𝙾𝚌𝚝𝚘𝚋𝚎𝚛 𝟸𝟽, 𝟷𝟿𝟷𝟷 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝙳𝚒𝚊𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚜 𝙾𝚏 𝙵𝚛𝚊𝚗𝚣 𝙺𝚊𝚏𝚔𝚊, 𝟷𝟿𝟷𝟶 -𝟷𝟿𝟷𝟹

[ID: Superstition: The evil spirits gain entry into a person who drinks out of an imperfect glass. END ID]

rapid analysis of what some of the descriptions/footnotes possibly mean

usually i wouldn’t put this on my main account, but since the other blog i would post it on is a little more in-detail on average, i decided why not (i think you know which blog i’m referring to)

so yep! i read some of the footnotes and added some personal analysis as to what some of them could mean. i’m positive the song used in the new DRDT MV will be “bungaku shoujo insane,” based on the similarity of the thumbnail as well as some specific footnotes, so a lot of my analysis will be based on that song and its lyrics

anyways

[1] In this situation, it is better to use full names over nicknames. Exclude our protagonist—he is not "that person." not sure what this means yet. we’ll have to see.

[2] Other examples include Drosophilia melanogaster and E. coli. don’t know if this is intentional, but drosophila is misspelled. (they wrote it as “drosophilia”) either way, both are often used in school experiments in order to develop a further understanding of genetics and genetic material (and how it’s transferred). 

[3] From Title 17 of the United States Code. referring to copyright laws in the United States. the reference may be more apparent in the released MV, similarly to some other footnotes—after all, the original “Bungaku Shoujo Insane” video has some moments where they simply show excerpts from famous texts. this may be one of them that’s featured specifically in the DRDT version of the MV

[4] The practice of avoiding the number four; it is most common in East Asia. This superstition arises from the fact that the number four can be read similar to the word "death" in multiple languages. self-explanatory.

[5] As the translation has been intentionally botched in many parts, it should not be considered accurate. this could be a separate author’s note to one of the texts referenced in the MV—we’ll have to see.

[6] (Prayer) no idea but i don’t feel like searching the bible for this one /hj (i think there might be a prayer written in text in the MV though)

[7] Seven is considered an auspicious number in many Western cultures. Let's just skip it. also self-explanatory.

[8] 'Tut, tut, child!' said the Duchess. 'Everything's got a moral, if only you can find it. excerpt from Alice in Wonderland. don’t know how important that’ll be in the future—could be referenced directly in the MV? 

[9] no respect for the classics smh hold on let me see if there’s a lyric mocking classic literature- 

[10] The Roman numeral for 10 is X. imagine there’s an X with a footnote and it’s just this

[11] I admit to lying. There is no one named OOOOO OOOOO. I am, and always have been, an only child. a lot of theories about this, but regardless of whether or not this statement is true, it could be a reference to diana chiem, arturo’s sister, david himself even (i’ll explain later), etc. either way, this footnote seems to be more about one of the characters in the DRDT cast than anything

[12] "Majority rule" is known to be the fairest method of making decisions for a group. That's why murderers never complained when we voted for them to die. just a random question, but you know what a majority vote is? /ref this may also be a reference to this lyric:

rough translation + wiki info: to be, or not to be—i have no idea! but let’s decide, with a democratic method!

[13] 正 character that’s often used to represent something that’s “correct,” “right,” or “just,” speaking from experience. additionally, it’s sometimes used as tally marks in a few eastern countries (china, japan, etc)

[14] Hint: word length of 256 Hamlet’s soliloquy, which starts with “to be, or not to be—that is the question,” is exactly 256 words (at least, according to this source). Additionally, this soliloquy is also referenced in one of the lyrics in this song (see [12]—the first line is actually one of the more well-known Japanese translations of “to be or not to be.” additionally, a few lines from the text are actually shown in the MV at that point), so that may be what it’s referring to

[15] “Ignorance is bliss" is an idiom used to say that it is better to remain ignorant about certain harsh truths, in order to avoid causing oneself stress. The expression comes from a 1742 Thomas Gray poem ("Ode on a Distant Prospect of Eton College": "Where ignorance is bliss, 'tis folly to be wise." might be a stretch, but possibly a reference to this lyric?

(rough translation: things like the meanings(?) behind art, you’d be happier not knowing)  (note: the word used for “art” here encompasses all types of media, which include dance, writing, etc.)

i feel like this is specifically referring to how it’s better to be ignorant of the meanings behind certain actions and words, than to be aware of the dark implications behind them. this is a stretch though. do what you will with it but i think this is referring to one of the characters and their actions + true meanings behind them *cough* david *cough*

[16] While it was originally intended to serve as a military march, today it is most commonly recognized for it's association with circuses and tomfoolery. the exact song that this footnote refers to is Julius Fučík’s “Entrance of the Gladiators.” This is a song that’s featured in Bungaku Shoujo Insane, and it can be heard in the interludes—in fact, this footnote is what pointed me to Bungaku in the first place

[17] Not a real word. Can't be found in any dictionary. this might be an actual translation footnote of the song, since it’s definitely not unheard of to have words in japanese that don’t have an english translation and/or words that don’t actually exist. whether that’s actually in the lyrics i don’t know but i’ll have to look into it

[18] A/N: soz not very good at drawing flowers lol!!! i find it weird how this one specifically has A/N (author’s note)

[19] A dialogue between two individuals that serves as a discussion of moral and philosophical issues. this is known as a socratic dialogue. not sure how this is important yet

[20] It is considered by many to be outdated, providing little-to-no insight on human nature. unfortunately i don’t know what this is referring to, but it will likely be made clear in the mv. my first thought was actually the enlightenment documents, since a lot of those discuss the inherent nature of humanity and how it’s “regulated” by society and government—but i’ve never heard it being called outdated, so that’s kind of a stretch.

someone said it could be an excerpt from one of Sigmund Freud’s works, which honestly, would make total sense-

[21] Deriving from the Latin phrase "Et cetera" : meaning "and other (similar) things", "and so forth", or "and the rest (of such things)" : abbreviated to etc., etc, et cet., &c. or &c

also pretty self explanatory. however, i have no idea how this fits in the MV

[22] The rest is silence.

no idea about this one.

anyways if you have suggestions please feel free to reblog with them 🫠 i have no idea what’s going on and tbh 90% of this is me trying to grasp at straws

Historic Halloween ( Samhuinn/Samhain): The Basics

Samhuinn or Samhain are both words to describe the fire festival that predated what we now call Halloween. While I will say that it most likely started in Ireland, it is worth noting that Scotland and Ireland have a long history of trading folklore and customs(which is no surprise seeing how close the two countries are), and Samhuin is no exception.

"Of the whole series of annual festivals, Hallowe’en forms the most important occasion in the Highlands of Scotland." “The Popular Superstitions and Festive Amusements of the Highlanders of Scotland” by William Grant Stewart (1858)

During Samhuinn and the other three major historic festivals, the veil betewen the Otherworld and our own is said to be at its thinnest, but it is even more so on Samhuinn.

This not only made it so more dead and fairies roamed, but also made saining (cleansing) rituals stronger. For Samhuin, the main focus was on fire.

"All fires were extinguished in the home and on the farm. Then the Hallow fires were kindled, very similar to those of Beltane, but more important, as heralding the advent of a new year. From the consecrated pile, portions of fire were carried to the houses to renew the flames upon the domestic hearth." “Primitive Beliefs in the North-East of Scotland” by Joseph McKenzie McPherson (1929)

This would all start by putting out all the fires in the homes, and carrying torches about the fields and villages in a sunwise direction, to encourage good luck and good crops. When the torches were brought home, they would be collected into a bonfire.

The fires (according to Witchcraft & Second Sight in The Highlands and Islands of Scotland, and the Book of Halloween) were called Samhnagan, and there was one for each house. The houses would compete to see who could have the biggest fire, and whole districts would twinkle with bonfires.

"The motive behind the Samhain fires was the same as in. spired the Beltane festival. It was man’s response to, and attack upon, the powers of darkness. At this season, the day was shortening, the sun’s strength was diminishing, malevolent powers of every kind seemed to be abroad." “Primitive Beliefs in the North-East of Scotland” by Joseph McKenzie McPherson (1929)

This festival lasted as so in Scotland for a long time, even as they stopped elsewhere.

"The November Eve fires which in Ireland either died out or were replaced by candles were continued in Scotland. In Buchan, where was the altar-source of the Samhain fire, bonfires were lighted on hilltops in the eighteenth century; and in Moray the idea of fires of thanksgiving for harvest was kept to as late as 1866." “The Book of Hallowe’en” by Ruth Edna Kelley, A. M. (1919)

A common theme to all the quarter days were bannocks. For Halloween, the bannock was sometimes made with fortune telling in mind.

