Wicca is an ancient pagan religion that centers around the worship of nature and the divine. Traditionally, it has been associated with the worship of the Goddess and the practice of witchcraft. However, in recent years, there has been a shift in perception, and more men are embracing Wicca as their spiritual path. While Wicca has often been portrayed as a female-centric religion, it is open to people of all genders. The idea that Wicca is exclusively for women is a misconception that stems from the belief that women are more in tune with nature and intuition. However, Wicca is about finding harmony and balance in all aspects of life, including gender.
February 2020
Further along, HHHH backs up that while he received his samples from JWK on a later date than 43 Studios, based on their screenshots, he claims that it was likely due to the fact that 43 Studios lives in China, where JWK is based, whereas HHHH lives in Korea. The attorney general doesn t know anything about IP addresses and the guy that ran OzEmail is now the communications minister and nobody bothered to tell him.
However, Wicca is about finding harmony and balance in all aspects of life, including gender. The religion recognizes both the masculine and feminine energies and celebrates their union. Men who follow Wicca are known as Wiccans or witches.
H1s, Obsidians, and More Switch Drama
For the record, and if it wasn’t already noticeable, I love switch related drama. I mean, I really love switch related drama. Thus, given how long the last week has been with work and classes, I was gifted directly from the keyboard gods themselves with an implosion that I was only mildly aware of prior. While I do not have the switches in hand yet, the very fresh nature of this drama has led me to decide to present the drama now and the switch reviews later once I have them in hand. In fact, prior to writing this document I’ve paid invoices for both Obsidian and H1 switches to be delivered and I couldn’t be more excited.
The Switches
Obsidians:
First making a secretive appearance on ZFrontier on December 27th of 2019, these ‘Obsidian’ switches were the most recent creation of an up-and-coming switch seller/designer in China known by the name of 43 Studios. The other three switches he had designed prior include a similar to Gateron Ink looking switch called Caramel, Nanas, and Raras, which were recently sold on Massdrop in early January. In addition to designing switches, his profile on ZFrontier also boasts interest checks for keyboards that are assumed to be Chinese and/or Eastern exclusives, much like his switches.
The switches, which were demonstrated in several marketing style photographs, featured matte black nylon housings and black, POM stems eerily reminiscent of Cherry MX Black switches. In addition to this, while not shown in any of the marketing pictures, the side of the top housings of these switches apparently boasts and engrave ‘43’ after the name of their designer. The springs in these switches are supposedly black and have a 62g bottoming out force, though no pictures of them were included in the original ZFrontier post. Selling for 3.3 Yuan (or roughly $0.47) each, these were available between January 14th and February 14th via a QQ style groupbuy.
Obsidian switch sample photo from 43 Studios' ZFrontier post.
H1s:
Originally, the H1 switches made their debut in Korea in early January of 2020, being sold by HHHH who is a keyboard designer and vendor out of Korea. Much like their Cherry MX Black inspirations, these switches also featured matte black, polycarbonate over polyamide housings with a matte black, POM stem. (It’s worth noting here that while Polyamide is not necessarily Nylon, Nylon is the name for the family of semi-armoatic polyamides. All Nylon is polyamide but not all polyamides are Nylon.) Featuring 78g, gold plated springs, these switches supposedly are not like original JWK molds, and were modified by HHHH in order to fit his desired specifications. In addition, the stems came with a tiny amount of factory lubrication from JWK.
After selling quite well on HHHH’s website in Korea, these switches were pushed to a western market in early of February of 2020 by Eniigma, a US based keyboard designer and friend of HHHH. As of the time of this writing, these switches were currently still under interest check on Geekhack, though are receiving a large amount of attention. The current list of vendors who have agreed to sell these switches includes Novelkeys, MyKeyboard, ILumKB, and DailyClack.
Picture of Korean H1 samples from Eniigma's IC post.
*Both of these pieces were produced by JWK, the factory which is known from its (in)famous association with Durock.
