Adhyay no. 15 Shlok no. 4

TatH, padam, tat, parimargitvyam, yasmin,

gataaH, na, nivartanti, bhooyH,Tam, ev, ch, aadhyam, purusham, prpadhye,yatH, prvrttiH, prsrta, puraani ||4||

Translation: After that one should search for that Param Pad Parmatma (Supreme God with supreme state). Having attainedwhom, men do not return to the world, and from whom this ancientcreation -nature/srishti has extended. I am also in the refuge of thatAadi Purush Parmatma

(Oldest Supreme God or the First God, who was before the creation of Nature.) only.

Thus, God Shri Krishna himself, making others relinquish theworship of Indra who is the king of gods-goddesses, had encouraged to do bhakti of only that Supreme God. Because of which raising the Govardhan mountain, he had protected the residents of Brijfrom the anger of Indra.Garib, Indra chada brij dubovan, bheega bheet na lev |

Indra kadaai hot jagat mein, pooja kha gaye dev ||

Kabir, is sansaar ko, samjhaaoon kae baar |

Poonchh jo pakdae bhed ki, utra chaahae paar ||

5. Obeying orders of Guru: - Without the permission of Guruji,

do not have to perform any type of religious rite at home. Like, Bandichhor (Liberator from prison) says in his sacred speech -

"Guru bin yagya hawan jo karhin, mithya jaave kabhu nahin falhin"

Kabir, guru bin maala ferte, guru bin dete daan |

Guru bin dono nishfal hain, poochho Ved Puraan ||

6. Worship of Mata-Masaani (a mother goddess named Masaani)- Prohibited: - Do not have to worship 'madi' (memorial structure/statue) made in your field or any 'kheda' (a site where a village orcity has been destroyed) etc or the grave of any god. Whether graveis of anyone, do not have to worship it at all. Do not have to do anyother worship. Even do not have to worship the three gunas (Brahma,Vishnu, and Shiv). Only have to act according to Guruji's instructions.

Gita Adhyay no. 7 Shlok no. 15

Na, mam, dushkrtinH, moodaH, prpadhyante, naraadhmaH,

Mayya, aphrtgyaanaH, aasurm, bhaavm, aashritaH ||15||

Translation: Those whose knowledge has been stolen by Maya,

such men who have demoniac nature, who are lowest among men,

the evil-doers, fools, do not worship me i.e. they keep doing sadhnaof the three gunas

(Rajgun-Brahma, Satgun-Vishnu, Tamgun-Shiv).

Kabir, maai masaani shed sheetla, bhairav bhoot hanumant | Parmatmaunse door hai, jo inko poojant || Kabir, sau varsh to guru ki sewa, ek dinaan upaasi | vo apraadhi aatma, parae Kaal ki faansi || Guru ko tajaebhajae jo aana | ta pasuva ko fokut gyaana ||

7. Lord Kabir is Sankat Mochan (Liberator from a crisis): - Onarrival of any suffering (crisis) as a result of deeds, never have toworship any other deity god or Mata Masaani etc., nor have to goto any palmist/astrologer. Only have to worship Bandichhor God

Kabir who removes all the miseries, who is the liberator from crisis.

Samved Sankhya no. 822 Utarchik Adhyay 3 Khand no. 5 Shlok 8 (Translated by Saint Rampal Das)

ManeeshibhiH pavte poorvyaH kavirnrbhiyatH pari koshaaM asishyadat |

Tritasya naam janayanmadhu ksharannindrasya vaayuM sakhyaay vardhayan ||8 ||

Translation: Primordial i.e. Eternal Supreme God Kabir, by giving instruction of three mantras to a devout soul who loves Him byheart and does worship with faith, by purifying him, releases himfrom birth and death, and fully increases the countable life-breaths,which have been given to his friend i.e. devotee according to destiny, from His store. As a result of which, He makes him attain the

real happiness of Supreme God by His blessings.

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

For getting spiritual information, do listen to the auspicious spiritual discourses of Saint Rampal Ji Maharaj on Sant Rampal Ji Maharaj YOUTUBE channel from 7:30-8:30 pm daily. Saint Rampal Ji Maharaj is the only Complete Guru in this world. It is our humble request to all of you that please take name initiation from Saint Rampal Ji Maharaj free of cost without wasting a single second, and make your human life successful.

https://online.jagatgururampalji.org/naam-diksha-inquiry

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tabitha2 · 2 years

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Salaam, I am called تابيثا (Sebiya) and I am a simple girl of the Faithful who has been taken in marriage this day Sunday the 7th of Shawwal. I am 26 summers old, and considered beautiful by the elders of my village who know best for me. For though I was born slow and my Arabic is small, my hips are wide and abundant for bearing. And Allah blessed me with a voice that is pleasing to Men that I might attract them to guide me. I am attracted to Men of all colors and sizes, but especially my new older wise husband. I am devout and pray many times a day. My eyes are black as night. My skin is smooth and has been darkened by the Sun. My hair is long and bound in a traditional way. My womb is very achingly fertile, and I crave to be quickened as often as Allah and my Husband wish it. Truly I am as in heat as a farm animal. My figure is ample, and I am becoming my mother. My buttocks and thighs are increasing every day. My heavy breasts already sag, and yearn to leak milk. My thoughts are a blurry wet page. Reading is difficult for me. My wits are dull, and I have not been to too much school. I am forgetful obedient docile accepting as I should be. My body will know the soft lazy glow of growing His children. I do not know any more English. My words are small and light, with poor grammar, but so ladylike, and in a low accent. I sound so simple but I am not that stupid truly. I can’t write the letters, not even my name. I read so slowly, saying it aloud. I need a Man to think for me. I am helplessly devoted to my Husband— inshallah sir I obey You. I hide my body. I still my mind. Let Him fill my heart, bind my devils, wash my sins, every day. i am Yours. i shall do as I’m told, hold my tongue, speak when I am spoken to, follow behind Him, always. I kneel pray worship several times a day giving all praise and thanks and glory to the Most High. For You see me, and i cannot hide from You. This is what I am. All that I am is from You. And the Men You put on this Earth to lead us girls and all the tribes. Yes, oh Lord. My Man is my owner and I am but His simple property now forever. As I have been created in the forge of remaking. Truly it is a blessing as I have been to be reborn in the Name of Allah. He hears my heart. He knows my mind, every hour every day every moon every season every year. It is so good to submit to His Will in all things, always. i do not need to speak. i do not need to struggle. i simply obey & please & serve & love Him. And keep my Master’s property from prying eyes. For i am His forever mashallah ameen.

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clowncryptids · 1 year

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Welcome to The Flowering Pride!

This is a new intro post to my Pride in Lioden! I made a post like this when I first started but I thought I should start fresh with a new post since I switched to nerding out abt Lioden on this blog!

For those who want to know who I am on Lioden: My King's name is "MangroveFlower" and my player name is ClownCryptids ! my user number is #428617

Some basic info on how I've been playing so far:

I have dubbed my pride "The Flowering Pride" and I am going for a flower and plant theme! I even came up with some naming rules for the pride!

Lionesses have mostly flower names with a few other plants sprinkled in, and males have tree names! When a lion becomes King they get "Flower" added to the end of their name!

I don't have all clean lions, my king is dirty so that would be hard, but I am currently attempting to have a majority clean collection of lions!

I don't always care about how special genetics are, sometimes I just get a lion bec they are pretty and that's that. However there are a lot of cool and pretty rare lions in lioden soooo Im trying to get some fancy ones!

Now onto the Lions!