"The bonnach Bride, or bannock of the bride, was baked for the spring festival, the bonnach Bealltain, or Beltane bannock, for the summer festival; the bannach Lunastain, or Lammas bannock, for the autumn festival; and the bannach Samhthain, or Hallowmas Bannock, for the winter festival." “The Silver Bough: Volume 1”  by F. Marian McNeill (1957-1968)

This is the start of my series breaking down Samhuinn in Scotland. Coming up: guising, turnips, predicting the future, the returning dead, and more.

Hi!! 4 10 and 13 for the ask game <3

Hi there! Thanks for asking!

4. favourite dish specific for your country?

Already answered here.

10. most enjoyable swear word in your native language?

Already answered here and here. But because I love swearing, I'm gonna share some more! We have a lot of words to describe the same thing, and all of them can be used with a slightly different meaning. For example these words all mean "whore": kurva, ribanc, szajha, repedtsarkú, lotyó, útszéli, örömlány, éjszakai pillangó, cafka, luvnya (and there are a lot more, I only listed the first ones from the top of my head). Some of them are almost like metaphors (repedtsarkú=with a cracked heel; éjszakai pillangó=nocturnal butterfly; útszéli=on the side of the road; örömlány=girl bringing happiness), while some are more direct and literal. There is nuance between the meaning and the use of all of them, "cafka" refers to younger girls who seeks attention, "luvnya" is usually used for older and uglier women, "szajha" is more like a concubine, and "ribanc" and "kurva" are the most commonly used terms, which can be used as adjectives too. "Kurva" is a very versatile word, we use it to emphasize other words, sort of like a superlative, similar to how "fucking" is used in English ("kurva jó"=fucking good). "Picsa" is also a commonly used versatile word, which can mean bitch or female genitals too, depending on context. If we say "Picsába" (back to a vagina), it means "oh, shit" or "damnit". But if we say "Menj a picsába!" (Go back to a vagina) it means "fuck off".

13. does your country (or family) have any specific superstitions or traditions that might seem strange to outsiders?

On the 1st January, it is forbidden to eat fish (because it will swim away with our luck), chicken, turkey or any other winged animal (because it will fly away with our luck) or beef (because it will trample away our luck). Pork is allowed, because pigs dig out the luck from the ground, and also pigs are associated with luck in general ("malaca van"=they have pigs, meaning they are lucky). It is also recommended to eat a lot of lentils, peas or beans (anything that is small and round), the more you eat, the richer you will get. So a stereotypical new year's dish looks like this:

It is a quite common superstition in Hungary, and my mother also believes in it.

Heeyyyyy 🩷

for the “hi, I’m not from the US” ask set

4, 7, and 13.

Omg hiii <333 Tysm for the ask!! (i was literally on my way to send you one for this ask game when i saw the notif lmao)

4. favourite dish specific for your country?

Girl, where do I even start?!?! Rn, I gotta answer with my absolute current obsession, which is bacalhau à brás, or the vegan version, where i use green onion instead of the cod. it's just amazing.

Ohh there's also the Polvo à Lagareiro, my favorite dish ever (couldn't find a good recipe in english, sorry :(( i also dont know if this recipe is acurate at all LMAO, i never cooked this in my life, i only eat it in restaurants)

7. three words from your native language that you like the most?

uuh no idea actually. just from the sound of it, i really like the word lua (moon), fofa (cute) - bc the word itself is just cute, like, pure fluff, - and hm maybe sereia (mermaid) - the word is just so satisfying to hear.

(im ignoring the ones that are really similar in english, like etérea (etherial) which is the superior word in my opinion)

13. does your country (or family) have any specific superstitions or traditions that might seem strange to outsiders?

hm actually I'm not sure, my family is not really superstitious, but I'm going to say some cultural ones that im not really sure if they're just portuguese lol.

there's this saying that if you ears are warm someone is talking about you behind your back

Oh and entering places with the right foot, for luck. I'd do that sometimes if I really really wanted something to go well, like, first day of school, a test, etc

and the knock on the wood one, but im quite sure this one is quite popular outside of portugal as well lol

again, not sure if all of those are just portuguese, but those are the more common ones i can think of

sorry for the huge answer lol, again, tysm for the ask! <333

Ok these ones :)

1. favourite place in your country?

4. favourite dish specific for your country?

8. do you get confused with other nationalities? if so, which ones and by whom?

9. which of your neighbouring countries would you like to visit most/know best?

13. does your country (or family) have any specific superstitions or traditions that might seem strange to outsiders?

16. which stereotype about your country you hate the most and which one you somewhat agree with?

21. if you could send two things from your country into space, what would they be?

23. which alcoholic beverage is the favoured one in your country?

25. would you like to come from another place, be born in another country?

Hehe thank you for asking! (Sorry for answering late, I was taking my time thinking lmao)

My favourite place would probably be Kolkata. I lived there for 3 years, and it was the most enjoyable period of my life.

Favourite dish...probably Biryani. To put it simply, it's rice cooked with lots of spices and vegetables, and sometimes even meat if preferred. Different regions of India prepare it in different ways, but this is generally the most common.

People sometimes assume I'm from Nepal, even though I'm Indian. Or they assume me to be from China or any other Asian country because of my looks XD

My family doesn't really believe in all the 'supernatural or superstition' stuff, but if you're talking in general, then there's LOTS of traditions and similar things. Festivals as well, like there's never a week without a festival. We personally don't celebrate all that often, but it's true. The most unique (or odd maybe) would be Diwali or Deepavali, the festival of lights. All the families decorate their homes with string lights, candles and 'diyas' to lighten up their home.

The worst stereotype in my eyes is that Indian people are always clad in traditional attire, and aren't formal at all. That my dear, is a stupid rumour. And the one which I do tolerate, is that most of us turn out to be doctors or engineers. It is true though, our parents and relatives don't see us as succesful if we go in any another field :')

That's a tough question...I honestly don't know what to say for that.

I believe liquor and/or wine, though I don't know in-depth since I don't drink.

Maybe, maybe not. Yes, life is indeed different here than America. But I think it's better in a way, and besides. I can always travel to another country if needed.

Day Twenty-Seven: Bonus

It’s late. I have packing to do, and I really need to get to bed. But since tomorrow is the last day of the trip, I feel I ought to start doing some “wrapping up.” I’ll save the larger philosophical issues for tomorrow. But here are a few random (and very minor) things I learned over the last four weeks.

As is common in Eastern countries, religious sites and many homes and businesses in Southeast Asia will have a raised threshold that you have to step over before entering. Almost always, you have to remove your shoes before doing so. A set of racks is helpfully placed nearby. If you ask someone why there's a raised threshold, these are among the answers you will receive:

1. To keep water out during heavy rainstorms.

2. To keep small animals out.

3. To keep evil spirits out.

4. To keep crawling babies in. (This reason is usually only given at private homes.)

5. Because, in order to step over the threshold, you have to look down. You are thus bowing and giving the place you are entering a sign of respect.

In most cases, I was given two of these reasons, typically one of them “practical” and the other one “spiritual.” But they were rarely the same two reasons as I moved from place to place. People tend to mix and match their explanations according to their personal beliefs or local custom and then to generalize those explanations.

Also, it is generally protocol to step over the raised threshold, not on it. Once, however, I was surprised to see one of my guides step directly on the threshold. I was (I must admit) a bit shocked, and I said, “I thought you weren’t supposed to do that."

He looked at me with some surprise and replied, “Meh. Old superstition. No one believes that anymore.”

I suppose I should've known this, but I also learned that Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos are considered Indochina, but Thailand isn’t. That division both makes sense, and it doesn’t. It doesn’t make sense because the borders of all four countries have been highly fluid throughout history. Territory that was part of one country for a certain number of years often became part of another country later. And just keeping track of all those shifts can be an intimidating task.

But it makes some sense, too. There’s a different “feel” when you move from Indochina to Thailand. One rather obvious shift: Because of French influence, people drive on the right in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos. Because of British influence, they drive on the left in Thailand. It's a small change, but it's noticeable.

In addition, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos have had a major and lasting influence of the Communist Party. They’ve gotten rid of their kings, and they seem quite happy about that. Thailand still has its king, and the Thais seem pretty happy about that, too. Suum cuique.

As a result, Thailand was an ally of the US when the US was waging war in Indochina. That war has left deep scars in those countries, particularly in Vietnam and Laos. If the impact of what the French and Americans did in this region seems less of a daily presence in Cambodia, it’s only because (as the Cambodians will freely tell you) they did worse things to themselves … and they will tell you this with that haunting Cambodian smile. There are similarities but also important differences among the peoples of this region.

It has been a somewhat unreal experience “vacationing” in cities and regions with names that, when I was growing up, were daily mentioned on the news as war zones. Hanoi. Da Nang. Cambodia. Laos.

It was unreal but also, in a strange way, affirming. If those places that were once so associated with bombing and death are now places where we can go for culture and relaxation, who’s to say that other spots that today are associated with bombing and death may not also one day be places where future generations go on package tours “to get away from it all”?