The People
The drama surrounding these switches is heavily exchange based through the Geekhack interest check for the western-facing sale of the H1 switches, and thus in order to clarify any confusion prior to starting a discussion of the drama, the following are the three main people involved with said drama:
-1. HHHH
Also known as Quad-H or ‘Salamander Guy’, HHHH is a Korean based keyboard and switch designer who is the primary designer and Eastern seller of the H1 switches. Prior to his involvement in the drama, below, he was not initially involved in any way with the western based interest check for H1 switches.
Picture of HHHH's high-end Salamandar TKL board which ran in February of 2019.
-2. 43 Studios
43 Studios is a Chinese based keyboard and switch designer who is the primary designer and exclusive seller of the Obsidian switches. Prior to his involvement in the drama below, he had never made a known western social media account, and instead is most active on ZFrontier and in private QQ servers.
Interest Check design for 43 Studios' New Radiance TKL board which is currently on IC as of the writing of this document.
-3. Eniigma
A US based, burgeoning keyboard designer, Eniigma is a friend of HHHH who is currently running the western facing interest check for the H1 switches. He was not involved in any part of the design of the pieces, and simply is serving as the person to run the interest check for all of us who don’t speak or read Chinese.
Prototype photograph and render of Eniigma's Infinitum TKL which is still under interest check at the time of writing this document.
The Drama
The entirety of the drama and exchange between the above-mentioned parties takes place on Eniigma’s H1 interest check thread on Geekhack which was started on February 8 th of 2020. The initial post contained a very thorough description of the pieces being sold as well as some photos and typing tests in order in proper interest check fashion. Prefacing the impending drama, a witty devil by the name of ThereminGoat asked Eniigma about the similarity of the H1 pieces to 43 Studios’ Obsidian pieces, as at the time it had appeared to myself and other collectors that the Obsidian switches were more established than these. Shortly thereafter, on the following day, HHHH responded directly to me claiming that he did not in fact own the existing molds but did modify them from the original ones sold.
However, as time progressed, several accounts were beginning to take note of the similarity between H1s and Obsidians and starting to kick up some drama. While both Eniigma as well as HHHH did an extremely good job at being direct, honest, and kind about the similarity of these pieces, it still did result in a direct prompting from 43 Studios. Posting on February 22nd, 43 Studios addressed the concerns of ‘plagarism’ of the H1 switches by stating that he initially placed an order with JWK in October of 2019, received his samples in late November, and then proceeded to sell them from January 14th to February 14th. While providing chat screenshots substantiating this claim, 43 Studios rounded out the response by threatening litigation and that he had the paperwork to support such.
A bit over two hours later, HHHH responded to the accusations and threat of litigation by 43 Studios with a very similarly styled response. Substantiating all of his claims with translated direct message screenshots, HHHH started by pointing to the origin of his idea being in August of 2019, nearly 3 months prior to the start of the Obsidian switches outlined by 43 Studios. Further along, HHHH backs up that while he received his samples from JWK on a later date than 43 Studios, based on their screenshots, he claims that it was likely due to the fact that 43 Studios lives in China, where JWK is based, whereas HHHH lives in Korea. HHHH then brings forward the knowledge that the H1s were based on modified stock JWK molds and that the production factory had acknowledged that the molds and materials for the similar Obsidian switches were different than the H1s. HHHH then finished off on a relatively refreshing note for keyboard based drama and complemented the idea of 43 Studios and even supported that the switches both could and should coexist on the market.
Finally, in order to round off the drama, Eniigma made a final post in the geekhack thread summarizing the situation briefly and clarifying that the molds, based on the shared information, were clearly not the same for the H1 switches and the Obsidian switches. The other non-summarization point made in his post was to clarify that HHHH was going to be reaching out to JWK in order to clarify the situation and make sure no wires were crossed on his end with respect to the pieces.