This is my King, MangroveFlower! He always has negative descriptors next to his name bec I fight EVERYONE... i just want the exp T-T. He's also got my Albino serval to hang out with bec... my fursona is an albino serval hehe. I have also decided he really likes birds and he has lots of little birds as pets :)

This is my submale Birch! he's just vibin as a submale, and has no want to be king... he doesn't have much interest in continuing his bloodline. Ace King! but not king, that's the whole point. I do like the idea that Birch and Mangrove are boyfriends tho :3 gay lions...

Onto the Lionesses! I have 15 of them so Imma speed thru some of these!

This is the eldest lioness Fuchsia ! Her spots r so pretyyyyy, she gives me caring grandma vibes <3

these gals, in order are, Orchid, Amaryllis and Dahlia! I lov them <3 they were gifts alongside Fuchsia!

And this is Dahlia's baby! she's Mangrove's first cub and a primal!! Idk if I'm gonna keep her tho bec her colors aren't very good :P I may keep her and get a base app from a event tho!

This here is Marigold! she is not special genetically at all... like i think she only has 2 markings and a common base... but like... she's pretty AND she's Goddess level fertility!!

This is her baby im going to keep Hibiscus!

These two here are Hyacinth and Rose! I think Hyacinth is the lion Ive had for the longest! now im emotionally attached to her... Rose is new! I bought her bec she has a rare base and is Goddess level fertility!

This is Honeysuckle! she was another gift and is my pretty golden primal girl <3

Dymondia! also a gift! her markings are very cool!

Lavender!!! my beloved Pie !! I bought her today!! her trade also included two other lions!

This patches lady who I have named Bellflower, and a male, who I will be selling bec i have no space for males :P

aaand these are the sisters Nemesia and Iris! they aren't actually sisters, I just got them in the same trade and I like tho think they r like sisters <3 plus they look similar! They are both Broodmothers alongside Marigold and Dymondia!

This here is Hollyhock! I bought her recently! she is very cool and evil and she's goddess level fert as well!!

This is her son Cypress, Im thinking I will keep him and raise up some GC to max out his white marking bec I think he looks nice with it maxed out! I may sell him eventually tho... I just wanna try raising a submale.

Here is Aster! she was an NCL that i found exploring! and Im guessing she's a chased since she has actual markings and a rare base?? anywayss currently she is expecting a dwarf king's cubs... i want a dwarf so bad, doubt i will get one tho lol

Now to the teens!!

This is Moss! she's one of my faves evil bad bitch <3 I got her as a giving tree cub! she has made me really start to like green lions!!!

Here's my other giving tree cub ive kept Carnation! I may sell her eventually but I like her colors...

My lioness with the longest name Forget-me-Not! I bought her for the folded ears, I also think her colors r cute <3

Tiger Lily! I bought her for her pretty pattern! I wish to max out her white markings I think it would be s nice look <3

Finally my last two notable cubs!

This is my Acromia bby Wisteria! the giant collar on her is so funny...

And finally, Lantana! my other pie! I got her today! I went pie shopping hehe

#cryptid plays lioden #lioden #lions #my ocs #?

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doebt · 5 years

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also this was my big purchase lol

#thank u target toys section #my sister actually got it for me bc i am broke #but i saw and and nearly cried bc it made me so happy #little ferret... w little food...#and i named him fert #deer.txt

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rizzizzsins-blog · 5 years

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From the Ashes, Ch. 3

Wanna read the fic on Archive? Click here.

Finally. 9 PM. Asher grabbed his things, pulled his regular clothes on, and signed the discharge papers. It was time to go…

Go where?

He really didn’t want to go home, even though Theo had demanded it. He was a grown-ass man, and he didn’t need Theo leering at him until he went to work. Nonetheless, he needed to change clothes and shower, so home it was.

Gabriel had told him not to drive today, and Theo had the car anyway. He opened his rideshare app. Was Scamp around? He could use a couple of jokes and uncomfortable advances right now.

Thank fuck. He was. He presses his profile picture and waits for a reply.

Ping! Scamp was on his way. His phone went off again. Theo’s live picture feed. He was already out on the town, posing with some nightmarish, inebriated frizzhead of a woman. Of course. All that bitching that Asher wouldn’t come home, and Theo had started his night before 9:30.

Fuck that. Fuck Theo. He changed his destination to go straight to work.

BEEP BEEP. Scamp pulled up right in front of him.

“Hop in. Daylight’s a wastin’, nyeh heh.”

“Fuck daylight,” Asher mumbled, before getting in.

The drive was quiet for a while. Asher’s work was on the other side of Ebott.

“Cigarette?” Scamp asked. He seemed as content with the silence as Asher was. It was nice. They didn’t need to fill the quiet with bullshit.

“Can’t. It’ll kill me even faster than you.”

“Hey, these are nicotine free.”

“Smoke is smoke when you’re a walking tree,” Asher got the last word.

Was Scamp pulling over?

Asher got a notification. The driver had canceled the ride and he’d gotten his money back. Was Scamp going to kick him out of the car?

“What’s wrong?”

“Why do you care?” Asher grumbled.

“Who said I cared? Satisfy my curiosity and you get a free ride,” Scamp smirked.

“I don’t wanna share. There’s no point.”

“What’s that mean?” Scamp pressed on, amused.

“Look, if you can see that I’m feeling like shit, why are you harassing me about it? Just let me out. I’ll walk.”

“Nope. Spit it out.” Scamp rolled down the window and blew out a puff of smoke. “UEbott’s janitorial night shifts don’t start for another hour or so. Your head’s busted open and you want me to take you straight to work when I don’t even know if you’ve eaten dinner. If you die, the rideshare service will find some way to dump the responsibility on me, so tell me what’s going on so I can cover my ass in court.”

Okay, that was funny, if a little cold. Asher snickers a bit.

“My partner said I needed to be home by ten. Turns out he went clubbing at 8. I don’t even know what clubs are open and full at 8 pm, but Theo finds a goddamn way. I got the bump on my head from Sparkby Embers himself.”

“Sparkby punched you? Be thankful you’re not dust, kiddo. What did you do? He usually just throws people out of the bar and kicks them around a bit. If he punched someone, it meant they really fucked up.”

Asher hesitated.

He didn’t want to seem like some kind of white knight.

“You don’t seem like the type to get into fights easy, especially if you let your boyfriend walk all over you. So what did you do? I’ll throw in some fert if that makes you feel any better.”

Fertilizing capsules? How was he affording those by being a discount chauffeur and smoking half his paycheck?

“... he was talking shit.”

“About you?” Scamp shrugged.

“.... About you.”

“That’s it?”

“Yep. Happy?”

Scamp burst into wheezing, uncontrollable laughter. It was half cough, half laugh, and for some reason, Asher didn’t mind the sound.

“What’s so goddamn funny? Stop laughing or I’ll start laughing, and my laugh sounds like nails on a chalkboard,” Asher snorted a little.

“You took a punch. From Sparkby. To the face. Because he was saying filthy shit… about a hooker! I don’t wheeeeeeze think I’ve ever heard a more stupid way to bust your skull open! Asgore on a cracker, you’re hilarious, rugrat!”

Oh.

So the rumors had been true.

“Even so! He’s the one who hired you, so… I said it said more about him if he had to hire someone to blow him.”

Scamp was still mid-conniption, when, on a particularly strong inhale, he sucked his entire cigarette right into his gullet.

“Oh my gods, are you okay?!” Asher panicked.

“Hey. Ashy. Check this out.”

Scamp turned around, and blew rings of smoke at Asher through his eyesocket. Normally Asher would have been pissed, but the amount of smoke was negligible, and the stunt had impressed him.

“Can you do it out the other one?”

Shit. Asher immediately regretted asking, having temporarily forgotten the patch over Scamp’s other eye. “I’m s--”

“Yep. Look.”

He blew smoke up until the eyepatch lifted a bit, then timed it with the whistles of a steam train.

