#archipelagic thought

[southeastasianhistories]

To be clear, I don’t mean to hanker after a pre-national form of ‘Malayness’ that draws upon the rich cultural resources of the Nusantara. The desire to instead identify with some notional pan-Malay identity, and in solidarity with those based in Malaysia or Indonesia stems, I think, from some confusion as to what precisely happened when the Malayan project, of which Singapore was to partake in, failed. The door to a wider, expansive regionalism was firmly shut the moment Singapore formally separated from Malaysia and declared itself an independent country. Overnight, the Malays in Singapore found themselves reconfigured as one of four possible demographic groups. Singaporeanness, if once yoked to the Malayan project, now had to be recalibrated anew, and cruelly, as the story of migrants choosing to place roots, above planning the route for the journey onward. Smaller, transient journeys between islands became exercises in entering and leaving ports of entry. If colonialism first provided a mirror with which we could perceive some version of ourselves apparently unbroken by the line of history, Separation represented a clean, psychic break from the possibility of maturing that ‘Malayness’ with a regionalist bent. The Malays became, ironically, landlocked and had to once again adapt to significant cultural transformations—though all of this would be internal. Re-integration into the region was only possible after this new, multicultural Singaporeanness was formulated. In the preface of The Poetry of Singapore, Edwin Thumboo provided an overview of what was then a burgeoning Singaporeanness and its consequences for poetics on the island. He writes of the other communities feeling themselves adrift from their particular traditions, which were located elsewhere. For the Malays, he thought, not so much—the syair and other oral traditions were across the Causeway, but not really lost to geography like in the case of the Chinese and the Indians. He wrote, “the Malays apart, a sense of irrevocable belonging to place had yet to develop for a majority of the [other races]”. I think he was partially correct. The Malays in Singapore had slipped away from themselves in the present, and vanished, become strangely diasporic in their own homes. Maddeningly, the island and all surrounding islands remained firmly in place.

Hamid Roslan, Saya Orang Dibawah Angin, 2021

#singapore #malay identity #nusantara #southeast asia: as a region #archipelagic thought #national identity

[fatehbaz]

Stefano [Harney]: [...] Studying together, writing together [...]. It shares you out. [...]

Fred [Moten]: Sometimes I’m fascinated by these videos of birds swarming, of murmuration. [...] What if the murmuration that we see from outside is really just a collection of vignettes; in any given moment, that duet becomes trio becomes octet, and then it goes back down to quintet, so that there’s this constant [...] preformation going on [...]. [H]ow we make that our practice, our constant study. [...]

Hypatia [Vourloumis]: The murmuration is very important for us because it is [...] materialized through a necessary sharing out of motion, one where its swooping nebulousness is dependent on intense coordination between a small number of groups of starlings that overlap. It seems to me that it’s an important paradigm in terms of collective flight and questions of social organizing, of instituting, or de-instituting, de-structuralization [...]. What would that look like? [...] [R]evolutions happen by way of resonance [...] in the context of the Athens uprising of 2008, and they were thinking how that insurrection resonated with the uprisings of the banlieues of Paris in 2005. [...] After [...] that, you saw Tunisia, and for those of us who live in the Mediterranean, there’s this sense that, for example, if we’re on the Northern Mediterranean, we’re more connected to the Middle East and to the Maghreb across on the Southern Mediterranean, even though we’re supposedly on this continent called Europe with its militarized lethal border. [...] [Y]ou could sense [...] a ricocheting “resonance,” because squares were then occupied in Barcelona and Madrid, then you saw it in Athens, then you saw it in Istanbul. These uprisings were sharing out across the Mediterranean, and then [...] the Occupy movements across the Atlantic or up in England. This seems to raise questions about form, about how we organize ourselves [...].

---

Fred: Sandra and Hypatia, your collaboration is also a collaboration of the Caribbean and the Mediterranean. It’s a non-continental, archipelagic thing, or thinking. Y’all think by way of islands, rather than by continental landmasses [...]. You link up with a long line of thought that approaches beach, and shoal, and delta. 

Hypatia: Yes, and I would say that this non-continental “tidalectic” thinking, to cite Brathwaite, spans all the way towards the nusantara (archipelago) of Southeast Asia as well. In my research I think about the islands of the “former East Indies” and the “former West Indies” together too, and, working with Sandra, also Puerto Rico and Greece. What I appreciate so much about Sandra’s book Ricanness is her insistence on the use of the word “anticolonial,” which resonates for me because Puerto Rico and Greece share a history of being ongoing debt colonies. 

Fred: [...] So that resistance to geopolitical brutality is a kind of oceanizing of land mass or an archipelagizing of land mass, which islands [...] realize, or surrealize. [...] It turns on this radical refusal of scale and the way scale is all bound up with the concept of static, statist land mass. [...] [T]he tidalectic momentum of land. [...] [L]ike Brathwaite’s secret sharer, and you share too, Hypatia: from nusantara to Namsetoura.

---

Text by: Stefano Harney, Fred Moten, Sandra Ruiz, and Hypatia Vourloumis. “Resonances: A Conversation on Formless Formation.” e-flux Journal Issue #121. October 2021. [Bold emphasis and some paragraph breaks/contractions added by me.]

[boydykedevo]

Day four of @tazsapphicweek, for the prompt "beach". This is really short, I wanted to write more, but writer's block is kicking my ass, and I figured it's better to post what I have than nothing. Might come back and finish this later *shrug*

ao3

It isn’t exactly safe to scavenge near the trash geyser, but Amber is, as of almost a full year ago, an adult, so there isn’t anything anyone can do to stop her. Her dads would’ve balked, of course, but they aren't there, now are they? Joshy, who’s taken her under her wing since the day she arrived, never gives her shit about it, and that’s good enough.