Maybe someday someone will be writing a diary about a leisurely month they spent in Ukraine or Gaza and commenting on things so seemingly trivial as which side of the road people drive on.

We can only hope.

@sharkpupsblog buckle up!!!

anne = i have to admit this choice was influenced by the croaking webtoon which has a character similar to anne in personality (uptight, put-together, commanding) who is an albatross. but besides that, i found the distance of this bird's flight without rest..... an interesting comparison. (years without touching land, sleeping in the air, touching down only briefly on water.) wandering albatrosses have the largest wingspan of any living bird which could match her horse being the only one other than mc's to have wings in normal canon. it's a superstition among sailors that killing an albatross brings bad luck, another superstition being that they're supernatural because they can fly for so long without even flapping. ALSO SOME ALBATROSSES ARE SAPPHIC. (i'm gonna stop before this whole post becomes me infodumping about albatrosses heh)

lisa = out of all sparrows that live in texas year-round (as in they don't migrate out of the state) rufus-crowned sparrows have the most intricate song, as well as beautiful subtle speckling on their wings that could reflect lisa's birthmark. i focused on sparrows because they're one of the smallest and most common songbirds :) also vibes (i was going to make lisa a dove which was really tempting... it came down to a spinning wheel in the end 🥲)

alex = i would've liked a bird associated with storms, but other than fictional birds the only one i could find is an australian 'storm bird' that lands before rain. so, woodpeckers seemed more appropriate in their attributes such as tenacity! as well as their physicality (not many birds attack trees literally head-on). also, fun fact, tongues of woodpeckers are one of the longest in the bird world as they wrap around the bird's skull to cushion it against hammering!

linda = owls seemed an obvious choice, but i choose the little owl specifically because they're the sacred animal of the greek goddess athena, and so the cause of owls being associated with wisdom. also, she smol :)

maya = puffins are hard little workers! living on cliffs and being preyed on by bigger birds like gulls can't be an easy life. but they survive regardless! they have quite close-knit connections among flocks, and are adaptable enough to spend time diving for fish then return to the air. the atlantic puffin's orange beak matches maya's hair :) (that's not my only reason i swear lmao; they're most regional to areas similar to jorvik. which is probably the second and last instance i've factored in location)

evergray = red knots are associated with spirituality in quite a few different cultures/mythologies. they also symbolise long journeys and adventure

ydris = magpies are nasty bastards that steal shiny things. tell me that's not ydris

avalon = honestly he seems like the type of guy to bury his head in the ground 😭 i suppose i also view him as quite tall and lanky so vibes-wise it felt like a no-brainer to me lmao

justin = look at this man and tell me he doesn't have the energy of the kind of idiot that would hang out in a crocodile's mouth

big bonny = another owl would be sensible, but i have to be honest: there are so many to choose from. i couldn't make up my mind ':) meanwhile blue jays are actually very intelligent birds that also capture bonny's intensity!

elizabeth: fun fact, robins are regarded as the most mothering birds of the bird world! also, in england (i don't know about other countries) there's a myth that each garden has one robin, and its death brings bad luck. no other robin will visit that garden afterwards

pi = ravens are symbols of death, deceit and destruction. does that not sum up pi? (even if i think they're just cool birds and don't deserve that bad rep 😭 i can't ignore connotations)

Your opinion on vampires. Are they actually real?

Is this one of those situations like Santa Claus where if I say I don't believe in them then they'll stop giving me presents every St. Walpurgisnacht?

Really, though, my answer is a mostly no, at least as far as the supernatural aspect of them goes.

I believe that most legends of vampires boil down to superstition to explain such things as plagues and serial killings, and the more modern interpretations due to good old fashioned Christian superstition used to villify people they didn't agree with and or wanted a reason to invade.

Many of the non-christian myths can be used for the reason of sickness that couldn't be comprehended at the time be that disease such as a sudden outbreak of a virus or chronic conditions like someone who was pale due to a lack of iron or the like.

Where the blood drinking comes in is due, perhaps not solely, but largely, to the Christian movements starting with Constantine and continuing around the time of the crusades and such things as the Spanish Inquisition and similar things throughout history as they were trying to find work arounds for their own texts and original teachings to give them an excuse for violence, most likely as a means of revenge for their persecution during the Roman era, especially the reign of Caesar Nero. Sort of "an eye for an eye" at it's most extreme, becoming the very thing that persecuted them. One of the ways they did this was try to accuse peoples of sin that the teachings of Jesus and the reappropriated Jewish Torah had to speak of. They would accuse non-believers of a sin or multiple sins to get unknowning common folk who didn't have the means of travel to verify, thinking that they were actually helping by taking over and restructuring these "savage" cultures. Then, when people started to realize that the people from other countries weren't committing these sins, the powers that be changed the sin being accused until they ran through almost any one they could think of, including the sin of drinking blood, which some cultures might have actually participated in, but in the same way as killing an animal to eat it's meat for survival and not for some sick enjoyment.

They didn't just accuse people of being sinful, as if your still a person the human nature to understand would still be prevalent and people would look into the culture as well as they could before accusing of wrong doing, and sin, even by the Christian conquerers' standards could still be atoned for in some way or another. So, they had to say that they were irredeemable monsters, people that sold their souls to the devil, descendants of the witch Lilith who was the first human to disobey God, who would eat your children from their cradles if they were destroyed as soon as possible. So, fearmongering was so burned into the common zeitgeist that it never truly went away and morphed into legend. And, legend in turn, was romanticized with the coming of disproving knowledge.

History lesson aside, I would say my answer is a, "Mostly no." I think that it is most likely legend, but it is foolish to count those legends and their information as completely false; much like how many people scoffed at the idea of vikings claiming that the bones of animals blessed their forging and at the native people of The Easter Islands for saying the heads walked to their spot, only for both of them to be true by means of bone forging being proved to add density to the metal it was striking and the stone heads being moved side to side while being pulled as if they were walking, and mysticism being added by misunderstanding.

tldr: they probably don't, but the chances are not an absolute zero.

13, 15, and 30 for the ask game!! :^)

13. does your country (or family) have any specific superstitions or traditions that might seem strange to outsiders?

........not that i'm aware of? the netherlands is historically calvinist protestant, and things like superstitions arent common, as far as i'm aware. strange traditions are oft racist, but i can tell you about the holiday of st martin, which is 11th of november, and it's similar to halloween with how little kids go around house to house and sing a song and carry a lampion (i hope this is the english word as well) and they get candy in return :-)

15. a saying, joke, or hermetic meme that only people from your country will get?

i have tried to answer this in another ask but i failed there and ill fail again. its rough. i dont know i really dont </3

30. do you have people of different nationalities in your family?

i do not! my uncle has moved to belgium but thats 1. belgium 2. unsure how much id call him belgian

Favorite rituals from my childhood in the south eastern usa

Superstitions

Singing "rain, rain go away" when it's raining

Saying "star light, star bright," to make a wish on the first star of the night.

Making a wish on dandelions, eyelashes, birthday candles, and necklace clasps

Sleeping with inside-out pajamas to get it to snow.

Making sure that the first words you say after waking up on the first day of a new month are "rabbit rabbit" in order to get good luck.

Looking for 4-leaf clovers.

Touching the roof of your car when entering/exiting town to make sure angels protect you.

Games

Kids on school buses gesturing to get semi trucks to honk their horns and cheering when they do

Playing "sweet or sour" by waving at strangers out a window, seeing if they wave back, and determining if they were "sweet" or "sour."

Playing "cows," a roadtrip game in which the people on the left side of the car compete against the right side. You earn a point for each cow you drive past on your side, but only as many as you can count out loud while they're visible. You lose all your cows if you drive past a graveyard. You are expected to try and cheat and accuse the competition of cheating.

Chanting "crack an egg on your head" and performing the gestures on your friends for reasons unknown.

Teaching/learning funny rude versions of common rhymes/songs to your friends and obsessing over them, including "Miss Susie had a steamboat," "Jingle bells, batman smells," "Trick-or-treat, smell my feet," and any of the many demonized versions of the Barney theme song.

Playing MASH to predict the future

Making cootie catchers to predict the future

Rhymes and games to choose, including "Eenie meenie minie moe," "Skunk in the barnyard," "Daddy had a donkey," "Not it!" and silently touching your nose.

Saying "punch buggie no punch backs" and punching your neighbor if you see a VW bug

Playing "World War Shoe" where you take turns running in kicking range of the kids on the swingsets and try not to get kicked in the head

The chopsticks hand game

Getting tormented by a little riddle or puzzle and then as soon as you solve it using it to torment your friends, including "My green glass door" and "Johnny Whoop."

And of course

Drawing that S thing.

I love the way things like get handed down, usually from kid to kid rather than adult to kid. I like that some of them are done all over the world and some are specific to a language, country, state, town, or even a school. I like that some of them are hundreds of years old and some are brand new.