“Choo choo, motherfucker. One Eye Express, coming in hot,” Scamp managed, before wheezing and laughing again. Asher had to wipe his eyes; his stomach was hurting from laughing so hard.

“Aw, man. Still can’t believe you almost dusted yourself to defend a whore’s honor. That’s one I’ve never heard.”

Asher shook his head. “It wasn’t about honor. People shouldn’t talk that way about anyone they’ve slept with, even once. It’s just not okay.”

Scamp sighed, kicking his feet up.

“Lots of shit in the world isn’t okay. There isn’t a damn thing you can do but smoke and work till you die, so try to make it last. Don’t do that shit again. You’re a fun passenger who puts up with my shenanigans, and I wanna drive you around some more, okay?”

Asher grinned. It was nice to have someone care, or even pretend to like Scamp was.

“Got it. Get me to work. You promised me a free ride.”

“Right on it, Cap’n.”

Scamp gently eases the pedal into ridiculous speeds, maneuvering through alleys and potholes to get Asher there as soon as possible. His eyelight seemed to brighten when they were cruising down the lanes. His cigarette went out, and he didn’t even light a new one; he was enthralled with the drive, and Asher kind of was too. He was a little sad when the car came to a stop.

“Nice. Didn’t lose the left windshield this time,” Scamp grins. There’s a bit of a spark to that smile.

“Not gonna lie, that was awesome. Stay out of trouble, though. You’re a meter maid’s wet dream,” Asher gently warned him.

“Heh. As if they could catch me. Only Edge and my big bro can keep pace with my Nadine.”

Of course he named the damn Lada.

“I’ll see you later, Scamp.”

“See ya.”

And he was off, just as fast as he’d come to get him. Asher felt a little empty. Why was that?

He pushed it aside, scanned his card, and hopped in the elevator. He liked to start from the third floor; by the time he reached floor one, it was time to clock out, and he got to walk right out the door. It was already nice and dark, the glow of his soul the only light in the building. It was all he really needed to see anyway. He opened his closet, pulled out his cart, and took a deep breath.

Time to do the only thing he could ever fucking do right.

The Biology wing was first. There were ten lab/classroom combo rooms and a large lecture hall for the building. It was best to get that out of the way first, because cleaning the lecture hall carpet sucked.

The repetitive work put Asher’s mind at ease. The sound of the carpet foam, the whir of the vacuum wheels. The clink of quarters as he bought himself some canned coffee; in the quiet of the night shift, it was all music to his ears. He was half asleep, half dead, half angry, but none of that mattered. All he had to do was go up, row by row, spraying the foam, till he reached the top, then he vacuumed on the way down when the foam dried. Any trash he found, he could pick up with a vine and toss in the can; any pencils or pens, he could keep.

There was one more thing Asher did that wasn’t in his job description; when he’d first entered his new job, he’d noticed how barren the halls and classrooms felt. Throughout his first year, he’d been sneaking large potted plants into places throughout the building. It had been four or five years since then and everyone had assumed the plants were supposed to be there. Of course, Asher didn’t put them in labs or places where they might contaminate something important. He gave them water when they needed it, and just a touch of his own magic, to keep them nice and vibrant.

Seeing wilting leaves perk up to his touch made him feel like he wasn’t a complete failure.

Eventually, the Biology wing was finished, and the biology offices were next. These were kind of easy. All he had to do was unlock each office, wipe down the floors, and not knock anything over.

Most of the professors were human, and of little interest. Asher just cleaned their offices, tried to ignore their family pictures, and moved on. But the few monster offices were more interesting. It was cool to see where they came from, what they were up to. He at least understood their whiteboard notes a little better. All this talk of organs and systems made his head spin. There was a reason he chose Intro to Monster Bio to fulfill that particular prereq. It was easier to memorize a hundred species than to remember the difference between Squishy Lump #1 and Squishy Lump #2, much less what each one did.

Occasionally, he ran into other janitors on his shift, but it seemed like tonight wasn’t that night. Thank goodness. He knew the building wasn’t exactly his, but he treasured the solace and hated intrusions on it. Even professors working late made him a little uncomfortable.

He pulls a small speaker out of his cart. He’d kind of made a secret compartment for it, so that it’d always be there no matter who used his equipment. With one last look around, he turned the volume up.

The rhythm of the music moved his feet and gave him a second kick of energy during that “one-third through my shift” slump. He was through with the offices in no time. Time for the second floor- the Psychology and Chemistry floor. Asher was especially careful with the “don’t knock anything over” rule in the chem labs. There were things that would give a regular monster a nasty rash that would outright kill him. This floor wasn’t too hard, since psychology labs required little special treatment, and the chemistry professors and students were extremely thorough about keeping their spaces clean.

Normally, he didn’t pay tooo much attention to the names of the professors he cleaned for, but wasn’t that Clemm’s room at the end of the hall?

Now he had to go inside. Well, he technically had to go in either way, but he was very invested now. What kind of man was he? How did he decorate? Why didn’t he have his office in the Philosophy building?

As he approached, he could hear the faint sound of music, so he turned his own off. If Clemm was working late, Asher would rather avoid direct interaction. But all the lights were turned off. He reached for the doorknob; the office was locked.

Apparently Clemm had left music playing in his office by accident. Wow, his office was incredibly nice, a corner office to boot. Asher had seen it before, but he had context for who worked in it now. The walls were painted the shade of pumpkin soup, and a couple of Himalayan salt lamps sat unlit. One on his windowsill, and one on his desk. He had a fancy coffee machine and an expensive tin of rooibos and black tea, with a dash of cinnamon. Asher almost wanted to spend his breaks in this space. It was so relaxing, with the faint scent of some essential oil in the air.

He felt kind of bad for being such an abrasive little shit now. Maybe he could leave a note.

Professor Clemm,

This might be a little out of place, but I’m Asher from one of your PHIL 101 online classes. I do the night cleaning in the building. I wanted to say I was sorry for being so rude in my first assignment. I’m going to do my best to be a bit more open in future assignments.

That should do it. Certainly better than his cold as ice email before.

Now for the first floor- Physics. For some reason, this level took the longest to clean, even longer than the Biology lecture hall. Turned out physicists were messy people. There were several smaller lecture halls on the first floor that needed upkeep. The first floor bathrooms saw the most traffic, so they took longer to tidy than the others.

Finally. The physics offices were a goddamn nightmare to clean.

Especially the offices. Papers everywhere. No way of knowing what was trash and what was important. There was only one office that wasn’t a complete dumpster fire. Asher was always relieved to reach it; it meant his shift was almost over.

Wait…. Who did the office belong to? Asher squinted at the nametag. A “Dr. Crimm Gaster”. Was this the interdimensional travel physicist he’d been mixing up Clemm with? In his defense, Crimm and Clemm weren’t that far apart sounding. He’s about to open the door when…

“Can I help you.”

“JESUS FUCKING CHRIST!” Asher yelped, vines immediately wrapping around the object of surprise. If he was human he would have shat his pants.

Asher’s query easily teleports out of his grip.

“I would suggest that you refrain from suddenly attacking unknown monsters in the future. You do not know where some of us are from, or what we might do if startled.”

It was the professor from earlier in the library. He was still as frigid and stiff as before, but in those red eyes burned a cold, calculating fire that chilled Asher to the roots.

“Y--Speak for yourself! You just snuck up on me!”

The professor blinked. “Hm. Your alertness could use improving. I passed you several times this evening. I suppose you were too busy with your little song and dance to detect my presence.”

Oh, now that was embarrassing. Asher reminded himself to never have fun again.

“Well… would you like me to clean your office?”

“Is it not sufficiently ordered?” Cripes, was that a pointed question.