Besides, she figures if she has to go, getting knocked out by a flying hunk of metal is no worse than dying in the coming storm. 

She hasn’t found anything good yet when she spies another figure amid the debris. It’s a woman, around her 30s, maybe? It’s hard to tell from a distance.

“Hey there,” she calls, deciding it’s best to be friendly. She strides closer.

The woman jumps, ducking behind a table that’s lodged sideways in the rocks before seemingly realizing her overreaction and sheepishly standing up. “Uh, hi.”

Amber’s close enough now to get a good look at her, and she realizes the woman’s actually about her age; she was just tall. Her accent sounds archipelagic, like Amber’s, but her clothing seems Hominian. 

And, more importantly, she couldn’t help but note how goddamn pretty she was. Amber can’t say she’s run into many people her own age in the settlement, and the excitement makes her bolder than usual.

“Amber,” she says by way of introduction. “It’s, uh, it’s dangerous to be scavenging out here by yourself.” She intends it as a flirt, but it comes across as a simple observation; dammit.

The woman cocks her head, sizing Amber up. She narrows her eyes. “You’re by yourself.”

Oh yeah. She winces. Fuck, that was even worse than she thought. 

The woman takes a beat, then smiles at her. Amber’s face feels warm. “I’m Oksana. How bout we stick together, then?”

#my fics #icarus is talking #taz #taz ethersea #oksamber #taz sapphic week

[spellarena]

Venture to the Flying Lands of Halulil in search of an ingredient for a love potion!

You always thought of yourself as adventurers with your feet firmly planted on the ground, but one day you find yourselves having to board an airship. You ascend far into the sky until you arrive at what is known as the Flying Lands of Halulil. Navigating between the small airborne islands is difficult, but you must journey deep into the heart of this close-knit archipelago.

Betty, a chipper halfling researcher from the Magic Academy in the capital, has asked you to find the fabled Pond of Sharea in Halulil. “The water doesn’t look any different from that of a normal pond, but it has indisputable magical properties. If mixed with some special ingredients it can be brewed into a love potion. I just so happen to have those ingredients on hand and tobe in need of creating such a mixture.” Betty looked at you with pleading eyes. “You will go to the Halulil Archipelag, and fetch a vial of this water for me, won’t you? I will reward you handsomely.” At the promise of riches, your interest in the quest grew.

So here you are now, in the Flying Lands, searching for the Pond of Sharea. You look at the various flying islands, trying to spot your destination, until you finally find a small island with a single pond in the middle surrounded by trees. You disembark from the ship and collect a small dose of the miraculous water in the vial provided to you by Betty. The liquid really doesn’t look like anything special – just normal water. Still, you’re not about to test if Betty is right or not about the magical properties. This is the water she wanted, and you will return the vial to her.

Suddenly a flying serpent appears, soaring between the islands. You won’t be able to outrun the beast on your airship, so your only option is to fight! Hopefully your magic and arrows will be able to pierce the creature’s iridescent scales!

Get this map on our Patreon!

Adventure Hooks

Betty, a halfling researcher, wants to make a love potion. She needs the water from the Pond of Sharea in the Halulil Archipelago to brew the concoction. For the promise of gold, you travel to the flying lands on an airship and get a vial of the fabled water. Just then you are attacked by a flying serpent.

Gurk, a half-orc engineer, has teamed up with Durk, a half-orc researcher. They want to find the truth behind why the Archipelago of Halulil is airborne. Nobody has figured out thus far how the islands stay suspended in the sky, and Gurk and Durk hope to receive a magical research prize from the Magic Academy in the capital for their efforts. They have asked you, a group of adventurers, to escort them in case any arcane monsters decide to take an interest in them.

The Flying Lands of Halulil are plagued by a flying serpent who has been preying on the lives of passersby, making the voyage between islands dangerous. The King of Halulil, Omergo the Second, has tasked you with getting rid of the menace. You take an airship to the Archipelago. It doesn’t take you long to run into the monster. Will you be able to defeat the dangerous creature?

#d20 #digital art #map making #mapmaking #map #maps #dungeon and dragons #battlemaps #mapmaking leveldesign environmentdesign cartographer cartography dnd dnd5e dungeonmap dungeonsanddragons dungeons dungeonmap dndmap battlem #battle map #battlemap #ttrpg homebrew #ttrpg art #tabletopgames #dnd dndmaps ttrpg battlemap mapmaking roleplay dungeonsanddragons #ttrpg

[peppermintfreak]

Here's a fugly 20 min recreation of this chapter

“As to why six of many had separated remains unknown for now. Recovery teams never responded to me. The machinery much to my surprise remained intact. The loss of my archipelagic facilities in Oceania was not a part of the plan however-“

“What a dull handwriting...”

A voice piped in, followed by the sound of inconsistent footsteps edging closer.

Loomy reeled at the remark and lifted his flashlight towards the source of the noise, only to be met face to face with another android. The awkward space left between them caused the flashlight to partially cast its light over the scrawny android’s expression, making his unexpected advent more menacing than he thought it would do. And to his disbelief, an apologetic smirk ghosted over his face.

“Did I frighten you?”

“To hell with you. What ever happened with the corridors you were supposed to go to? I specifically told you two to search them on our way here!”

“And we did,” the android stated as a matter-of-factly, “it was nothin’ there. Just a bunch of papers with a bunch of decipherable garbage written on them.”