Where did you grow up? If you remember different rituals or grew up somewhere else and had the same or similar ones, I'd love to hear about it!

An Amateur DM’s Worldbuilding Thoughts...

I should write my own sea shanties for my nautical campaigns.

There should be a stage in the tavern in case the Bard wants to perform.

I wish I knew more about food so I could write better tavern menus.

A lot of NPCs are probably farmers; potato farmers, fruit farmers, cattle farmers etc.

I should include more diverse NPCs.

Natural disasters can be the basis for an adventure, what’s causing the tsunamis on the coast, what’s making volcanoes erupt and earthquakes happen.

I should use weather and environments to evoke emotions and imagery way more.

Asian hair tends to be thick and straight, whereas European hair tends to be thinner and can be wavy, and African hair tends to be coarse and have very tight curls.

Historical accounts suggest that some women tried to bleach their hair with lemon juice or darken it with indigo or even mud to fit the current trends, so maybe the players meet a lighter haired woman who smells faintly of lemons!

A wizard’s spellbook probably has stains on its parchment from various foods and drinks.

A mute NPC would be a fun way to test myself and see if I can express concepts and ideas to the Party without just saying them.

“Common” often refers to English, but what about different dialects?

I should come up with more fantasy slang and insults.

Some regional fantasy greetings would be a cool way to immerse the Players in the world, such as “Be Pleasured.” meaning “Hello!”.

I should expand on the cosmology of the material plane, what constellations are in the sky, can the Players see other planets if they look up, how many moons does the world have?

The Party, when they're famous enough, probably have random people wanting to speak with them or get their autograph, which would be a great way to break up any monotony caused by shopping montages or downtime activities.

In a busy urban city, there’s probably a lot of street food and street performers.

In a big city, there’s probably a lot of horses and carriages passing through, so the Party probably aren’t walking in the middle of the road unless the road is too small for that sort of thing.

A country is probably broken up into provinces, counties or territories, and cities are probably broken up into districts.

What’s the longest road or trading route in the world? And why is it so popular?

What’s the longest river or mountain range in the world? Where’s the highest mountain located?

Where are the fault lines in the world? Would there be lot’s of mountains or lots of earthquakes there?

Which countries have the best archers or soldiers or cavalry? Which country has the best naval fleet?

If giant animals and dire beasts (like dire wolfs and giant owls) exist, would people try to use them like cavalry, with people flying giant owls carrying power-kegs so they could drop bombs on the bad guys, or people riding armoured dire beasts into battle...

Certain regions probably have certain cuisines, which would be reflected in their tavern menus.

Different cultures have different views on music, as well as different superstitions and different folk tales.

Different cultures have different architecture, from wood or stone buildings to tents to maybe no “Buildings” at all!

Before a person becomes an adventurer, they were most likely a farmer or labourer of some kind.

Wizards and bards would be great translators.

What does the flag or banner of each country look like, or do certain parts of the country have their own heraldry or coat of arms?

People from the Underdark probably eat a lot of fungus, plants and bugs, so most probably don’t even know what “Meat” is!

There’s lot of downtime entertainment that could engage the Party, from underground fight clubs to libraries to arenas and theatres.

Each district or province of an area probably has their own landmarks, from rivers and castles to statues and other more fantastical landmarks like famous magic shops.

Festivals, Fairs and Concerts are always a fun way to introduce players to a new culture or city. Perhaps it's a noble ball that's invite only, or perhaps the festival doesn't even take place on this plane of existence!

Most birds don’t react to super spicy food (like chilli peppers) like humans do, so most bird-like D&D Races (like Kenku and Aarakocra) might absolutely love (or hate) spicy food!

Sunlight entering water can travel about 3,000 feet under the right conditions, but there is rarely any significant light beyond about 600 feet, meaning you could potentially have underwater combat take place in complete and utter darkness!

Does my world have fishing laws? Like do they care about fish population enough to have laws to help prevent over-fishing?

A party member hears footsteps and whispers from outside their room, only to open their door and find another patron of the inn trying to sneak to their room without waking anyone up.

Fantasy street food can be pretty much anything! From chocolate to meat on skewers to noodles or even sausages stuffed and grilled quickly right in front of the Players as they walk through the streets!

It’s definitely a strength check to try and break out of bonds, but it’s a dexterity check to wiggle yourself out of handcuffs or bindings, remember that!

 Hobo Symbols (an actual thing created by wandering adventurers and nomads) could make for a great way to communicate places of interest to a Party of New Adventurers.

I should use Electrum Pieces more often.

Characters with more siblings means more fun and relevant NPCs you could put in interesting positions. For example, imagine the brother or sister of a Party Member working for the opposing side during a war....

The BBEG could have multiple enemies or allies in high and low places, meaning potential new allies and enemies for the Party to make.

If you want your Players to think you’re a galaxy brain DM, drip feed info little by little into parts of the campaign from the very start, both in and out of combat, that way when the big reveal comes along, the Players think you’re a big-brained master of plot and storytelling!

Some taverns could have darkened or tinted windows, since that'll make every drunkard inside think it's still early in the night.

If a band of bards is playing in a tavern, the Party can probably hear the noises from outside.

More taverns should have a dance-floor!

There should be more families in taverns and inns, since most taverns and inns are similar to hotels or restaurants.

The walls and ceilings of a tavern could be filled with all sorts of things: Light fixtures, chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, wooden beams supporting the walls. Or maybe something more artistic: Paintings, mounted animal heads, tapestries, curtains hanging above windows and doors, just to give a few examples...

Cincinnati Welcomed Groundhog Day As We Abandoned The Candlemas Holiday Police

Among the earliest references in Cincinnati to Groundhog Day was an announcement by John P. Ohmer, proprietor of Ohmer’s Garden in the East End. Mr. Ohmer, a confectioner by trade, maintained a miniature zoo at his picnic grounds and informed the Cincinnati Enquirer on 10 February 1869 that his own personal groundhog had predicted a mild winter:

“I have a groundhog among my collection of animals in the Zoological Hall. I watched him on the 2d. He came out of his den at precisely two o’clock and has been out, more or less, every day since that time. I have been in the building every day during the winter, and had not seen him before since the 1st of October last. I have been in a business that depends on fine weather for eighteen years, and always calculated on groundhog’s day as a certain guide to go by.”

Although Mr. Ohmer was born in Paris, France, he based his business plan on a superstition widely attributed to Native American tribes. So did the ice harvesters of Urbana, Ohio. Before refrigeration, our ancestors kept food in the ice box – literally a box with a block of ice atop it. To have enough ice to last the year, ice harvesters needed a good, thick layer on northern lakes. The winter of 1862 had been so mild that it looked bad for the ice industry, but the groundhog came through, according to the Enquirer [6 February 1862]:

“We have encouragement, however, from the fact, that on Sunday last, February 2, being ground-hog day, the sun shone out brightly, enabling his hogship to see his shadow, and causing him to retire to his den, which is regarded by many as a sure prognostic of hard weather for some six weeks to come.”

All indigenous poppycock, according to University of Cincinnati Professor of Botany Harris Benedict, who in 1926 told a gathering of garden clubs at the Alms Hotel:

“February was called ‘month of the hunger moon’ by the Indians and many hibernating animals appeared for a new food supply during that period, among them the groundhog.”

Common Pleas Court Judge John A. Caldwell believed that country traditions such as Groundhog Day were valid only in the country, but lost their efficacy in the chaos of urban life. He told the Cincinnati Post [2 February 1905]:

“City chaps, however, don’t put so much faith in the little animal’s prediction or in the many other ways a country man can prognosticate the weather. Who ever heard of [Cincinnati Weather Bureau Director Simon S.] Bassler looking at the trees or sniffing the breeze to find out whether it was going to rain or not? Yet people in the country can tell by the rustle of the leaves and the feel of the air when a shower is coming.”

Despite the dismissal of the scientific community, a variety of Groundhog Day traditions appear to predate the discovery of the North American rodent by several centuries. Groundhog Day happens to coincide with the ancient feast of Candlemas, around which many similar superstitions accrue. The Cincinnati Gazette published one of these Candlemas predictions on 3 February 1866:

“If Candlemas day be clear and bright,

Then winter has taken another flight;

If Candlemas day brings clouds and rain,

Then winter is gone not to return again.”

Although Groundhog Day is rather festive, especially in little towns like Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, Candlemas carried some distinctly macabre connotations. If we see someone’s holiday decorations still hanging in May, we might joke about the “Holiday Police,” but the old folks were dead serious about Candlemas.

Candlemas is also known in various Christian sects as Feast of the Presentation of Jesus Christ, the Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and the Feast of the Holy Encounter. It marks the canonical end of the Christmas season, and enforcement was brutal. The Cincinnati Enquirer reported [29 July 1863] that all Christmas decorations must be removed from churches before Candlemas. If a single leaf or berry escaped detection, a death would ensue in the family whose pew was polluted by the festive remnant.