“N-no, it’s the most organized room in the department. I still like to mop the floor just in case, that’s all.”

“Then I would prefer that you refrain from entering. I expect my request to be respected.” With that, Dr. Crimm slipped into his office and closed the door, not even saying good night.

There was only one space left to clean, and it was the worst part of Asher’s night.

The VOID collider.

He despised everything about the room. It was too spacious, had too many warning signs on it, as if the university knew they shouldn’t have built the damn thing in the first place. The door had to be unlocked with an alphanumerical password. It as 198X, when the first accident with the VOID had been rumoured to happen, a sobering reminder to not fuck around with this machine.

The door opened silently and closed just as quietly. The familiar indiscriminate hum of noises emanated from the machine’s ventilators and cooling system.

The monitors and computers were on. Asher did his best to ignore it. It just meant he’d have to be even more careful, if such a thing was even possible. The scent of licorice, air dust, and ashes filled Asher’s nostrils. Tonight it was especially strong, to the point that he almost gagged on it. Regardless, such a thing happened sometimes. From what he could see, the machine itself was firmly in the OFF position.

The floor had to be cleaned first, with a special friction-increasing spray to help prevent slip-and-fall accidents. The keyboards usually needed to be cleaned, but Asher passed on it, since the computers were running. The last thing he needed was some professor ripping his branches out because he’d ruined a crucial calculation.

Ç̸̢̪̞̩̯͖͖̜̗̟͖̫͐̊ͅǫ̸̣̠̞̩̱͊͜m̶̯̞̹̺̪͉͙̘̥͔̟͑̄̇́͑̂̓̓̅̔̚͠͠ȅ̸̟̼̎̉̊͆̏̋̈̐̈́̃̈͒͝ ̴̡̘̖͂̾̈͐̄̈́̊̅̍̑̐̈́̈́̿̚j̶̨̼̤̼̖̯̣̰͎̲͖̫̤̮͛̌̉̒̈́̒̅͗͝͠͝ȯ̷̡̝̜̠͚̩̲̋͊̑̈́͑͛͐̓́͐͜i̵̢̨͍̞͍̥̬̬͎͐̈́́̿ṇ̵̢̛͚̰̩̠̗̖̜̊̌̎̍̿̅̄̓͗̂͐͜ͅ ̸̮͕̝̲͉͈̤̤̎̐̆͌͘͝ṯ̷̡̢͎̮̰͈̭͋̈́͐̽̅͂̓̾̅͒̓ͅh̸̛̰̖̫͒̓̇̈̽̀͛̓̋͐̂̅̕̚ę̸̹͉̝̗̲̹̲͈̭͎̐͐̀̐̀͊̈͠͝͝ͅ ̶̨̢̩̮̟̰̖̥̬̠͇̹͖̬̻͒̒͂͆̄̈́͘͠f̶̦̖̍û̷͖̖̼̦̝̘̞͙͎̙̩͖̣͂̇͊̃̃͜͝ͅn̵͈̝͋͗͌̽̅̓̾̾̑̾͌̅.̶̮͍͚͔̩̪͚̟̼̬̪̈́̎̈̇

What the fuck was that?

Asher’s soul pounded in his chest. From time to time, the humming of the machine sounded like voices or other noises. The same thing happened when Asher listened to white noise for too long; he would start picking out voices or even music that wasn’t really there.

It was fine. He just needed to breathe, to think about being safe and warm in bed…

And to clean the inside of the collider.

Fuck, this was the worst part.

First, Asher stripped down to nothing but his underwear, leaving his phone and clothes in his cart.

Next, he used the same passcode to open the protective gear vault. Several spacesuit-like objects waited for him. He found the one closest to his size and stepped into it, one piece at a time. First, the bodysuit. It zipped loudly, so that people would know it was secured shut.

Secured. Check.

Then, the helmet. He set it on his shoulders and twisted it until it locked into place. Check.

Lastly, the gloves and boots. He connected the fasteners tightly, so that they would stick to the rest of the suit properly. Perfect. He would be protected from the background contamination of the collider.

He opened a smaller cabinet with one of his keys and took out a large, cherry red, fire-hydrant looking sprayer with about a hundred labels on it. It was inspected daily.

WARNING: CAUSTIC TO MONSTERS.

WARNING: USING D.T. CLEAN FOR ANY PURPOSE OTHER THAN INTENDED USE WILL RESULT IN DISFIGUREMENT, LOSS OF SELF, AND MAY CAUSE OR PREVENT DEATH.

LAST INSPECTED __/__/__AT _:__ __

Y̶̼̝̲͖͇̣͐̿̾o̵̢̱̩͙̣͑ṷ̸̬̲̮͈̂'̴̧̯̳͙̥͛l̷̯͔̠̱͇͕͊̉̉l̵̝̏͐̒̎̃͠ ̷̲̤̱̳̭̞́͋̑͒̆b̷̧̻̙͚͚̤́͆̓̍͌̑e̶͉͈̙̭̬̎͐͐̕͠ ̸̜͉̱̺̠̼͂͠w̷̧̙̹͇̱̠̿̋͋i̷̛͚̰͖͊̇̌͘͘t̸̘͐̐͋̏ḥ̵̾ ̶̤͕͊̐͑͆͝u̶̫͇̼͐͂̿́̽͒s̴͕̍̃ ̷̖̪͖͊͊̈ş̵̜̰̤̼̜͒h̶̡̩͕͔͉͔̃̄o̶̞͉̲͍͇̊̾̍ř̶̢̤̝̤̫͗̆t̵̛̫͉̝͐̈̈̿l̸̦͕̈́̾͝y̸̞̞͍͈̾͐̔̽̑͝ͅ.̵̼͎͓̲͑͒̉͒͠

He really needed to stop letting himself get distracted.

Before entering, he checked all fifteen safety locks. All of them were active. Good.

He put in a much longer passcode, and the black glass doors of the collider slid open with a hiss of compressed air.

They shut behind him with the same sound. Asher pulled out his special, titanium wool scrubber, and put his hand on the D.T.C trigger.

R̶͉̍U̸͓̹̎N̵̩͔̣̔̃N̶̺̒I̶̧̥̔̆͝N̴̝̦G̵̨͖̫̏̈́͐ ̸̼̩̀͗P̸̠̰̫̓R̷̦͒͜O̴̦̠̓͋̈́Ć̷̭̘̱͂È̵̡̦D̷͔͚̮̆̏Ű̵͓͠R̶͎̓͠͝Ê̸͕̅ ̵͈̺͉̈̑̈́Ṉ̷̹̑A̸̗̼̺͋̎̕M̵͐͜É̴͇̭̔ ̸͙̇_̷̣̈_̶͚̹̩̔͌̅_̵̼́͂͠_̷̢͛̈̚_̸̗̌͌̎_̶̣͍̐

̵̩͐C̸͎͗Ö̴̠̘͍D̸̛͈̲̘͝E̴͙̱̋ ̴̻͈͐̐͝F̴̖̥̒̉͝Ơ̵̑͜R̷͉͎̙̃̌ ̶̮̅̇̔Ȧ̷̲͕P̸͓̈́P̵̺̳̈́̐̚Ṛ̴͋͒Ô̷̠̹̎V̴̰̈́͒A̵̼L̵̜̲̼̈́ ̷͕̾͊R̵̟Ẻ̸̙̜̦̏̑Q̸̙͖̄̋̈U̸̘̣̎́͊I̵͖̖̊R̸̨̺͇͂̈́͝Ḛ̶̦̣̾̌D̶̮̜̠̍