The scrawny android suddenly took a step back and craned his neck to meet his quiet partner- with whom he had just marched in. “Right, Jane? Just piles of paper and trolleys covered in faeces. Nothing extraordinary to look at.” Jane slightly nodded.

Both androids, seemingly unfazed by Loomy’s stinking glare, their interest now shifted at whatever he was reading from a moment ago.

“ ‘ey Lubin,” the scrawny android pleaded. “whatcha got there with you? Mind sharing it with the rest of us?”

Loomy glanced back at the journal, mind tainted with curiosity as much as the next guy. He stood in silence, scrambling for a decent answer for the two, which by some means made him realise how the air was becoming increasingly difficult. Breathing did not matter to him, not really, but that must've meant that there is a gas leak nearby. How did he not notice that before?

“It appears to be a log,” Loomy sighed, “and like you have pointed out, it’s handwritten.”

He cast it back not so gently on the desk. “In short, nothing of great importance to us.”

“You let your curiosity get the best of you,” the other android spoke, his voice echoed across the darker side of the room he was roaming in, as he didn’t expect to get an answer so soon “not good for business... not good at all...”

"There’s a gas leak." Loomy cut off. "I suspect it came from another room since it’s became prominent only two minutes ago.”

“Odd.”

“I’m pointing out at the fact that we’re surrounded by many incendiary substances here, Rubik." Loomy raised his voice again in attempt to gain Jane’s attention too, who by the looks of it wasn’t earnest on him in the slightest. Her head in the clouds of dust and mind elsewhere. Unlike her, however, the scrawny android addressed as Rubik, looked over to Loomy in anticipation.

"Of all places here, now you are saying we are in danger? I suppose this isn't one of your silly little decoys to get us out of this room, so you can keep reading what? Out loud?” there was a slight change of heart in his voice, Loomy had noticed it, but no sign of concern or worry. Something by which differed Rubik from others like the rest of them. A trait that was envied. A machine like them could be pierced by eyes and words as much as they wanted, but the blind threats would still mean nothing to it.

"Yes. Plentiful." He beckoned back. He traced the log he threw so carelessly before walking over to Jane. The slouching android stumbled over her legs as she was being hurriedly pushed by Loomy in front of him. "If I were, let's say correct, then our end will look no better than the deaf ones we left behind" he stopped as he met Jane's face to tilt her jaw back to its place. "Literally blown away, thanks to nothing but our devout beliefs He ingratiated into us and you chose to follow."

Taken aback by the things Loomy had to say, Rubik said nothing in return. Instead, he stood up from his corner and followed them close behind, knowing better than to fight him.

#the androids #oc; jane #oc; loomy #oc; rubik #my art #shit ain't proofread #had to translate it to english and lost my mind halfway #world building

[dataannotationhub]

Data Annotators From the Philippines

https://annotation-hub.com/blog/data-annotators-from-the-philippines/

Situated in the heart of the Pacific, the Philippines, an archipelagic marvel, is rapidly making waves in the global tech ecosystem. Traditionally, when one thought of outsourcing or the tech sector in relation to this nation, call centers predominantly took the limelight. However, an interesting evolution has been unfolding, marking a notable transition from call centers to annotation hubs. Today, if you were to delve into the directories of data annotation companies in Philippines globally, you’d find a burgeoning number of annotation companies proudly bearing the “Made in the Philippines” label.

[manuelxlvu961]

How To Find Reliable Suppliers of Rice in New York

Indonesia Rice. If you are from the west that visits the east, you will certainly uncover that rice will never be missed out on in a day-to-day meal. Thought about as a staple viand in the diet of the residents staying worldwide's largest archipelagic state, the Indonesia rice has actually been giving resources to houses of around 20 million. In the entire republic, roughly 10 million hectares of land have actually been sowed. In order for the vegetation life to richly produce, the control and also supply of water is regarded vital in its productivity particularly when utilizing seeds of finest quality. For the nation's federal government, the Indonesia rice was very crucial in maintaining the financial standing. They in return, likewise played a significant role in maintaining the worth positive enough for the consumers in the city areas. Since the need was boosting, authorities considered setting https://www.trademama.com/rice-food/suppliers.html up an outcome in provincial areas that will sustain the manufacture. Plans were after that developed that caused the establishment of straight funding in farming facilities.

In one more venture, I checked my concepts on making perfectly mature and perfectly flavorful baby beef. I make use of factor of pierce baby beef in a frying pan. I then place it in a pot filled with water. I include a coarse salt, a dose of soy sauce, sesame and garlic paste, a dose of plum sauce, and also orange juice. I after that cover the frying pan as well as cook it on low heat. I after that lower the heat, transform the heat to tool, as well as include a cup of sugar, along with some other components such as soy sauce, chopped garlic, sesame and ground black pepper. I then cover the skillet and cook it for about two to three minutes. After that I quickly put a couple of pieces of ginger in addition to a couple of mins the beef already in the pot. After that I rapidly shut the doors of the pot and allow it rest for some time prior to opening it. The beef currently has a little brown in the facility, however is delightfully tasty.

During the duration where the Indonesia rice table was popular, there would certainly be rows of waitresses dressed on skirts as well as ceremoniously served the dish on salvers with warm bowls. The cone- shaped heap of food is originally drawn out as well as positioned on the Extra resources middle of an eating counter. Various other attendants promptly adhere to along with forty small plates that contained a rich range of meat in addition to other spices. The production of the Indonesia rice table was in fact influenced by various cuisines of the Portuguese, Indian, Chinese as well as Arabian. Nonetheless, the seasonings such as saffron, pepper, nutmeg, ginger, cumin, coriander and also cloves were all in your area influenced. As what was mentioned, the dish was first offered by the Dutch who were looking for to impress their site visitors with the exotic affluence of their settlement in the Oriental continent.