“An old lady (now dead) whom I knew, was so persuaded of the truth of this superstition that she would not be contented to leave the clearing of her pew to the constituted authorities, but used to send her servant on Candlemas eve to see that her own seat, at any rate, was thoroughly freed from danger.”

Apparently having dispensed with every speck of holiday glitter, the Cincinnati Business Men’s Club attempted to introduce a note of frivolity into its Ground-Hog Day observance in 1904 by offering “Ground-Hog with puree of split peas” on its luncheon menu. According to the Cincinnati Post [3 February 1904]:

“One well-known business man started to leave the table, protesting that he’d never heard of ground-hog being eaten, and that it made him sick to think about it. He was reassured, however, when he was told that the ‘ground-hog’ was merely pork sausages sailing under a nom de plume.”

The Cincinnati Post reported [2 February 1897] that people throughout the United States universally recognized Groundhog Day, but were thoroughly confused how to interpret the groundhog’s shadow or lack thereof:

“In some localities the saying is that if he sees his shadow Feb. 2 he will be scared back into his hole and winter will rage for six weeks longer. Others have it that if he sees his shadow he will stay out and play with it, because spring is at hand. So it becomes a ground-hog case.”

A “groundhog case,” a phrase no longer in much use, referred to a what was also called a Hobson’s Choice – a choice that was really no choice at all.

hello. i’ve seen you take statements and i wanted to write this out somewhere even though i’ve always thought that it’s probably not that interesting compared to a lot of asks you’ve received and your own experiences. this might be a little long, sorry for the trouble. It is ok if you want to delete or ignore this, of course.

i have a weird relationship with insects. i have entomophobia and only that, since spiders and arachnids never really scared or bothered me. however with insects theres something that pulls them to me even though im really scared of them. since something that happened a few years ago, every summer since then I’ve been experiencing a strange similar thing involving a certain insect.

for some time, we stayed in a rented apartment with my family due to divorce shenanigans. While we were there, one summer, i noticed there was a praying mantis (a large one) that had gripped the base of the balcony table and was essentially going in circles upside down while hanging under the table for three days. I was scared so i never approached, but i found it really strange that it did this. i didnt open my window or leave it open because i was scared. after three days, i opened my window to see if it was still there because i couldn’t see clearly anymore. It wasn’t under the table, but then in classic horror movie-esque fashion, i felt something on my leg and it was on there. I quickly screamed and kicked the air and it launched off but jumped into my room and went under my bed. i closed the door and waited for my mother to come home from grocery shopping to take it outside, and i don’t remember what happened the rest of that day but i do know it left my room eventually.

shortly after we moved back to our original house which i had known all my childhood. ever since we came back, every single summer without fail, when the weather gets warm, i will see a baby praying mantis (always green one) on the railing on my balcony. a few weeks or maybe even a month or two, i always have an incident where a big praying mantis somehow gets in my room and im way too scared to take it out somehow, so i always have to wait for my mother or anyone to take it out because they’re not scared. This happens again and again summer after summer. This summer, i finally had a balcony door screen installed to also prevent mosquitoes from coming in. I saw the baby mantis at the beginning of the summer again, on the railing of my balcony as always, but im never scared of the baby ones, only the big ones. i didnt have an incident of the big mantis getting in this year though. In my country the common name for praying mantises translates to “virgin mary’s little horse” (essentially) and we have a superstition here that when a praying mantis sits in front of your door, someone has died there. However, seeing them also means good luck. I have more strange experiences with insects, but there’s something about the praying mantis and this almost “ritual” every summer.

oh man, that's so cool. it's also really strange, and I'm sorry you get stalked by something you're so scared off, but how odd that it happens again and again! there's definitely something there, I think. I wonder if it wouldn't be worth trying to maybe address your fear somehow and work through it, just to see if this then leads you anywhere? at the very least you might not be terrorised so much. I had to do something similar with spiders; I used to be utterly terrified of them to the point where if one was in the room I'd have to just sit completely still and watch it, and yell until someone came to get it lol. eventually as I got older and was left home alone more often I realised that that was simply not practical, so I started basically doing exposure therapy on myself. I've found that personally, the more I learn and know about something, the less frightened I am of it. so I would read everything I could on spiders, and look at pictures, and watch informational things on them, and the more I got to know them the more I began to appreciate them. now I'm firmly in the Spiders Cute camp. of course, I wouldn't like it if one of them suddenly appeared on me with no warning, but at least I'd be able to calmly remove it rather than screaming myself hoarse.

speaking of sudden praying mantis stories, my dad was once visiting another country (I can't remember were; I think it might have been in Central America somewhere?) and he was sitting on the edge of the patio. he was just talking to some friends and then he got up to go and get some more drinks, and he felt a tickle on his neck. he instinctively reached up to brush whatever was irritated him away, and ended up knocking a massive praying mantis off his back. apparently it was about half the length of his torso. it was absolutely insane, but my dad has never been bothered by insects and creepy crawlies and the like, so he was kind of just like "huh. interesting." while his friends all lost their minds lmao

these are maned wolves (my ocs from wolfwalker ) and are not a mother and her cub, but two friends. 👍🥰😁🧡

about maned wolf:

Guara wolf From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia How to read a taxonomy infoxoxy-maned wolf [1] Occurrence: Pleistocene - Recent Maned wolf in the Serra da Canastra National Park Maned wolf in the Serra da Canastra National Park conservation state Almost threatened Almost threatened (IUCN 3.1) [2] Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Carnivora Family: Canidae Genre: Chrysocyon Smith, 1839 Species: C. brachyurus Binomial name Chrysocyon brachyurus Illiger, 1815 Type species Canis jubatus Desmarest, 1820 Geographic distribution Maned Wolf range.png Synonyms [3] Canis brachyurus Illiger, 1811 Canis campestris Wied-Neuwied, 1826 Canis isodactylus Ameghino, 1909 Canis jubatus Desmarest, 1820 Vulpes cankerosa Oken, 1816 The maned wolf (scientific name: Chrysocyon brachyurus) is a species of canid endemic to South America and the only member of the genus Chrysocyon. Probably the closest living species is the vinegar dog (Speothos venaticus). It occurs in savannas and open areas in central Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina and Bolivia, being a typical animal of the Cerrado. It was extinct in part from its occurrence to the south, but it must still occur in Uruguay. On July 29, 2020 the maned wolf was chosen to symbolize the two hundred reais bill.

It is the largest canid in South America, reaching between 20 and 30 kg in weight and up to 90 cm at the height of the withers. Its long, slender legs and dense reddish coat give it an unmistakable appearance. The maned wolf is adapted to the open environments of the South American savannas, being a twilight and omnivorous animal, with an important role in the dispersion of seeds of fruits of the cerrado, mainly the lobeira (Solanum lycocarpum). Lonely, the territories are divided between a couple, who are in the period of the female's estrus. These territories are quite wide, and may have an area of ​​up to 123 km². Communication takes place mainly through scent marking, but vocalizations similar to barking also occur. Gestation lasts up to 65 days, with black newborns weighing between 340 and 430 g.

Despite not being considered in danger of extinction by the IUCN, all the countries in which it occurs classify it in some degree of threat, although the real situation of the populations is not known. It is estimated that there are about 23 thousand animals in the wild, being a popular animal in all zoos. It is threatened mainly because of the destruction of the cerrado to expand agriculture, pedestrian accidents, hunting and diseases caused by domestic dogs. However, it is adaptable and tolerant of changes caused by humans. The maned wolf currently occurs in areas of Atlantic Forest already deforested, where it did not originally occur.

Some communities carry superstitions about the maned wolf and may even harbor a certain aversion to the animal. But in general, the maned wolf provokes sympathy in humans and is therefore used as a flag species in the conservation of the Cerrado.