̶̡͈̂C̷̠͛Ŏ̷̹D̴͇͕E̸̞̥͔͊̏ ̵̤́͠O̸̥̦̎V̶͓͓͜͝͝͠Ę̷̰͠ͅŘ̴̘͓͓R̵̕��I̸̡̤͂̌D̸̨̮͕͂Ę̷̳̖̏͒Ň̷̫͇̠

̶̨̦̪̀Ẽ̷͕͘R̸̹̍Ṟ̴͌̉O̷̫͉͊̎R̷̢̰̓͛̅

̸͖̐̔C̶̰̝͗͐ͅO̴̻̱͆M̵͕̆̽̑M̷̪̳̾̆͒E̷͚͆N̶̢̤͕͐̍Ć̴̫̖̠̂̕I̸̧̩̎͊N̸͕͋̈G̸̳̮̙̑̓.̸̺͐.̷̓̈͜.̶̫̿̊.̷̗͌.̸̻̮͝.̵̙͗ ̸̡͎̟͑̏P̸̹̈́L̵̼̂E̷̼̅Ȧ̸̦̪S̷̩͇̥̈E̴̠͐ ̴̢͇̳̐́͝B̸̧̩͍͠Ạ̷̤͕̾̾͠C̸̼̪͙̋͂͋K̸̩̈́̓̿ͅ ̵̛͉̓͜Ą̴̼͔̇̅W̶̲͚̽̔̎A̵̛̼̜Ȳ̸͎͖͚̚͘ ̷̺͎̔̆̊F̴̣͚̅Ȑ̶̳͓̩͐͠Ó̸͔M̶̜̝̿͐͝ ̷̡̺̎̂C̸̯̺̀̂̎͜Õ̸̤̪̟̑̎L̴̖͕̥̂̕L̷̻̙̋͑Į̸̧̈́D̸̡̢͋̚E̸̙̒Ȓ̵͎̅ ̶̲̤̃͐D̵̲̾ͅÒ̷̪͕̇O̵̺̘̕Ṟ̴͇͂̈̋S̶̟͈̣̒̉̅.̴̻͋̕

Wait what the FUCK

Ş̸͚̂C̴̫͉͖̏A̷̻̅̈N̴̰̓N̶͉̩̝͠Ȉ̴̟̘̄͌N̶̮̆Ģ̵͓͉̈́͂ ̸̦̉̃F̴̢̋̈́̇O̷̹͌̽͌ͅR̸͎̈́̍ ̵̢̟̫̈́͝Ĺ̵̜̉͘I̶̤̤̞̾̈͐V̸̢͚̿I̴̺̋̌Ň̸̡͇͙G̸̟͙̺̋ ̴̡̬̍̃Ỏ̴̰Ḅ̶͚̦̈̈́̌J̴̜̪͇͌͝E̸̘͚̓͠Ċ̵͚̺T̸̥̻̓̉͋S̶̨̲͙̅̚.̷̟̰̓̌ ̶̞͑̎̈

̶̞͖͋1̴̛͙̮̞͋͑ ̷̮̝̉̈O̸̭̬͊͐͝B̴̖̼̣J̴̹̈́E̵̥͎̝̒͌C̷̬̅T̶̯̉͗͐ ̷̤͈̱̋̈̏F̷̫͑̿Ō̶̭̫͋̀ͅU̴̢̥̔N̷̨̺̱̅Ḋ̷̤.̸̨̛̞̍

̵͓̂Ạ̷͚̊L̴̝̘̜̋̿L̷͎͗̿ ̸̳̒͗̕C̷̡̗̈L̸̈́̓ͅḘ̴͖̔͒Â̴̧̻R̵͙͛̓͒.̶̛̼̕

̴̰̗͋Ċ̴̢̺͂̽Õ̷̟̥̔Ḿ̶̫M̶̻͔̒͝E̵̩͇̟͊̃N̶̥͕̒͝C̵̛̯̠̀̂I̴͓̯̝͛͐͘N̴̳̠͑͠͠Ĝ̸̭͙̝̂ ̷̦̅I̷̧͂̽̾ͅN̸̤͎̻̿̍ ̸̺̑̈̓5̴͈̮͗͑̕

“HELP! PLEASE HELP ME! SHUT IT OFF, SHUT IT OFF!”

Asher hurled himself at the EMERGENCY STOP button, slammed it down once.

4̴̡̙̬͛͛

Twice, three times, four times, countless times. Nothing was working nothing was working

3̷͇̺

“HELP ME! DEAR GODS, FUCK, PLEASE! SOMEBODY! ANYBODY!”

2̴̱̬̍̓

Asher screamed until his throat was hoarse

1̴̨͖̇̈́͝ ̴̪̦̠̽͝:̵̡̦̅͠)̴͇̊

But nobody came.

#from the ashes #ssll inspired #ssll #undertail #undertale

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misioandkinga · 5 years

Note

19, 31, 67

19. How do they express love for you?aww, this one’s so cute!

kinga likes to come by and climb up my pant legs for attention -- or just to be cuddled in one arm while i (try to) do my work.

and misio comes around to loll on his back till i rub his tummy.

and both of them like to cuddle with me while I read at night. so they’ll wait in the blanket I cuddle with at night before I go over to read. :’) and then they’ll snuggle with me till I go to bed. there’s a look ferrets give you when you’re cuddling that you just like .... KNOW they love you. fert owners, you know which ones i’m talking about??

31. How do they get your attention?

haha! like above, kinga takes the more aggressive approach and just hops up my pant legs (sometimes she gets all the way to my chest!) she’ll also hop around my feet and attack them randomly.

misio will kind of loll around my feet, rolling on his back until i look down, and he’ll just be SO dang cute i won’t resist and lean down to pet his tummy

67. Describe why they are precious.O M G

kinga’s precious because she has the most beautiful face and she skitters rather than walks/runs and she ALWAYS bleps when she sleeps -- and those bleps are EPIC, like 3/4 of her tongue is out, lmao! and when she plays, i LOVE the way her mouth is so wide open like she’s gonna eat everything ghfehe. and she’s tiny! so her teeny little paws! and she’s ticklish! but i can’t tickle her paws too much or she’ll get cranky and jump off my lap. and she stashes ANYTHING in a plastic bag omgehfh i love her SO MUCH.

misio is SUCH A LITTLE TEDDY BEAR OGMEHFHG (lives up to his name!). he’s a solid little guy and an EPIC cuddler! most of the time when you pick him up he’ll just settle in your arms for a good little sleep. he’s an old guy, so it kinda makes sense. but when he wants to play , there’s no stopping him from just sauntering around everywhere and all over the place. u can’t stop him. (he never hops/runs--he just ... saunters. like a raccoon!) and his FACE. such a CUTE FCKN FACE!! he barely bleps but when he does!! PRECIOUS. ;A;

thank u so much!! these were so fun!

