The Insects Of Hawai'i - BBC Earth

I try to make a habit of reading conservative news sources from time to time so I don’t get caught in a bubble but it gets harder year after year, my man. They just throw a bunch of words into a blender and toss “woke” in the title I’m so tired like I’ve been doing this since I was in middle school, man. They’ve always had the same stupid beliefs but Fox News at the very least used to be watchable. Their comedians also used to be better. Now it’s just all a bunch of buzzwords playing madlibs.

Are fedoras really that bad?

YES YES THEY ARE

weirdly specific and unrelated asks to know someone well:

chipotle order?

thoughts on veganism?

a specific color that gives you the ick?

mythical creature you think/believe is real?

favorite form of potato?

do you use a watch?

what animal do you look forward to seeing when you visit an aquarium?

do you change into specific clothes for the house when you get home?

do you have a skincare routine (and how many steps is it)?

on a plane, do you ask for apple or orange juice?

anything from your childhood you’ve held on to?

brand of haircare/bodycare/skincare that you trust 100%?

first thing you’re doing in the purge?

do you think you’re dehydrated?

rank the methods of death: freezing, burning, drowning

thoughts on mint chocolate chip?

an anxious compulsion you do everyday?

your boba/tea order?

the veggie you dislike the most?

favorite disney princess movie?

a number that weirds you out?

do you have an emotional support water bottle?

do you wear jewelry?

which do you find yourself using, american or british english?

would you say you have good taste in music?

how’s your spice tolerance?

what’s your favorite or go-to outfit?

last meal on earth?

preferred pasta noodle?

ask me anything !

leave an ask for the person you reblog it from!

New Raya and the Last Dragon trailer? New cultural influences breakdown! Please note that this breakdown comes from a SEA who comes specifically from a Filipino background. Most, if not all, of the below information will be from that lens.

Seaport/night market

The scene above looks to be heavily influenced by many on the sea towns you see in SEA. Most notably, Vietnam. However, there are many towns like these all over the SEA region. The lights and lanterns give it a night market feel, which is a concept that is seen throughout Asia in general.

We see Raya’s hat which seems to be influenced by a Philippine salakot, but it is possible that it has influences from other SEA cultures. The architecture is akin to the weather that you typically see in the region which is more humid than East Asia, and more rooted in the sea. More things here are made from bamboo and there are nipa roofs. 

Ignoring the blurry con baby, let’s take a look at the clothing. In this scene we see colorful golden zig zag patterns which you typically see more to the southern part of SEA, but there are similar patterns throughout. Here, the skirts and clothing seems to have much influence from Malaysia, Indonesia, and the southern islands of the Philippines.

Oh what a scene! This is such a great view of what a typical SEA rural fishing town might look like: on the water, with houses and stores even on the water. There are narrow boats and coracles with baskets of food of all kinds of fruits and vegetables that people row around. You can see the nipa roofs really well from here, and might I add–a great looking bamboo bridge. 

I have no idea how I caught this but just wanted to point out that these fruits that Raya cuts up look to be either lychees or rambutan which are found in SEA as well.

Taking a moment to paste in this still from Entertainment in the same scene to note the fish in the basket to the left and the green star-shaped lantern that really gave me Philippine parol vibes. All the lanterns in the sea town look to either be made from paper or from capiz shells and dyed different colors.

Lands and architecture 

The grand looking building on top of this island looks to be influenced by architecture from Brunei. Specifically, the dome shapes. A better shot below:

The building in the middle of this island is obviously an exaggerated, fantastical version of what it was influenced by which looks to be a mix between Cambodian and Thai. All that gold…very typical of many countries in SEA. I’d also love to point out the rice terraces!!! Love them! While rice is a staple throughout Asia, it’s so nice to see it represented here. It kind of reminds me of a miniature version of the Banaue rice terraces in the northern mountain region of the Philippines.

It’s also nice to see that some of the lands seem to be influenced by the tropical, humid climates of much of SEA. The palms and the thick forests are typical in much of the region.

Oh the rice fields. Raya and Sisu are standing here on one. We can see the mountainous background, reminiscent of the northern Philippines, the rain which just looks so typical that I’m kind of impressed by this particular setting. 

Other cultural touches

At first glance, you might think this looks like a lotus flower, but I think it’s actually either a plumeria or a jasmine flower. Both are abundant in the region, and just imagining the fragrant smell of a jasmine flower here fits more as a story set in SEA and not in East Asia.