Index 1 Etymology 2 Taxonomy and evolution 3 Geographic distribution and habitat 4 Description 5 Behavior and ecology 5.1 Diet and foraging 5.2 Territory, area of ​​life and social behavior 5.3 Reproduction and life cycle 6 Conservation 7 Cultural aspects 7.1 Representations in cash 8 References 9 External links Etymology The maned wolf is also known as maned, watered, aguaraçu, mane wolf, mane wolf or red wolf. [4] [5] The term wolf originates from the Latin lupus. [4] Guará and aguará originated from the Tupi-Guarani agoa'rá, "down hair". [6] Aguaraçu came from the term for "guará grande". [4] Tupi-Guarani names of origin are more common in Argentina and Paraguay (aguará guazú), but other Spanish-speaking countries have other names like boroche in Bolivia and wolf of crin in Peru. [7] Lobo de crin (in Spanish) and maned wolf (in English) are allusions to the mane of the nape of the neck. [7]

Taxonomy and evolution

It is one of the endemic canids of South America. Phylogenetic relationships of South American canids. [8]

Chrysocyon brachyurus - maned wolf

Speothos venaticus - vinegar dog

Atelocynus microtis - short-eared bush dog

Cerdocyon thous - bush dog

Lycalopex genus - South American foxes

Phylogeny inferred from mitochondrial and nuclear DNA data. The species was described in 1815, by Johann Karl Wilhelm Illiger, initially as Canis brachyurus. [3] Lorenz Oken classified it as Vulpes cancosa, and only in 1839, Charles Hamilton Smith described the genus Chrysocyon. [3] Later, other authors considered him to be a member of the genus Canis. [3]

Despite having belonged to the genera Canis and Vulpes, due to their morphological similarities, the maned wolf is not closely related to these genera. [9] Molecular studies have shown no relationship between the Chrysocyon genus and these canids. [8] [10] The maned wolf is one of the endemic canids of South America, along with the bush dog (Cerdocyon thous ), the vinegar dog (Speothus venaticus) and the genus Lycalopex. [8] Such a group is monophyletic according to genetic studies, but morphological studies include Nyctereutes procyonoides, who is originally from Asia. [8]A study comparing the brain anatomy of several canids, published in 2003, placed the maned wolf as akin to the falkland fox (Dusicyon australis) and the genus Lycalopex (considered by the authors as Pseudalopex). [11] Molecular studies corroborate that the maned wolf has a unique common ancestor with the falkland fox, which lived approximately 6 million years ago. [12] [13]However, recent genetic studies place the maned wolf as the closest phylogenetically to the vinegar dog (Speothos venaticus), forming a clade that is a sister group to another to which all other South American canids belong, such as the canine dog. short-eared bush (Atelocynus microtis), the bush dog (Cerdocyon thous) and the genus Lycalopex. [8] [10] This clade diverged from other South American canids about 4.2 million years ago, and the Chrysocyon and Speothos genera diverged about 3 million years ago. [8]Not many maned wolf fossils are known and those that were discovered originate from the Holocene and the Upper Pleistocene, unearthed in the Brazilian plateau, indicating that the species also evolved only in the open areas of Central Brazil. [14] Nor are subspecies recognized. [15]Geographic distribution and habitatThe Cerrado is the main habitat of the maned wolf. The maned wolf is an endemic canid from South America and inhabits the grasslands and thickets of the center of that continent. Its geographic distribution extends from the mouth of the Parnaíba River, in the Northeast of Brazil, through the lowlands of Bolivia, east of the Pampas del Heath, in Peru and the Paraguayan chaco, to Rio Grande do Sul. [3] Evidence of the maned wolf's presence in Argentina can be found up to Parallel 30, with recent sightings in Santiago del Estero. [2] Probably the maned wolf still occurs in Uruguay, given that a specimen was spotted in 1990, but since then there has been no record of the species in the country. [2]It is a fact that the maned wolf has disappeared in many regions at the southern limits of its geographical distribution, occurring almost only up to the border of Rio Grande do Sul with Uruguay. [16] Interestingly, the deforestation of the Atlantic Forest in the southeastern and eastern regions of Brazil favored the expansion of its geographic distribution to areas where it did not previously inhabit. [16] For this reason, records in Atlantic Forest areas in Paraná, São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Minas Gerais have increased in recent years. [5] In the Pantanal the maned wolf occurs in highlands in the upper Paraguay, but avoids the lowlands of the Pantanal plain. [5] There are sporadic records of the species in transition areas between the Cerrado and the Amazon and the Caatinga. [5] The species can occur above 1,500 meters in altitude. [5]The maned wolf habitat is mainly characterized by open fields, with shrub vegetation and forest areas with open canopy, being a typical animal of the Cerrado. [15] It can also be found in areas that experience periodic flooding and man-made fields. [15] The maned wolf prefers environments with a low amount of shrubs and sparse vegetation. [15] More closed areas are used for rest during the day, especially in regions that have been greatly altered anthropically. [17] In these altered areas it can be seen in cultivated fields, Eucalyptus plantations and even in suburban areas. [18] Although the species can occur in anthropic environments, further studies are needed to quantify the degree of tolerance of the maned wolf to agricultural activities, but some authors suggest the preference for areas modified by man as opposed to well-preserved forest areas. [5] [15]DescriptionThe skull is similar to that of the wolf and the coyote. It is the largest canid in South America, reaching between 95 and 115 cm in length, with a tail measuring between 38 and 50 cm in length and reaching up to 90 cm at the height of the withers. [15] It weighs between 20.5 and 30 kg, with no significant differences in the weight of males and females. [15] It is an animal difficult to confuse with other South American canids, because of its long and thin legs, dense reddish coat and large ears. [15] The species' slender shape is probably an adaptation to displacement in open areas covered by grasses. [3]It is unmistakable among South American canids, being the largest among them. The body coat varies from golden red to orange and the hairs on the back of the neck and feet are black, with no undercoat in the coat. [3] The lower part of the jaw and the tip of the tail are white. [3] The hairs are long, reaching up to 8 cm in length along the body, forming a type of mane on the animal's neck. [7] There is almost no variation in the color of the coat, and it is not possible to identify individuals or sex from hair color, although an entirely black individual has already been recorded in northern Minas Gerais. [7] [19]The shape of the head looks like that of a fox. The snout is slender and the ears are large. [3] However, the skull is similar to that of the wolf (Canis lupus) and the coyote (Canis latrans). [3] The skull also has a prominent sagittal crest. The butcher tooth is reduced, the upper incisors small and the canines long. [3] Like the other canids, it has 42 teeth with the following dental formula: {\ displaystyle {\ tfrac {3.1.4.2} {3.1.4.3}} \ times 2 = 42} \ tfrac {3.1.4.2} {3.1.4.3} \ times 2 = 42 [20] Similar to the vinegar dog (Speothos venaticus), the maned wolf's rhyme extends to the upper lip, but the vibrissae are longer. [3]The maned wolf's footprints are similar to those of the dog, but have the pads disproportionately small when compared to the digits of the digits, which are wide open. [21] [22] The dog has foot pads up to 3 times larger than the maned wolf's footprints. [22] These pillows are triangular in shape. [22] The front footprints are between 7 and 9 cm long and 5.5 and 7 cm wide, and those on the back legs are between 6.5 and 9 cm long and 6.5 to 8.5 cm wide. [22 ] A characteristic that differentiates the maned wolf's footprints from that of other South American canids is the proximal union of the third and fourth digits. [3]Geneticame n the maned wolf has 38 chromosomes, with a karyotype similar to that of other canids. [3] Genetic diversity suggests that 15,000 years ago the species suffered a reduction in its diversity, called the bottleneck effect. Even so, this genetic diversity is greater than that of other canids. [5]average 0.7 seconds in 2 to 4 second intervals, a sequence that is repeated for up to 23 times. [7] Both males and females vocalize. [7] They tend to vocalize more at night, when they can be heard from several meters away. [35] Despite being associated with territoriality, vocalizations are more frequent among young people from the same territory, suggesting that they are only a sign for contact over great distances between known individuals and not for the defense of territory. [35]Direct social interactions are rare and maned wolves seem to avoid each other. [7] Agonistic encounters are rare but occur mainly between males, and have not been seen among females. [32] This results in almost no overlap in the male territories. [32]

Reproduction and life cycle

The puppies are born weighing between 340 and 430 g and have a reddish coat after the tenth week As in the diet, most of the data on the maned wolf's estrus and reproductive cycle comes from animals in captivity, mainly on the endocrinology of reproduction. [33] However, studies of animals in freedom have found that hormonal changes follow the same pattern of variation as animals in captivity. [33] At first females spontaneously ovulate, but some authors suggest that the presence of a male is important for estrus induction. [33]

Captive animals in the northern hemisphere breed between October and February and in the southern hemisphere between August and October. This indicates that the photoperiod has an important role in the reproduction of the maned wolf, mainly due to the production of semen. [3] [33] Usually estrus occurs annually [3] and the amount of sperm produced by the maned wolf is less when compared to that of other canids. [33]

Copulations take place during the 4-day period of estrus and are followed by up to 15 minutes of copulatory engagement. [3] The courtship behavior is no different from that of other canids, characterized by frequent approximations and anogenital investigation. [26]

The gestation lasts about 65 days, being born between 2 and 5 puppies, but 7 puppies have already been registered. [3] Births in May have already been observed in the Serra da Canastra, but captivity data suggest that births are concentrated between June and September. [5] The few data available on reproduction in the wild show that the maned wolf reproduces with difficulty and the mortality of young is high. Females can stay up to 2 years without reproducing. [33]