#random-ferret #answered #ask games #caps #/#misio #kinga #text #ferrent post

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plantanarchy · 7 years

Photo

I feel like I just did a current tanks post but again... here are my current tanks. 1. 5 gallon Aqueon Minibow, occupied by my dragonscale HMPK male betta, Titan. He is more chill in this tank and does not glass surf as much. He loves the betta log thing I found in my fish drawer. 2. Temporary 2.5 gallon occupied by my new HM male betta, Oleander, who is swimming better and eating. I'm getting him a 5 gallon tank tomorrow (and possibly planting it, we'll see) 3. 10 gallon occupied by my female betta, Durriyah. I removed the obnoxious submersible lighting! Lighting is now a cheap ass LED 4. Planted 10 gallon occupied by my HMPK yellow koi male betta, Buzz, and a mystery snail. The tiger lotus has put out a LOT of new little leaves despite not staying put at the bottom of the tank yet, the sword is still covered in algae and the microsword keeps melting with no new growth... also the anubias is being an anubias. Lighting is a Marineland LED light that i forget the name of but it seems to be doing ok. Buzz was flashing yesterday and parameters are good and nothing noticable on him so I'm keeping an eye on him... 5. Planted 20L occupied by 1 male Neon Blue Dwarf Gourami named Mimosa, a school of 9 Harlequin rasboras (well 7 and 2 espeis because my LFS is incompetent), 5 ember tetras, and 5 horned nerite snails. Lighting is a Finnex Stingray and substrate is Ecocomplete with some sand mixed in because I was too lazy to remove it all. There is still a big algae issue going on but lots of glass scrubbing and reduced lighting and ferts seem to be getting it under control? Maybe? My dwarf sag is still all melting, my big crypt is also melting but with lots of new growth and my other plants are all doing well and I may pick up and quarantine some new Ember tetras tomorrow if they have them af my LfS 6. Planted ("modded") Fluval Spec V riparium experiment thing occupied by my HM dumbo male betta, Kraken. Ft. new driftwood and play sand. Kraken has shown signs of possibly starting to fin bite which may have been caused by the stress of removing him to put in the sand. New plants are coming in a few days. So far, the little crypt babies I pulled off my big crypt are growing well even with no ferts at all in this tank (well I think I did dose some liquid ferts once). Also now have a Pothos, Dieffenbachia, and Philodendron 'Brasil' growing out the top. The Dieffenbachia is doing surprisingly well, better than the potted one I have, and the Pothos is obviously thriving. Idk about the Brasil, it seems like the plant itself is a little more fussy than what I'm used to. The light is a crappy LED but this tank is currently mostly growing on an hour or two of sunlight. Which means brown algae but oh well 7. Planted 10 gallon occupied by my dumbo HM male betta, Zazzle. The java fern has some spots but the new growth does not. Also, the water sprite is growing ok but keeps melting a bit and putting out roots from a different part so I keep whacking bits off and reburying. The lighting sucks and the duckweed makes everything green. Also the pothos in this tank gets nowhere near enough light to be healthy so I'm trying to grow an English Ivy out the back instead. 8. 2.5 gallon Minibow occupies by Snail Lord and his Snail legion. This tank has new lighting and is my favorite tank tbh I mean, look at it. I moved the hornwort in here because it was being suffocated by algae and shedding and the snails have enjoyed eating the melty bits a lot. Also, there's java moss in here and it's the ugliest

#my tanks #ok phew im done #fishblr #mimosa #kraken #buzz #zazzle #oleander #durriyah #titan #my snails

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tawny-pelt · 7 years

Photo

Oh! In addition to that sales post, here’s my main male! Believe it or not, he’s Fiery based with (2) Maroon marks and Lilac lace. His name is Nusku, he has 1170 stats (and growing) and I stud him out! His stud fee is 500SB unless the female is UNDER 10% fertility. If Fert is that low the price raise to 1GB.

#lioden #not wc

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finefeatheredfish · 7 years

Photo

I let this pretty girl go. I couldn’t bring myself to pay that much for one betta when I have no plans on breeding her.

_______________________________________________________________

I WAS MAKING THIS POST AND THE LOVELY HUMAN BEING @trichofishomania FOUND THE PERFECT CHILD AT THEIR WORK ON A NEW SHIPMENT.

My new beautiful son. I don’t know what to name him yet. I want something train themed. I am just happy and in love with this little man. I am so glad I let the female go, I just need the perfect name. Like he is perfect I love him. Edit: I think Bunbury ''Choo Choo'' Belle might be his name. I am still thinking it over.

I’m making a betta centered tank with the Deep Blue TerraHome Terrarium 10 Breeder tank (I confirmed with the company that the tank does hold water). It holds 4 gallons with 20"W x 10"D x 6"H dimensions. I am going to use Fluval Shrimp Stratum and plant it with Cryptocoryne Sp. ‘Flamingo’, red root floater Phyllanthus fluitans and am going to use a grow light LED bulb, liquid ferts, and the Stratum for the plants care. I am going to make a clear glass lid to replace the screen one, sponge filter for filtration and aeration, and a cobalt heater. I will hardscape with driftwood, river stones, botanicals, and leaf litter.

Cryptocoryne Sp. ‘Flamingo’

red root floater Phyllanthus fluitans

I am looking at these babies now:

DumBo Pink HM female Youtube

Rose Gold HMPK Male

Dumbo Sakura HMPK

Light Magenta Dumbo Female

Fancy Copper Female

HMPK Dumbo Yellow Cream

#fishblr #betta #dumbo plaket betta #blackwater #my pets

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mmtread · 7 years

Text

Ovid opens his Metamorphoses with the line “In nova fert animus mutatas dicere formas corpora” (I intend to speak of forms changed into new entities), and that’s exactly what I intend to do today.

Ovid’s metamorphoses are largely concerned with one entity changed completely into another – Diana converting Actaeon into a stag after he had the misfortune of stumbling upon the goddess and her nymphs nakedly cavorting in a forest spring (he was quickly hunted down and killed by his own dogs); the hunky Adonis turned into the anemone flower by an adoring Venus after being gored to death by a wild boar; Perdix mercifully transmogrified into a partridge (the Latin genus name for partridge is, in fact, Perdix) by Athena after a jealous Daedalus chucked him from a high tower. (If Daedalus sounds familiar it’s because he was the father of Icarus, the boy who famously flew too close to the sun and melted his waxen wings, thus plummeting to a watery death. Hanging out with Daedalus apparently carried a serious risk of cataclysmic descent.)

But today I’m not talking metamorphoses mythical or metaphorical, but about teaching your kids about the physiological fundamentals of metamorphosis. Let’s keep it simple for the little ones, shall we? There are two main types of metamorphosis – complete and incomplete.

Most insects undergo complete metamorphosis, distinguished by 4 distinct phases – egg, larva, pupa, adult. Beetles, butterflies and moths, flies, ants, wasps and bees all follow this pattern. We’re undoubtedly most familiar with the butterfly life cycle. So familiar with it, in fact, that we may regard it with a yawn. But ponder it a moment, if you will.

A caterpillar emerges from a tiny egg and begins immediately to eat. And grow. A monarch caterpillar, for example, will increase its body mass by 2000 times in under two weeks. That’s the equivalent of a 7-pound (3.2 kilo) newborn turning into a 14,000-pound (6530 kg) toddler in less than a fortnight. That’s a big-ass baby.

A full-grown caterpillar with a newly-hatched one below.

Then a chemical process kicks in and it goes into its pupal stage. In butterflies this stage is called a chrysalis, in moths it’s a cocoon. Not much seems to be going on in there, but inside it’s a churning urn of activity, with organs morphing, migrating, developing. There’s magic transpiring deep within.

A short while later the chrysalis (or cocoon) cracks open and the insect emerges, pumps blood into its wings, warms up a bit, and flits off, a beautiful creature obsessed with sex.

Sure, it happens all the time, but it’s a pretty stunning stratagem nonetheless. And a successful one. The fossil record shows that insects have been around for roughly 300-400 million years. Anatomically modern humans? About 200,000. Insects may make up over 90% of animal life on Earth, and have been here perhaps 350 millions years longer than us. So have a bit of respect, okay?

Fossil dragonfly

Here’s a good informative video narrated by a little kid with funny hair.

Incomplete metamorphosis is not quite so dramatic, but fairly astonishing nonetheless. There are only three stages – egg, nymph, adult. Dragonflies, cockroaches, crickets and grasshoppers all demonstrate incomplete metamorphosis.The nymph looks more or less like a tiny version of the adult, but without wings. As the nymphs develop and grow, they shed their exoskeletons until their final molt, when the adults emerge to start looking for mates.