Guidelines You Should Following When Buying Rice in Turkey

Indian Rice. If you are searching for excellent quality basmati rice items, then you need to certainly have a look at the Indian Fresh Rice Business. The business supplies wholesale basmati rice to its clients. You will certainly find a huge checklist of over 500 items that the firm has actually been producing for over 85 years. Amongst these items are: Specifically, the tree has been expanded naturally to ensure that it is free from any type of chemical fertilizers or pesticides. The rice plant has also been designed to generate a brief- harvest period, from the moment of development of the seed. The successful loaves have a better elevation than they have. Rice expands best in clay dirts, in ideal water irrigation, with a lot of water watering at an ample degree in the years when there is a monsoon. The development of the rice plant needs to be done during the months of March to May. Due to the brief harvest duration, the rice needs to be taken in prior to it is ripe.

The rice was after that grown in the valley that became referred to as Lalupalay. The unique quality of Lalupalay is not just its (incredible) incredible taste, however likewise its (dreadful) nutritional value. Unlike various other rice that is short and also plump, Lalupalay is long as well as thick. Being a fairly new rice, it is not really adaptable to food preparation. However, its adaptability is the major reason why it is so much popular. It is likewise known as Bengal rice. From its name, you may presume that it is dark brown. It is normally rolled into rolls that are a little larger than an omelet. They are More helpful hints not law toasted, but are typically offered on the "environment-friendly" side of the rice. Its shade is perfect with its own shade of yellow.

Being an abundant resource of carbohydrates, Sarawak Kecap Manis help the sugar get to the blood stream faster and also maintain it at a modest degree, to ensure that it does not trigger a sudden spike in blood glucose levels. This also causes a launch of insulin, which aids control cravings and also manages metabolic process. The carbohydrate material of Sarawak Kecap Manis is likewise enough to offer power to the body and keep it active. Therefore, besides being a terrific resource of energy, it is likewise good for dieters as it has slim and also sodium web content. The fat content is generally monounsaturated and also polyunsaturated. This rice has actually been called an all-natural 'healthy and balanced fat', due to the different nutrients it contains. This rice has many applications in several recipes and also are even mainly used in making rice meals.

[tyvekstreet5]

Healing: Launching Your individual Associates program

From the interweaving of these two healing philosophies has emerged the guide that follows, with seven steps for transforming samskaras. Smiling itself is healing and has the ability to change our moods in a couple of seconds. In all instances, it will be significant to note that the stretched muscle should be rested (and relaxed) for at the very least 20 seconds earlier than performing one other PNF method. Wynonna stated she was conscious of her help system amid the attempting occasions following the family tragedy, and devoted to performing. It also helps with performing basic activities of day by day residing, comparable to reaching as much as grab a glass off a shelf or getting out of a chair. Stand tall along with your feet collectively and your arms out to your sides or gripping a stable floor for balance. Start by kneeling on a mat or comfortable surface. The beginning of a brand new yr isn’t the only time our well being and fitness targets are necessary, but January does are likely to get up our motivation to get in form. From a rise in both physical and virtual gym memberships to clients outfitting their very own residence workout stations, the want to put health first is certainly there. Now there are none.

And now for the toughest part: Truly trusting the outcome of my life in Your fingers. It’s a busy life for most of us. Righto, now that your thoughts has been blown the following question is, is it still price stretching then if it’s not growing my mobility? Because the nerves which were attacking your body at the moment are getting a bit more room to maneuver, you'll be able to know they’ll be sending the fitting messages to the remainder of your physique. But reacting impulsively solely strengthens samskaras, making them much more irresistible. All patterns, even samskaras, represent order. Yoga acts by the medium of the body, taking vidya to even deeper levels. What trains our sights on the parallel inside worlds of anatomy, psychology, and spirit-the place the roots of samskara lie-is vidya (awareness or seeing clearly). Our objective is to shine awareness on the darkish ocean, to carry ourselves into being.

Yet bettering our samskara brings us closer to our true nature, which is the goal of yoga. Continued renewal of our commitment to changing samskaras creates a well of tapas from which we will draw when we have to, and in the end awakens the true Self. Tapas is the depth that ignites our psychological course of and helps maintain the self-discipline required for change. Samskara can also be defined as a perfecting and polishing, a process of cultivation. Samskara is universal; it’s one of the weather that define the human situation. 스웨디시 alluring nature of samskara contributes to this. The life pressure that was coated by emptiness, / that one arose via the ability of heat.” It is a metaphor for our spiritual beginning: In the beginning, we, just like the universe, contain an ocean of unconsciousness dotted by archipelagic areas of awakening; together, they make up our inner world. The group with the very best genetic threat included individuals who had no less than one copy of the APOE gene variant related to Alzheimer's disease, APOE e4. Various things can be fuel triggers for different people. That's why it kicks things off with a quiz in your baby -- don't worry, you may take it for them -- to determine which of the natural fruit and veggie purees and snack bars will likely be most effective in turning your bundle of joy into the following Neil deGrasse Tyson.