In captivity, reproduction is even more difficult, especially in temperate countries in the northern hemisphere. [33] The puppies are born weighing between 340 and 430 grams, black and changing to a reddish color after the tenth week. [3] The eyes open at about 9 days of age. [3] They are breastfed up to 4 months and fed by their parents through regurgitation until 10 months, starting at the 3rd week of age. [25] [26] At three months of age the puppies accompany the mother while she forages. [25] Parental care is shared between male and female, but females do this more often. [25] Data on male parental care have been collected from captive animals, and little is known about whether this occurs frequently in wild animals. [26] Sexual maturity is reached at 1 year of age and after that age they leave the territory in which they were born. [26]

July 2021 Roundup

Discussed this month: The Once and Future King, The Good People, The Secret of Kells/Wolfwalkers/Song of the Sea (aka "Irish Folklore" Trilogy), The Matrix Trilogy, the John Wick Trilogy, Space Jam: A New Legacy

Reading

The Once and Future King (T.H. White) - I've actually read this before, but it was a long time ago and I remembered very little of it so it seemed time for a revisit. Written between 1936 and 1942, this is a surprisingly meta retelling of Arthur and Camelot, very obviously and heavily influenced by WWII, with much academic pondering on the concept of humanity and war and ongoing conflict against Might=Right - looking to the past to try and understand the present. Some familiarity with the legends is assumed, White occasionally making reference to Malory, and there is a strange anachronistic feel - Merlin lives time backwards and talks of Hitler and other 20th Century references, White frequently refers to Old England and the way things were "back then", but also calls Arthur's country Gramarye, the narrative taking place an a kind of alternate history/mythology where Uther was the Norman conqueror of 1066, and yet reference is also made to the Plantagenet kings.

Comprising five volumes (the first four published separately at the time, and the final posthumously), it struck me on this read how each of the first four are structured around the childhood of a major player -Arthur (The Sword in the Stone), Gawain and his brothers (The Witch in the Wood), Lancelot (The Ill-Made Knight), and Mordred (The Candle in the Wind), and how their upbringing played a part in the inevitable tragedy of Camelot. In the final volume, The Book of Merlyn, it comes full circle as Arthur on the eve of his death is taken to revisit the animals of his childhood for much philosophising (at one point Merlyn argues at length with a badger about Karl Marx and communism.)

The Sword in the Stone is the most engaging, with young Arthur (known as "the Wart") and his tutelage under Merlin, being turned into various animals like an ant, a goose, and a hawk to learn about each of their societies (political allegories), and meeting with Robin Wood (Hood) and Maid Marian to battle Morgan le Fay, and the climactic pulling of the sword from the stone. This was of course the source material for the Disney film, although missing the wizards duel with Madam Mim (appearing in the original publication, but removed for the revised version).

The Ill-Made Knight is the longest volume and was honestly a slog to get through, because honestly Lancelot is pretty dull/terrible, and the Lancelot/Guenever love affair less than compelling. Ultimately it's Lancelot's hubris that dooms them - he is warned that Mordred intends to catch him out in Guenever's room, but he goes anyway, and doesn't leave when he tells her to, because he is stupid.

It’s no surprise that the female characters are given the short shrift, but there’s an uncomfortable vein of misogyny running through the book. To wit:

Elaine had done the ungraceful thing as usual. Guenever, in similar circumstances, would have been sure to grow pale and interesting - but Elaine had only grown plump.

And then later:

Guenever had overdressed for the occasion. She had put on makeup which she did not need, and put it on badly. She was forty-two.

Morgause (the eponymous witch in the wood/queen of air and darkness) is a negligent mother whose sole motivation is revenge, Elaine rapes Lancelot by deception, Guenever is hypocritical and shrill (but achieves a sliver of nuance in Candle), Nimueh is a nonentity, and Morgan le Fey is a monstrous fairy. If only White had turned his academic pondering inward and in order to examine the role of women in his worldview other than as damsels or instigators.

But Arthur also gets the short shrift - after all the focus in his childhood, he becomes almost a peripheral figure in the rest of the story until the very end, and we're not actually given much to show why he is the once and future king, other than that he tries to institute a slightly less brutal system.

Ultimately, White is more interested in philosophy than character, and so Camelot's inevitable tragedy feels more clinical than visceral.

The Good People (Hannah Kent) - If the Irish Folklore Trilogy (discussed below) is the beauty and wonder of Irish myths and legends interacting with the human world, this book is the cold danger of superstition and the devastating affect of folklore used as an explanation for life's ills. Set in 1820's rural Ireland, Nora is widowed and left with the care of her young disabled grandson Michael, believed to be a changeling. The local wise woman Nance, who feels the touch of "the good people" sets about to drive out the fairy from the child, believing that the "real" Michael will return, much to the growing dread of Mary, the teenage girl Nora has hired to care for him.

Here fairies are seen as a malevolent force, "sweeping" away women and children, causing bad harvests, and bringing death to the village - to be respected and feared. And then there's Nance, bartering traditional cures for ailments and troubles - some work, some do not, and some pose great danger. On the other hand, this is a remote village where a doctor must be fetched from Killarney, and only one priest who is less than charitable. Neither provide any help or support to Nora.

SPOILERS It's an upsetting read dealing with dark subject matter - grief trauma, child abuse and accidental infanticide, a kind of slow burn horror. If it takes a village to to raise a child, it also takes one to kill a child, as mounting fear and superstition moves through the population like a contagion, heightening Nora's desperation for the "return" of her grandson, and Nance's to prove her knowledge. It's an impeccably researched novel (based in part on a true event) but very unsettling - poor Michael is never really given humanity, and I feel this book would be hugely triggering in its depiction of disability and neurodivergence.

Watching

The Secret of Kells/Song of the Sea/Wolfwalkers (dir. Tom Moore) - I've been meaning to watch these films for absolutely ages, and I finally got to them this month. I’m pleased to say that the many people who recommended them to me were absolutely correct, because they appear to have been made to specifically cater to my interests. Some mild spoilers ahead.

I watched these in internal chronological order as suggested by @ravenya003, starting with The Secret of Kells, set in 9th Century Ireland where the young monk Brendan helps illuminate the to-be famous manuscript and befriends a forest sprite Aisling, under the threat of a Viking raid. Next was Wolfwalkers, jumping forward to 1650 Kilkenny where the English girl Robyn, daughter of a hunter, is drawn into the world of the forest and Mebh, who turns into a wolf when she sleeps. And finally we go all the way to 1980's in Song of the Sea for the story of Ben, who must help his younger sister Saoirse (a selkie) find her voice and bring back the faeries who have been turned to stone by the owl witch Macha.

Although the stories are completely separate, they've been described as Moore's "Irish Folklore" trilogy, and it’s easy to read a through line from Kells to Wolfwalkers in particular - both deal with fae of the forest, and Aisling appears as a white wolf at the end of the film (having lost her ability to appear in human form). I like to think that Aisling is in some way the progenitor of the wolfwalkers - after all, Kells and Kilkenny are less than 200 kms apart.

Song of the Sea is distant from the other two in both time and subject matter, dealing with selkies, creatures of the water. In many ways, Kells and Wolfwalkers feels like a duology, with Song more its own thing. On the other hand, an argument could be made for common fae spirit/s in different forms across all three films - Aisling is a white sprite, Robyn takes the form of a white/grey wolf, and Saoirse a white seal.

The strength of these films other than the folklore is the visual style - I really love 2D animation, and while I appreciate the beauty of cg animation, I often find in the latter’s focus on hyper-realism the artistry can be left by the wayside. These films not just aesthetically beautiful, but the art is used to tell the story - from the sharp angles that represent the darker or harmful elements (Crom, Vikings, the Town), to the circles and rings that represent safety and harmony (the Abbey, the forest, Mebh and her mother/the wolves healing circle, the holy well). The exception is probably the home of Macha, the owl witch, where circles are also prominent and represent magic, and this is often the case in folklore (fairy rings, fairy forts, etc).

Kells is the most stylised, resembling tapestries or pages and triptychs from medieval manuscripts, playing with perspective. I actually saw pages from the real Book of Kells years ago in Dublin, and remember them being very beautiful. We only get glimpses of the Book and the stunning Chi Rho page at the very end of the film, but the style of art is present throughout the film and particularly in the forest where Brendan finds inspiration for his illumination, and on the flipside his encounter in the dark with Crom Cruach, represented as a chalk-drawn primordial serpent.

This style is also present in Wolfwalkers, particularly stark in the way the birds-eye grid of the town often looms over Robyn in the background and in her work at the castle. The depiction of the forest has more of a storybook quality however, as does Song, where almost every frame resembles a painting, particularly the sequences of Saoirse's selkie trip through the sea and Ben's fall through the holy well.

Rav points out in her review that there is the ebbing away of myth and magic in each successive film, contrasted with the rise of Christianity/modernity. But there's circles and rings again, because while the ultimate power of the faerie world is fading away, the interaction between our human protagonists and faerie actually increases with each film. In Kells, we have only Aisling and Crom, in Wolkwalkers, we have Mebh and her mother whose ranks grow to include Robyn and her father, and finally in Song we have Saoirse, Bronagh, Macha, the Na Daoine Sídhe, and the Great Seanachaí.