This is not an opinion post, so I won’t state my opinions on the final (non-statue) design of the dragon, but I can analyze what it’s most likely based after. 

Unlike dragons in East Asia, SEA are often depicted with a long horn at the front. This is most prominent in Thai depictions. In many countries of the region, this dragon is called a naga. While a naga is also in South Asian mythology, they are a bit different here. Naga are so important within SEA cultures that we have multiple places (and a river) named after them all over SEA and particularly a few times in the Philippines. 

What I can tell you is mostly the Philippine version, but a naga is a serpentine creature that lives deep in the ocean, and are often associated with water. Sometimes they are depicted as having the upper half of a woman. A more famous naga (or a naga-influenced dragon), is Bakunawa–the great sea dragon that devours the moon and causes eclipses. It is said that Bakunawa is a naga, and sometimes the names are interchanged. 

In the southern islands of the Philippines, depictions of naga are seen carved throughout buildings, particularly on roofs. A typical dance movement where you keep your hands curved and your fingers bent toward yourself is called “naga hands” and is supposed to be reminiscent of a naga’s graceful claws.

Highlighting here how cool it is to see that this is indeed a water dragon which is consistent with a naga. It’s also nice to note that it shapeshifts with water. Naga are supposed to have influence over earthquakes, the sea, rainfall, storms, and the like. They can also sometimes shapeshift into humans.

Remember what I said about naga influencing rainfall?

And then we have the shape-shifting into a human!

Raya’s sword is a wavy blade called a kris blade. Found throughout many countries in SEA, the one I am most familiar with is the Philippine one. From what I know of it, they are blades that are wavy because when they pierce someone, it is more painful when they are withdrawn. 

Her fighting style is also influenced by Philippine martial arts. Notably arnis and escrima. They are fighting techniques that rely on shifting your opponent’s weight around, using their force against them. They also have a lot of quick footwork and practitioners are usually skilled with weapons such as swords and kali sticks. (Fun fact: I’ve heard some people say that the footwork from arnis may have influenced the quick steps of the national dance of the Philippines, tinikling.) To see more on that, check out the first teaser trailer where she uses kali sticks, and my first analysis. That analysis also goes into the clothing influences.

THE GOLD. Gold is so, so important in SEA. This was a big glaring problem after seeing the first teaser trailer…there was not enough gold! Here, we can see that there is in fact, gold. The architecture here looks like a mix of different things, but I’m seeing perhaps…Thai?

And here we have Tuk Tuk who is probably named after a tuk-tuk–a motorbike with a side carriage like a rickshaw–seen in SEA. “Tuk-tuk” is what this rickshaw is called in Thailand. In the Philippines it’s simply known as a tricycle. They are vehicles for hire, which is kind of funny since Raya rides Tuk Tuk.

Also of note, Tuk Tuk the animal is a giant pangolin. While I don’t know of any this size, they are found in SEA as well as other parts of the world.

Tuk Tuk looks like he’s eating a pink pomelo (grapefruit)? Not entirely sure, but that would fit the mold if he was in the Philippines. For some reason, grapefruit seems to be a popular fruit item.

That’s all I got! If you come from another SEA culture or noticed any other things (or things that I got wrong), feel free to add to this post!

these are my thoughts on the matter, as usual, expressed through ugly comics

i say we start a meme where we take jokes that don’t work in other languages and translate them without explanation maybe only tagging with the original language and confuse the heck out of everyone on tumblr who’s not in on the meme like

in italian we say “prince light blue” (prince azzurro) instead of “prince charming” and i just saw a joke that in english would be “if you can’t find your prince charming, the solution is to take a random dude from the street and paint him”

book asks:

book you’ve reread the most times?

top 5 books of all time?

what is your favourite genre?

what sections of a bookstore do you browse?

where do you buy books?

what books have you read in the last month?

is there a series/book that got you into reading?

what is the first book you remember reading yourself?

when do you tend to read most?

do you have a guilty fav?

what non-fiction books do you like if any?

did you enjoy any compulsory high school readings?

do you have a goodreads?

do you ever mark/dog ear books you own?

recommend and review a book.

how many books have you read this year?

top 5 children’s books?

do you like historical books? which time period?

most disliked popular books?

what are things you look for in a book?

Here are 3 mobility exercises that actually improved my day-to-day function

It's a bit particular to me, but I still tried to pick exercises that broadly cover:

-back mobility -front mobility -side mobility

There are other great mobility exercises out there like standing pancakes and pigeon pose - I just don't end up using them as often.