All the issues these verses say are things we cannot do other than You. These clusters are serving over 2.5 PB of low latency traffic per day and since each AWS area is made up of multiple datacenters, we’ve determined that locality is crucial to keeping these latencies in line. Enroll together with your local medical scheme, getting a free membership at your local gym' was suppose to cure the low retention fee at gyms. They will also be detrimental, as within the self-lacerating psychological patterns that underlie low self-esteem and self-destructive relationships. By making house in the body during yoga, we generate freedom in the thoughts; this freedom can spark our creativity, serving to us discover a limiteless alternative of healthier patterns. Shifting samskara, then, is the continuing work of chipping away at our detrimental patterns to illuminate the purity of the soul. Intensity for its personal sake, however, is usually a type of negative samskara, so it’s important that tapas be tempered with intelligence. And it’s a joy to style the reward of all this tough work in its natural form, the sweetness that arises from seeing lengthy labor and preparation come to fruition.

#massage #health #well-beng #beauty #spa #aroma #healing #life #theraphy

[planta-alta]

GUEST:

This week we welcome the curators Aina Pomar Cloquell and Núria Gomez Gabriel, both winners of the Inéditos call held annually by the Casa Encendida, and who inaugurate their exhibitions on May 26.

.

The first project, LAS MALAS, curated by Núria Gómez Gabriel (Sant Pere de Ribes, Barcelona, ​​1987), is an exhibition around the idea of ​​evil as a way of thinking and as a place where the compositional genesis of material structures emerges, communities, behaviors, scenes, taboos, prohibitions, fears and desires that are found at the heart of all ideology, all consensual social reality and its ethical and moral codes. Based on this approach, the exhibition is conceived as a stage for speculative criticism, material on the psychological tropes of contemporary horror through a confluence of transdisciplinary artistic practices that displace stereotyped images of otherness and its field of material interactions. With: dj_Sônia, Elif Satanaya Özbay, Marian Garrido, Álvaro Chior, Raquel G. Ibáñez, Lucía C. Pino, Andrea González and Eva Geist.

.

The second of them, Becoming Island and curated by Aina Pomar Cloquell (Palma, 1986), is an exhibition project that starts from the figure of the archipelago to explore forms of relationship between groups and fluid borders, between identities, communities and individuals. Starting from archipelagic thought, the project explores the resignification of ideas around the community, individual, territoriality and identity through fluid, hybrid and in-process perspectives. With: Alberta Whittle, Paulo Arraiano, Ángela Jiménez Durán, Fuentesal Arenillas, Carolina Grilo Santos, Vanessa da Silva and Lotte Andersen.

.

Image credits: Ángela Jiménez, Under de sand, 2019.

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

HÚESPEDES:

Esta semana recibimos en Planta Alta a las comisarias Aina Pomar Cloquell y Núria Gomez Gabriel, ambas ganadoras de la convocatoria Inéditos realizada anualmente por la Casa Encendida, y que inauguran sus exposiciones el 26 de mayo.

.

El primer proyecto, LAS MALAS, comisariado por Núria Gómez Gabriel (Sant Pere de Ribes, Barcelona, 1987), es una exposición en torno a la idea de maldad como forma de pensar y como lugar en el que emerge la génesis compositiva de estructuras materiales, comunidades, comportamientos, escenas, tabúes, prohibiciones, miedos y deseos que se encuentran en el seno de toda ideología, de toda realidad social consensuada y de sus códigos éticos y morales. A partir de esta aproximación, la muestra se concibe como un escenario para la crítica especulativa, material sobre los tropos psicológicos del horror contemporáneo a través de una confluencia de prácticas artísticas transdisciplinares que desplazan las imágenes estereotipadas de la otredad y su campo de interacciones materiales. Con: dj_Sônia, Elif Satanaya Özbay, Marian Garrido, Álvaro Chior, Raquel G. Ibáñez, Lucía C. Pino, Andrea González y Eva Geist.

. 

El segundo de ellos, titulado Devenir isla y comisariado por Aina Pomar Cloquell (Palma, 1986), es un proyecto expositivo que parte de la figura del archipiélago para explorar formas de relación entre grupos y fronteras fluidas, entre identidades, comunidades e individuos. Partiendo del pensamiento archipelágico, el proyecto explora la resignificación de ideas en torno a la comunidad, individuo, territorialidad e identidad a través de perspectivas fluidas, híbridas y en proceso. Con: Alberta Whittle, Paulo Arraiano, Ángela Jiménez Durán, Fuentesal Arenillas, Carolina Grilo Santos, Vanessa da Silva y Lotte Andersen.

.

Créditos imágen: Ángela Jiménez, Bajo la arena, 2019.

#guest

[homeofculture]

6 Javanese Cultures that have been passed down from generation to generation

6 Javanese Cultures that have been passed down from generation to generation

As a big nation with 17,548 islands, Indonesia is thought for its wealthy tradition. This can’t be separated from the numerous tribes dwelling in Indonesia, which quantity greater than 250 tribes. As well as, the truth that Indonesia is an archipelagic nation additionally influences why cultures between areas can differ. One of many largest ethnic teams in Indonesia is the Javanese. Judging from…

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#Javanese Cultures that have been passed down from generation to generation

[loneberry]

Fred [Moten]: Sandra and Hypatia, your collaboration is also a collaboration of the Caribbean and the Mediterranean. It’s a non-continental, archipelagic thing, or thinking. Y’all think by way of islands, rather than by continental landmasses, in a way that accesses the somehow more palpable way that islands shift and move, and exist as a function of a certain volatility. You link up with a long line of thought that approaches beach, and shoal, and delta.