Watching in the order I did, it does give the impression of the mythological world opening up to the viewer, gaining a deeper understanding and exposure as time progressed. On the other hand, that is also because the human world is gradually encroaching on the world of Faerie, from isolated settlements like the Abbey of Kells, to growing town of Kilkenny and the logging of the surrounding forest, to a modern Ireland of motorways and power lines, and industrialised Dublin where the remaining fairies have moved underground. It makes the climax of Song, with the fairies restored but returning to the land of Tír na nÓg, rather bittersweet.

I also credit the strength of the voice acting - the adult roles are minor but with greats including the dulcet tones of Brendan Gleeson and Sean Bean, and the ethereal Maria Doyle Kennedy (who I wish had gotten to do more). But the child roles are all performed so well, particularly Honor Kneafsey as Robyn, whose growing desperation and distress is just heartbreakingly palpable.

The Matrix Trilogy (dir. The Wachowskis) - I usually don't post rewatches in the Roundup, but I really, really love these movies. I will never forget seeing The Matrix at the cinema as a young teen, knowing nothing other than the tease of the enigmatic trailers, and just being completely blown away by it, and then becoming completely obsessed a few years later in the leadup to Reloaded.

It wasn’t my first fandom, but it was probably the first time I took fandom seriously. I was very invested in Neo/Trinity in particular as well as all the mythological/literary references that fed directly into my interests. I haven’t however gone back and read the fic I wrote, for fear that it is very, very cringe. I know where is is though, so maybe one day before the ff.net is purged.

This is Keanu Reeves at his most handsome, and while he doesn't have the greatest range (as many actors don't, although they don't get as much grief for it), when he's in the zone there's no one else who could do it better. He just has a Presence, you know? A vibe, and it compels me.

This is particularly present in Neo, a character whose conflict is almost entirely internal, burdened by the weight of his responsibility and destiny, both before and after he learns it is a false prophesy. He’s not your typical quippy macho action hero, but much like my other fave Luke Skywalker, is a character who is ultimately driven by love and self-sacrifice. I definitely have a Type of male hero I adore, and Neo fits right in there.

I also really love the sequels, flaws and all, because you know what, the Wachowskis had Ideas and they weren't going to deliver Matrix 2: Electric Boogaloo. Each film goes in an unexpected direction, and not in a subverted expectations ha ha silly rabbits way, but one that does have an internal logic and pulls together a cohesive trilogy as a whole, and how often does that happen these days?

The sequels are so…earnest, with none of the cynical cool detachment perhaps some would have preferred - at its core a trilogy exploring philosophy and the nature of prophesy vs choice, determinism vs free will, and the power of love. Maybe it can be hokey, and some of the dialogue a bit overwritten, but I don't care, there's so much I still enjoy even having seen the trilogy many times over the years.

Not to mention the great female characters - while I'm not sure any of the three strictly passes the Bechdel Test, we have Trinity and Niobe in particular who I love with all my heart. It does kind of annoy me that the Trinity Syndrome is so named, because it only applies in the most reductive reading possible, and Trinity expresses agency (and badassery) every step of the way, saving Neo just as much as he saves her. I mean..."dodge this"/"in five minutes I'll tear that whole goddamn building down"/"believe it"? Niobe piloting the Hammer through the mechanical line in Revolutions? Iconic. There are criticisms that can be made, sure, but the trilogy ultimately loves, respects, and appreciates its female characters (and important to note that the avatars of The System, the Architect and the Agents, are all white men).

Then we have the Oracle, who ultimately holds the most power and is the victor of the human/machine war. There's so much going on with the Oracle I could talk about it all day. It's that fate vs free will question again (“if you already know, how can I make a choice?”), but with the wrinkle of manipulation (“would you still have broken it if I hadn’t said anything?”). Choice is the foundation the Matrix is built on, the unconscious choice for humans to accept the system or reject it - the Architect can't control that, he can only manage it, and the Oracle can't force Neo onto the path she has set out for him, only predict the choices he will make based on her study of the human psyche ("did you always know?"/"No...but I believed"). But she plays with the concept of fate in a complicated web of prophesies for outcome she wants and trusting the nature of Morpheus, Trinity, and Neo to bring it about.

And then there's the visual storytelling - there is so much meaning in almost every frame and line of dialogue. The mirroring and ring cycles not only in the constant presence of reflective surfaces and central metaphor of the Matrix as a simulacrum, but the androgyny of Neo and Trinity, bringing each other back from the dead in successive films (and ultimately both ultimately dying in the third), Neo and Morpheus’ first and last meetings, Smith who is ultimately Neo’s dark mirror, the Oracle/the Architect, just to name a few. I just…really really love these movies? Maybe I’ll do a full post rewatch sometime.

I am however reserving judgement on the Matrix 4 - already there are a few things making me uneasy. Lana is the sole director for this one (Lilly is not involved), and Laurence Fishburne apparently wasn't even asked back, even though Morpheus actually survives the trilogy (as opposed to Neo and Trinity). But I’m interested, and don’t want to go in with any expectations, but rather ready to be surprised again like I was when I watched the first film (and hope I can stay away from spoilers).

John Wick Trilogy (dir. Chad Stahelski) - It was a trilogy kind of month! This genre is generally not my thing, as I don’t have a high tolerance for graphic violence and pure action bores me after a while, but I was in a Keanu kind of mood and I'm always hearing people go on about John Wick so I wanted to know what (if anything) I was missing. While still a bit too violent for my tastes, if nothing else I could appreciate the dance-like fight choreography, even if the worldbuulding is absolutely ridiculous - I mean, literally thousands of assassins across the world chilling in sanctuary hotels, supported by a vast network of weapon suppliers, tailors, surgeons, spy networks, etc? It’s silly, but hey, I was happy to go along with it.

What I do appreciate about Keanu Reeves, and this seems to be a common thread, is that even when in action hero mode (Matrix, Point Break, John Wick, and to a lesser extent Speed), he consistently plays a man who is completely in love with his partner/wife - like, completely, unapologetically devoted to them, and I think that is a big part of the appeal - it's that Keanu energy that is often the antithesis of toxic masculinity, even when in roles that would ordinarily rely on those tropes.

Wick is in many ways the spiritual successor to Neo - insular, taciturn, and even as he's dispatching death with clinical precision. Much like Neo, Wick is a character who is somehow Soft (tm) despite all the violence. I once listened to a podcast where they amusingly discussed the Reeves oeuvre as simulations of Neo still trapped in the Matrix, and it’s very easy to make the case here and imagine John Wick as Neo plugged back in after Revolutions, mourning Trinity and set on mission after mission to keep his mind active (and it would certainly explain why the guy hasn’t dropped dead after being stabbed, beaten up, strangled, hit by a car, shot, and falling off a building). It’s a fun little theory.

Stahelski was Reeves' stunt double and a stunt coordinator on The Matrix and there's plenty of homages in the visual style and reuniting Reeves with costars Laurence Fishburne and Randall Duk Kim (who played the Keymaker).

I did also find it amusing that Wick is also often referred to as babayaga (equated in the film to the bogeyman). Well, Wick is in many ways a witch who lives in the woods, just wanting to be left alone with his dog, and there is a supernatural energy to the character, so...I guess?

Space Jam: A New Legacy (dir. Malcolm D Lee) - I took my niece to see this at the cinema and it was…pretty much what you would expect. I thought it was fine for what it was, even if a bit slow in parts (it takes a looong time for the looneys to show up) and I wonder if they have the same cultural pull they had in the nineties (the age of Tweety Bird supremacy). But the kids seemed into it (my niece liked porky pig) and that's what counts I guess.

This time, the toon battle royale takes place on the WB servers, where evil A.I. Don Cheadle (having the time of his life chewing the cg scenery) wants to capture Lebron James for...reasons, idk. James and Bugs have to find the rest of the looneys scattered across the server-verse, a chance for WB to desperately remind people that they too, have media properties and a multiverse including DC comics world, Harry Potter world, Matrix world, Mad Max world, Casablanca world etc. Some of it feels very dated - there is I kid you not an Austin Powers reference, although it did make me smile that Trinity was on James’ list of most wanted players (skill: agility).

Unfortunately, nothing it really done with this multiverse concept except “hey, remember this movie? Now with looneys” six times, and the crowd for the game populated by WB denizens including the Iron Giant, Pennywise, the monkeys from the Wizard of Oz, Scooby Doo and the gang, etc. But still, it's fun, and hardly the tarnishing of a legacy or whatever nonsense is driving youtube clicks these days.

Writing

The Lady of the Lake - 2335 words.

Against the Dying of the Light - 2927 words, Chapter 13 posted.

Total: 5272 this month, 38,488 this year.