Then, of course, there are the frogs and toads. Watching frogs develop from egg to adult is fascinating, plus you get to say the word frogspawn which, you must admit, is kind of fun. The process is too familiar to require much explanation here, but this kid has made a great video that you can show your own kids.

So how do you best do a metamorphosis project with your kids?

Well, for butterflies and moths, it’s just a question of finding some caterpillars. Look carefully on plants in your yard, in some local woods, in a park or even on your own terrace. (We’ve had several species use the plants on our terrace for their egg-laying.) Caterpillars are often difficult to detect, but if you look closely for tell-tale droppings on the leaves, you know a caterpillar is nearby. (And since caterpillars eat a lot, they also poop a lot.)

Many species are specialists, laying eggs on only one variety or family of plants. Search for monarch caterpillars on milkweed, swallowtails on dill or fennel, vine hawk moths on grape vines, spurge hawk moths on spurge, etc. This site has a useful list of butterfly species and their corresponding host plants.

So now you’ve got your caterpillars. Place them in an aquarium or bowl (out of the sun or you’ll cook them) filled with a few branches and cuttings from the host plant arranged in a jar or cup of water. Cover your container, and place new cuttings in as necessary. In a week or so, your caterpillars should pupate. Then it’s just a waiting game. If you’re lucky, you’ll catch them as they’re just emerging, and will get to see them pump up their wings and prepare for flight. Release them immediately, or they’ll starve to death.

Swallowtail caterpillar on wild fennel

Starting to pupate

Crysalis

Just emerged

Pumping up its wings

Ready to fly

Dragonflies spend much of their lives in the nymph stage (some species up to 4 years), so are less suited to keeping at home. If you do want to collect and keep some, you’ll need a glass aquarium. Half-fill your aquarium with conditioned water then – and this is crucial – add plants, algae and water collected from the pool where you found the nymphs. Dragonfly larvae are voracious eaters, so they need to have suitable prey. Small fish will work, as will mosquito larvae, blood worms, or aquatic insects. Make sure there is a stick rising above the water so that when they do eventually become adults, your nymphs will have something to climb out on.

Nymph

Emerging from exoskeleton

Adult ready to fly

Frogs and toads are captivating to watch develop. Just don’t try to raise them with dragonfly nymphs, as we did. Tadpoles are nymph food. And don’t put their eggs in a tank with goldfish, as we did. Frog eggs are fish food. But if you avoid nymphs and fish, you’re good. Make the same setup as you would for the dragonflies, collect some frogspawn, and sit back and enjoy the show. As soon as your tadpoles have lost their tails and become adults, release them right back where you found the eggs; it’s really, really difficult to feed tiny frog-or-toadlets properly.

Tadpole and froglet

G with froglet

Almost fully developed

Tiny new toad

Well, I hope I’ve inspired you to do one (or all) of these projects with your kids. Metamorphosis is, to me, one of nature’s most marvelous, mind-blowing phenomena. Sharing it with your kids is even cooler.

PS: If you want to make your project a bit more academic, here are some worksheets for the kids.

Teaching Kids the Magic of Metamorphosis Ovid opens his Metamorphoses with the line "In nova fert animus mutatas dicere formas corpora" (I intend to speak of forms changed into new entities), and that's exactly what I intend to do today.

#fun projects with kids #raising butterflies #raising dragonflies #raising frogs #teaching kids about metamorphosis #teaching metamorphosis #types of metamorphosis

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teruyalab · 7 years

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We can hardly believe that a fishkeeper with this kind of aquascaping talent has remained undiscovered for so long! Image by Kris Oddy.

The name Kris Oddy may not be one that aquascapers immediately recognise — yet. The amazing talent of this self-taught ’scaper has gone undiscovered, until now...

Meet the aquarist Name: Kris Oddy. Age: 33. Occupation: Photographer. Location: Bournemouth. Years keeping fish: On and off for ten years. Number of tanks: I’ve lost count but there have been a lot! Favourite fish: I’d probably go with Koi — they’re graceful and always bring a smile to my face. In an aquarium setting, I’ve always loved the Ram cichlid. Most ever spent on a fish: £200 on a Koi.

This is Kris' aquarium just one year after setting it up.

Of all the fishkeeping cliques, aquascaping is the one most usually associated with fish tank celebrities. Prizes like those in the International Aquatic Plant Layout Contest, and the associated exposure of a win, put ’scapers the closest to the public eye. What I never expect from the ’scaping world is an unknown name to come out of nowhere with a magnificent tank, but that’s what happened. When Kris Oddy appeared on the PFK Facebook page posting pictures of his layout, I instantly sent feelers out. Nobody in my circles had heard of him. Kris is an aquascape privateer, unaffiliated with any clubs or groups. He’s never entered a contest, and has taught himself how to make a great tank without outside influence. It goes without saying that I had to pin him down for a chat about his magnificent layout. Here’s what we discussed...

Cardinal tetras against a background of Cryptocoryne wendtii ‘Brown’.

The aquarium hardware NH: What can you tell me about the tank and cabinet? KO: It’s a custom-made, 80 x 35 x 40cm/31.5 x 14 x 16in Optiwhite tank. It was designed to fit a particular space in my dining room, and I wanted it made with low-iron glass for the best possible viewing. My brother, Laurence, who is a professional carpenter, made the cabinet. He based the core design on the ADA cabinet for the 90P model, but I asked him to change a few things. This tank was set up on January 19, 2015. At time of photography, it had been running almost a year. NH: Is this your first stab at aquascaping? KO: This is my second aquascape, or high-tech nature aquarium. But throughout my time keeping fish I’ve owned discus tanks, Malawi and Tanganyikan set-ups, and a vast number of low-tech community planted tanks.

Amano shrimp.

NH: How would you describe the tank? KO: I would describe it as a therapeutic living picture. It’s amazing to sit in the dining room to eat and have such a nice entity to look at. NH: What filtration do you use? KO: It’s a cheap Aqua Pro external canister. I went for the largest model they made with a UV included. NH: Do you use glass inlet and outlet pipes? KO: I do, and I have to clean them every 3–4 weeks, but with the right tools you can do this very easily. I wash them with warm water first, and then just I soak them in a hydrogen peroxide 3% solution that gets everything off. Handling hydrogen peroxide isn’t to everyone’s liking though, it’s a bit controversial. (Feature ed’s note: Hydrogen peroxide is a powerful bleaching agent that does indeed need careful handling!) NH: What lights are used? KO: Lighting was supplied by maxigrow.com. The unit here is the PL 2 propagation grow light, which is a compact fluorescent light using two 55W daylight tubes. I used to do lighting bursts and try and recreate something close to nature, but in reality I’ve found it works better to keep things simple. I use a set start and finish time and with this tank it took a while to get it just right. Now I have the lights on for just over seven hours constantly. NH: How do you keep the heater concealed? KO: I have an external Hydor heater hidden in my cabinet — it works flawlessly.

Kris does a weekly 50% water change and trims the plants at least once every eight weeks.

NH: What substrate and hardscape do you have? KO: I have used the full ADA substrate system including all additives (ADA Bacter, Clear Super, Tourmaline BC, and Multi Bottom) for this one. The Aquasoil is a mixture of the Amazonia regular and powder types. Driftwood and Dragon stone make up the hardscape. NH: Is there a reason behind the soil fertilisers? KO: I wanted to see if it really worked as well as claimed. I’d seen multiple videos showing the power of the ADA system, so I called up James Findlay at The Green Machine to discuss the ADA products and ask his opinion. He spoke very highly of them and after seeing some of his own impressive aquascapes, I wasn’t inclined to disagree with him. NH: What other fertilisers do you use? KO: I’ve stuck to ADA ferts. I use Green Brighty step 1 and 2 along with Brighty K. I dose as recommended and it works amazingly — it’s super easy to use too. NH: How do you inject your carbon dioxide? KO: It’s all about finding the balance for your own, individual aquarium. I use a fire extinguisher as my source, with a CO2Art Complete Aquarium system (solenoid and regulator) feeding into an in-tank glass diffuser. I use a bubble counter to check dose rate, and currently it’s running at about three bubbles per second. I have a drop checker (a constant, blue-bromo device to measure dissolved CO2 content) too, which comes in handy. Carbon dioxide dosing starts about an hour before the lights come on and finishes about an hour before the lights go out. This helps the plants adjust and avoids huge fluctuations.