Hypatia [Vourloumis]: Yes, and I would say that this non-continental “tidalectic” thinking, to cite Brathwaite, spans all the way towards the nusantara (archipelago) of Southeast Asia as well. In my research I think about the islands of the “former East Indies” and the “former West Indies” together too, and, working with Sandra, also Puerto Rico and Greece. What I appreciate so much about Sandra’s book Ricanness is her insistence on the use of the word “anticolonial,” which resonates for me because Puerto Rico and Greece share a history of being ongoing debt colonies.

Fred: Geopolitics is organized around continents. It’s organized through an imperial logic that is manifest in the crossing and claiming of land masses. Obviously, there’s transoceanic movement, but there’s this active practice at the level of administration and at the level of policy, about the settlement and conquering of land in a way that is predicated on, on some level, the physical impossibility of the settlement and the conquering of the sea. So that resistance to geopolitical brutality is a kind of oceanizing of land mass or an archipelagizing of land mass, which islands, in their movement and in their movements realize, or surrealize.

https://www.e-flux.com/journal/121/423318/resonances-a-conversation-on-formless-formation/

#Stefano Harney #fred moten #Sandra Ruiz #Hypatia Vourloumis

[picnokinesis]

top 5 worst decisions made by captain Thete Lungbarrow (aka: top 5 decisions she’s made that make Jack Harkness want to lie facedown on the floor for an hour or so) 👀🏴‍☠️

HAHA OK SO I've narrowed this down to "bad decisions Thete made that Jack knows about, in order for him to lie face down on the floor" because otherwise we will be here all day. Thete makes....So Many bad decisions. But here we go:

5 - this isn't so much a single bad decision so much as it's a decision that she makes regularly, but Thete considers "jumping off the side of the ship" to be a crucial part of any plan, it seems to Jack. More than once, he has turned around and found her stood on the side of the ship, and flinging herself off into oblivion before he can yell at anyone to grab her. It makes him age several years every time she does it out of pure stress - especially since it's resulted in multiple Not Good scenarios, including that one time she got pnemonia because she forgot that the ocean further north actually gets COLD, rather than the tropical warm waters of the archipelago that she's used to.

4 - in a similar vein...this time, she did not jump off the side, but did get knocked off the side in the middle of a storm, and ended up washed up on an island. Now, any seafarer knows that you're much better off staying on an island, where you have food and water and shelter, rather than heading out into open ocean on a raft. AND YET....WHAT DOES THETE DECIDE IT'S SENSIBLE TO DO? She's extremely lucky that when they find her, she's only dehydrated and heat-stroked rather than DEAD...but of course, Thete just laughs and say she knew they'd find her...whatever THAT means. Jack is absolutely furious at her...but also mostly relieved that they got her back

3 - one time, Thete decided that, in order to get past some enemy outposts unnoticed, it was a good idea for them to sail through Demon's Run, the most dangerous pass in the whole damn archipelago that no one would EVER go through in their right mind...IN THE MIDDLE OF A STORM. The tale goes that she did it without getting a single scratch on the hull. Jack, however, knows that is a misunderstanding that came about because their ship, The Arcadia, appeared in port the next day completely intact. The smaller boat that they ACTUALLY took through Demon's Run.....well, the less said about that, the better

2 - another type of bad decision Thete has a tendency to make is...not TELLING people things. Jack likes to make informed decisions. If he knows the plan is completely crazy going into it, at least he knows what he's getting himself in for, and what he's risking his life for to boot. So he REALLY DOESN'T APPRECIATE IT when Thete neglects to mention that the treasure they're going after is a) not just normal treasure, but CURSED and b) pretty much everyone is going after it as well, including Captain Oakdown, the Gallifreyan Navy, and the Dalek Navy. It's just the little details, y'know?

1 - and finally. On the topic of Captain Koschei Oakdown. It's well known that the man hates Thete like nothing else in the world. Seems to think she betrayed him or whatever, and it sent him completely off the rails. Jack knows this better than anyone, since the guy keelhauled him just to get back at Thete, since he knew Jack was her friend and quartermaster (or was it just to get Thete's attention.....yeah, he's not gonna examine that thought too much, thanks). So then, when Oakdown captures Thete after killing nearly her entire crew, Thete obviously manages to eventually make an escape attempt. But does she do it in a way that would make Oakdown have less reason to be out to get her? Noooo, of COURSE not. No, Thete decides it's a good idea that, rather than just throwing herself off the side of his ship and escaping, she's going to STEAL ALL HIS MONEY TOO. Because the man CLEARLY needs yet another reason to want her dead. Yep.

In other news, Jack is very tired and deserves a holiday on the other side of the archipelago

#taka replies #pirate au #taardisblue #SKKSKSS BLESS YOU MADDY THANK YOU FOR THIS #i actually got my maps out again to look at demon's run #and i just laugh #thete bby why #poor jack....long suffering...

[fatehbaz]

To pursue poetry, I left Cebu a number of times, set out to literary spaces, moved to Manila, moved to New York; after each time, I would return to Cebu, the province where I was born and where I grew up in, which also happens to be the Philippines’ cultural and economic center in the Visayas region. Living in one of the many islands in an archipelagic country with more than a hundred languages, there is always a distinct sense of leaving a center and of reaching another every time I travel, such that the country’s capital Manila is not only a geographically different space but also a linguistically and socially different world as New York, too, being in a country an entire hemisphere and ocean away, is another world. In these worlds that are not the world I first learned to inhabit, I was as an outsider constructed in ways such as being assumed to be a cisgender woman who is heterosexual and fluent in Cebuano, and also one who would write, perhaps with nostalgia for belongingness, about my hometown and the ethos of my Visayan peoples. [...]