As of the time of this writing, no further statements had been made by either of the party above regarding the situation.
Fleshed Out Timeline:
August 2019
- Idea first posited and explored for the H1 switches by HHHH.
October 2019
- 43 Studios placed an order with JWK for the Obsidian switches.
November 2019
- 11th : Samples of H1 switches were ordered from JWK by HHHH.
- 26th : Samples of the H1 switches were received from JWK by HHHH.
- 28th : Samples of the Obsidian switches were received from JWK by 43 Studios.
January 2020
- 6th : Groupbuy for H1 switches began in Korea.
- 14th : Groupbuy for Obsidian switches began in China.
February 2020
- 8th : Eniigma posts Geekhack interest check thread for western H1 switch groupbuy.
- 14th : Groupbuy for Obsidian switches ended in China.
- 22nd : Drama explosion.
Final Conclusions:
While the dust is almost certainly not settled on the dram and background surrounding these pieces, based on the current provided evidence it appears as if the H1 switches came prior to the Obsidian switches with neither of them being an intentional copy of the others’ switch. While this may seem like a grand coincidence then given the timing, I have had conversations with other westerners who were exploring a similar option of a modernized MX Vintage Black style switch. As I receive both of these switches in the future, I aim to release a joint review in order to compare and contrast these two switches and find the merits of each.
They can practice the craft just like women and work with the elements, perform rituals, and connect with the divine. The Wiccan rituals and beliefs are not exclusive to any gender and can be adapted to suit individual needs and preferences. In fact, many male Wiccans find a strong sense of empowerment and connection to nature through their practice. They embrace the aspects of the God and find inspiration in the male deities associated with Wiccan beliefs. These male deities, such as the Horned God, represent the masculine energies of strength, wisdom, and fertility, and they play an essential role in the Wiccan tradition. While there may be some covens or individuals who hold on to outdated ideas of gender roles within Wicca, the religion as a whole is inclusive and encourages diversity. Men are welcomed and respected within the Wiccan community, and their unique perspectives and energies are valued. There are many resources available for male Wiccans, including books, online communities, and local gatherings, where they can connect with like-minded individuals and learn more about the practice. In conclusion, men can indeed be followers of Wicca. The idea that Wicca is only for women is a misconception, and the religion is open to people of all genders. Male Wiccans can practice witchcraft, connect with the divine, and find empowerment through their spiritual path. They are valued members of the Wiccan community and contribute their unique perspectives and energy to the religion..
Reviews for "Male Wiccans: Embracing Feminine Energies"
1. Alice - 1 star - As a practitioner of Wicca, I found "Can males be followers of Wicca" to be highly disappointing and inaccurate. The author seemed to have a limited understanding of the religion and perpetuated stereotypes. Contrary to what the title suggests, males can absolutely be followers of Wicca. This article failed to highlight the inclusivity and diversity within the Wiccan community, and instead reinforced gender norms and biases. I would not recommend this article to anyone seeking accurate information about Wicca.
2. Michael - 2 stars - "Can males be followers of Wicca" was a shallow, poorly researched article that missed the mark on addressing the topic. The author seemed to have a biased perspective and neglected to present a well-rounded view of Wicca. While there may be some historical context to consider regarding gender roles and Wiccan practices, this article failed to go beyond surface-level analysis. Additionally, the lack of credible sources and citation further undermines the credibility of this piece. I would encourage readers to seek out more reliable sources for information on Wicca and its inclusivity.
3. Emily - 1 star - This article was both misleading and poorly written. The title alone perpetuates the misconception that Wicca is a gender-exclusive religion. As a female Wiccan myself, I have met and practiced with many male individuals who are deeply committed to Wicca. Instead of fostering inclusivity and understanding, this article promotes harmful stereotypes and excludes an entire gender from practicing. Wicca is a diverse and open religion that welcomes individuals of all genders, and this article failed to accurately represent that. I would advise readers to steer clear of this misinformed piece.