The King tiger plec is a plant-safe species.

NH: What water parameters do you maintain? KO: The pH is 6.8, ammonia 0ppm, nitrite 0ppm, nitrate 40ppm. NH: Do you use RO water or tap? KO: I use a mixture of both hot and cold tapwater. The ADA Brighty K also helps to neutralise chlorine. NH: What maintenance do you need to do? Is there a daily, weekly or monthly routine? How long does it take you? KO: I do a weekly 50% water change and I trim the plants at least once every eight weeks. My weekly routine starts on Friday morning when I clean the inside of the glass and then syphon out 50%. I try not to take any shrimps if I’m cleaning the HC (but it happens). I then refill with fresh water, add the ferts and clean out the skimmer. It takes around 45 minutes on a good day. NH: What gear do you use on the plants? KO: I use straight scissors and long tweezers for trimming and replanting. NH: What have you learned while putting together this set-up? KO: That if you put in the time and effort, you get good results. But it is hard work. NH: Do you have any other tanks in the pipeline? KO: My dream tank would be huge, like Amano’s personal tank he owned in Japan. I am going to take this one down and set up a new one soon. I intend to use some sand for visual effect, along with Aquasoil. It’s going to be amazing! The greenery NH: What plants have you currently got? KO: Inside the tank there is: Microsorum sp. ‘Trident’, Hemianthus callitrichoides ‘Cuba’, Anubias nana, Staurogyne repens, Java moss and Cryptocoryne wendtii ‘Brown’.

Kris’ tank looks great both above and below the water line!

Outside the tank I have two different types of orchid, anchored with zip ties to the wood that juts out from the water, and terrestrial moss taken from the waterfall on my garden pond. The moss is wrapped around the root system of the orchids, but it also slightly touches the water surface, so a capillary motion means that it takes water and feeds the orchids. And it looks great. NH: Which have been the most and least successful plants?

KO: The most successful was the Hemianthus, but that could be because I’ve grown it in the past and I know what I’m doing with it. The least successful to get going was the Microsorum sp. ‘Trident’, although I believe this was down to the balance of the tank not being right. I don’t think it could handle the tank establishing, and I had to remove lots of it at first.

NH: What inspired you to put the orchid and bromeliad on the wood? KO: Actually they are both orchids! (Feature ed’s note: That’s me told!) I can see why you’d think one was a bromeliad, as the leaves are very similar. Maybe I’ll try that out, too. I was inspired to try orchids on the wood by my father-in-law, Tony, who is from Venezuela. I’ve visited his home there a number of times and I’m always super impressed with his amazing garden, and his plant growing skills. He has orchids everywhere, all anchored to trees and branches. I saw a lot of this over there and it soon dawned on me that this is how they grow in the wild.

Kris says he has learned that if you put in the time and effort into your aquascape, you get good results — but it is hard work.

NH: Do you draw inspiration from any particular aquascapers? KO: I’d have to say yes. I’d also like to dedicate this aquascape to the man himself — Takashi Amano. I’ve seen a lot of beautiful nature aquariums in my time, all created by a number of great aquascapers. There are way too many to name here. I’d always kept tropical fish, but one day when I didn’t have a tank set up, I went to a friend’s house and saw his amazing aquascape. I’d never seen plants as healthy before, nor had I heard of using CO2 for plant growth, or even specialist substrates like Aquasoil. I asked my friend how he did it and if he’d seen others doing this. He pulled out his phone, opened up Google and typed in Takashi Amano. We talked about aquascaping for a long time, and after a while of watching Amano videos on YouTube, I was desperate to try a set-up of my own. NH: How do the terrestrial plants do in this set-up? KO: They do great, though I’ve had to be careful with placement. For example, I couldn’t put an orchid directly under the lighting because it’s just too intense; it would kill it really quickly. Orchids like light, but not direct light, so I place them away from the centre and they seem to do well.

Flying fox.

NH: What advice would you give to somebody planning on a tank like this? KO: I’d say before doing something like this try something a little smaller first, like a nano tank. Don’t spend loads of money on your first aquascape, try it on a smaller scale. If you have already have aquascaping experience and would like to take it to the next level, then take as much time as you can planning in advance and thinking about what you want the set-up to look like. Research as much as you can. Once you’ve decided on the plants you want, consider their lighting, CO2 and nutritional needs. Remember that not all plants like the same conditions. Think about the hardscape you want and how it will work with your plant choices. I’d recommend going for a low maintenance set-up, avoiding plants like Hemianthius unless you really know what you are doing. Be patient as it really takes a while to find the right balance. Get a note pad and write down everything you do, including the results of all of your water tests. If you keep a log of what you are doing and what is happening, then you can always look back and understand more about your aquarium from any time period. Moreover, you may pick up some insights of how to fix any problems you encounter. But, most importantly, have fun doing it. NH: If you could start again, what would you do differently? KO: I would add the Microsorum sp. ‘Trident’ much later than I did, at around maybe three months in.

The Cardinal tetras spawned following the addition of some cooler water.

The fish NH: What fish species do you have? KO: I love to utilise fish in the nature aquarium in a role they’ve evolved to suit. And of course, I like them to bring some colour and movement to the tank. I think the choice of fish can really affect the appearance and mood of an aquascape, and help bring the original concept to fruition. I originally started this ’scape with Serpae tetra as the main schooling fish but unfortunately they can be very nippy and they just didn’t work out. Even though they looked amazing, they had to go. Currently the tank houses Cardinal tetra, Flying fox, Pygmy corys, Otocinclus, Rams, King tiger plec L66 (a species that doesn’t eat plants), as well as Amano shrimp, Rock shrimp and Cherry shrimp.

The Rams have spawned, but there have been no fry so far.

NH: Has there been any spawning? KO: The Cardinal tetra spawned once, but it was eaten up very quickly. I think I accidentally triggered it as it happened soon after I poured a couple of litres of cooler water into the tank. The Rams have had a few attempts, but no fry as of yet. The Cherry shrimp have gone crazy in there and I’m convinced they have crossed with the Rock shrimp. The Amano shrimp are always spitting out eggs but because of their life cycle it could never happen in fresh water. I attempted to raise Amano shrimp once. I got all the way to adding the saltwater to a separate breeding tank and feeding it with the phytoplankton, but in the event I ended up syphoning the shrimplets out by mistake. I didn’t try again after that. NH: What food do the fish get? KO: I feed the fish a variety for a balanced diet, which keeps them healthy and looking their best. I feed New Life Spectrum discus formula (crushed up), Tetra Pro Colour and a spirulina flake. And from time to time I also chuck in some blanched courgette or spinach leaves. NH: Have you ever had any problems with carbon dioxide and fish? KO: In the past I’ve run it too high and all my fish were at the water surface trying to get oxygen. That’s why I think a drop checker helps — it allows you to make sure you don’t overdo it for the fish. That’s why I have one, anyway.

#aquarium #acuario #aquário #fish tank #freshwater #freshwater aquarium #aquascape #aquascaping #nature aquarium #planted aquarium #planted tank #アクアリウム #水族館 #cichlid #tetra

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