For although I recognized I may be from another “world” I found that, nevertheless, I felt a sense of affinity almost akin to belongingness in these spaces and places that were different and away – perhaps, precisely because they were different and away – from the actual place of my origin conventionally perceived as my home. This is not to mean the inverse that I am not at home in Cebu is also true; rather, that my cognition of being at home in a world and my sensibility of affinities have grown expansive by the lived pluralities of my identities.

By “world” I mean something modified from how María Lugones thought of it as one that is inhabited by actual people whether it be a few, as in a fraction of a society, a particular society in itself or even larger to include several peoples within the realm of animating principles. A world, to my sense, also includes an affective dimension in relation to a kind of durational and geographical-spatial zone that “homes” such world and the individuals inhabiting this world. In this way, a world may be thought as a relational, rhizomatic center of affect. It can be created temporally such as when individuals are brought together by circumstances; when diverse writers come together in workshops, residencies, fellowships, or festivals that, although may seem momentary, could be enduring in its subsequent forms as their meeting of persons may take place not only within the experienced physicality of the moment but also, among others, at the intersections of a language, at the contiguous borders of coloniality, in an interlude of what may later be understood as a lifelong advocacy, in the liminal spaces where nuanced interconnections are made as writers draw from where they have been, where they are at, together at the moment, and where they intend to move towards dreamed futures.

It is in these encounters that I found my selves in worlds with Merlie Alunan, with writers from eastern Visayas who write in their own local languages similar but different from Cebuano, with literary communities in Cebu such as Women in Literary Arts and Bathalad, as well as writers from other regions across the country through which I “became” a writer from the South. South, where Cebu is cartographically located in relation to the capital, Manila, less a geographical marker of where I am from as it is, to my sense, an identity, a position by affiliation or affinity, a kind of belonging, and complicated alliance to bring the idea of “nation” outside its conception within the confines of the country’s capital. That this world, mostly populated by writers from or writing in the Southern regions of the Philippines, may also nuancedly expand to include the entire country and even the Global South, gesturing at the irreducible variation of worlds that allows a world to be a kind of center in itself, created and grown within the labile self who provisionally inhabits this world through nodes of self-identifications and self-determinations.

A world, then, is never stagnant; it is mutable. It is also interconnected in myriad of ways to many worlds that a self has previously traveled and inhabited, corporeally or otherwise. It may be first cognized through mediated introductions: overheard from someone; read from a book; seen on-screen; reimagined constantly into becoming real enough to be inhabited by a self.

---

Text by: shane carreon. “Archipelagic Interiority: Notes and Reflections on Poetic Voice and Trans Writing in the Philippines.” Kohl. Volume 9 Number 1. Special Issue: Anticolonial Feminist Imaginaries. Winter 2023. [Some paragraph breaks/contractions added by me.]

#ecology #abolition #archipelagic

[ppmbx]

The Philippines will never fail to amaze you. The stunning sights above and under the sea, the culture, the hospitality, the food, and of course, the friendly people willing to welcome visitors wherever and whenever. Spending a night or two on the island-blessed country is not enough when you want to savour all the Philippines has to offer.

The slogan "It's More Fun in the Philippines" brings an important part to convince people how amazing it would be to visit in our country. Because of this, we witnessed the continuous growth of foreign visits to the Philippines over these years, with an extraordinary part being those from western nations.

Here are the key concepts why It's More Fun in the Philippines:

Promotes Philippine Festivals

various festivals have distinct ways of celebration. Tourists can witness those colorful and lively festivals in our country .

The Ati-Atihan Festival is a Philippine festival held annually in January in honor of the Santo Niño in several towns of the province of Aklan, Panay Island. The biggest celebration is held during the third Sunday of January in the town of Kalibo, the province’s capital.

Panagbenga Festival is a month-long annual flower occasion occurring in Baguio City. The term is of Kankanaey origin, meaning "season of blooming". The festival, held in February, was created as a tribute to the city's flowers and as a way to rise up from the devastation of the 1990 Luzon earthquake.

The Sinulog-Santo Niño Festival is an annual cultural and religious festival held on the third Sunday of January in Cebu City, and is the centre of the Santo Niño Catholic celebrations in the Philippines. 

The Dinagyang Festival is a religious and cultural festival in Iloilo City, Philippines held on the 4th Sunday of January, or right after the Sinulog in Cebu and the Ati-Atihan Festival in Kalibo, Aklan.

Promotes the Filipino Spirit

each country has different characteristics that give impressions to every tourist. Filipinos are friendly, caring, and are always happy.

Promotes our Best Tourist Destinations

Philippines is the home of world-famous beaches. Diving lovers, marine enthusiasts, and anyone who cherishes nature, Philippines is their best travel destination.

Boracay is a small island in the central Philippines. It's known for its resorts and beaches. Along the west coast, White Beach is backed by palm trees, bars and restaurants. On the east coast, strong winds make Bulabog Beach a hub for water sports. Nearby, the observation deck on Mount Luho offers panoramic views over the island. Offshore, coral reefs and shipwrecks are home to diverse marine life.

Palawan, officially the Province of Palawan, is an archipelagic province of the Philippines that is located in the region of Mimaropa. It is the largest province in the country in terms of total area of jurisdiction

Philippine cuisine, though not quite well-known in other parts of the world, mostly consists of tasty and colorful fare made with fish, meat, and vegetables. However, there are a number of dishes whose ingredients are unexpected, or even downright bizarre. One way to amp up your next trip's adventure factor is to try things that are unfamiliar to you, including new foods. Dare yourself to seek out and taste some of the curious fare listed below:

1. Chicken adobo: the famous Filipino dish

Chicken adobo is the most famous and popular of all Filipino foods, known and loved by everyone. It's also one of the best examples of how the country is such a rich melting pot of different historical influences. At its true essence, adobo is a protein (usually chicken, pork or fish) that is braised in vinegar then mixed with other herbs/spices.

Also bear in mind, an authentic adobo is cooked in a heavy bottomed clay pot. This is the like the heart and soul of any Filipino's momma's kitchen! Although when we tried to make an authentic adobo in our Airbnb in Manila, we used a wok instead. The result was tasty, but our friends swear to us that the best way is to use a clay pot for the most authentic flavour!

2. Balut: the Filipino Kinder surprise!

Balut is a developing duck embryo boiled and eaten as a snack in the shell, often served with a splash of vinegar. This is definitely one of the most famous foods to try in the Philippines and certainly the strangest we've ever tried!

Locals swear by it and will tell you what a nourishing and wholesome snack it is. It's just 188 calories for each balut and it contains lots of niacin, riboflavin, thiamine, protein, calcium, iron and phosphorus.

3. Kare Kare: oxtail stew

Kare kare is a stew with oxtail, ox tripes, lots of vegetables, which is flavoured with ground roasted peanuts (or peanut butter), onions and garlic. It's served with shrimp paste ( called “bagoong”), calamansi juice (Filipino lime) and sometimes spiced with chilli.

Kare Kare is famous throughout the whole country. The alleged origin of its name is from the word “curry” – a nod to the influence of the Philippines' Indian community in the Cainta area of Metro Manila. It is thought to have originated from the Indian soldiers who settled in the Philippines during the British invasion.

4. Kinilaw: raw fish salad

Kinilaw is similar to the famous Peruvian dish called ceviche. The word “kinilaw” or “kilaw” means ‘eaten fresh’ in Tagalog. It is a raw fish salad served in an acidic juice, usually kalamansi (Filipino lime) and vinegar. In the Philippines, vinegar is nicknamed “liquid fire” because it cooks the food enough to be digested. More interestingly, vinegar in the Philippines is produced by alcoholic fermentation of coconut water, which is what gives it a sour-sweet flavour.

Just like with ceviche, the acid from the lime and the vinegar “cooks” the meat. Other ingredients usually in a kinilaw include garlic, ginger, onion, pepper and chilli.

5. Sinigang: sour meat stew

Sinigang is another popular Filipino stew. It is meat-based and more sour and savoury in flavour than a kare kare – usually using tamarind (sampalok) as the souring agent. Alternative souring agents include guava, tomatoes or kalamansi.

A traditional sinigang is served as a stew or soup, always served with lots of vegetables like okra, water spinach, (kang kong), daikon (labanos), onions and aubergine (eggplants). Pork (sinigang baboy) is the most common meat for sinigang, but chicken (sinigang na manok), beef (sinigang na baka) and fish (sinigang na bangus) can also be used.

6. Lechon: roasted suckling pig

Lechon is a “suckling pig” in Hispanic traditions. It is literally an entire young pig that has been fed on just its mother's milk (the word for milk in Spanish is leche), which is roasted over charcoal for many hours. Lechon is also considered the national dish of the Philippines. The city of Cebu is considered one of the most famous places in the country for lechon.

Lechon is also very popular across Spain and large parts of Latin America, usually reserved for special occasions. It's one of the many influences in the Philippines from its 333 years as a Spanish colony – from 1565 to 1898.

The leftovers of the lechon are stewed with vinegar and spices and become a delicious dish called paksiw na lechon. Paksiw literally means: to cook and simmer with vinegar.

7. Tapsilog: the King of the Filipino breakfast

Taspsilog is a popular breakfast dish in the Philippines. The name itself refers to the contents comprising the meal: cured beef (“tapa”), fried rice (“sinangag”) and a fried egg (“itlog”).

The beef in a well made traditional Filipino tapsilog is seasoned with a sauce that is a mix of soy sauce, calamansi juice, brown sugar, minced garlic and black pepper. The rice is fried with lots of garlic to give it a strong (and tasty!) aroma. Finally, the egg is usually served sunny side up. To complement a traditional tapsilog, vinegar or pickled papaya (atchara) is sometimes served.

Variants of tapsilog include “adosilog” (adobo with fried rice and fried egg), “litsilog” (lechon with fried rice and egg) and the most unique of all – “Stefansilog” (a Stefan with fried rice and egg)…ok this is just us being silly

8. Halo halo: the best Filipino dessert

This is the ultimate and most famous of all Filipino desserts! Halo Halo means ‘mixed together’ in Tagalog. It is served in a tall glass containing ice shavings, evaporated milk and various small chunks of yummy goodies all mixed in together.

What are the yummy goodies I hear you cry?

Well this includes a mix of boiled kidney beans, chickpeas (“garbanzo”), sugar palm fruit (“kaong”), jackfruit, tapioca, sweet potato, sweet beans, coconut gel, ice cream, guava paste, purple yam and more! There is no one exact formula or recipe, as long as you have a fabulous mix of all of these thrown in with the shaved ice and evaporated milk.

The end result is a tropical, colourful and very tasty mess, perfect for the beach. Every time we went to one of the many beaches in the Philippines, there'd always be a vendor with a huge queue selling halo halos!

9. Buko pie: the divine Filipino coconut pie

I love coconuts a lot – it's my favourite fruit. So a dessert made out of coconuts? My daily staple in the Philippines!

Buko pie is a baked coconut custard pie, the speciality of Los Baños on Luzon island. It has condensed milk added to sweeten it. What I also love is that the coconut meat is also used in the cake. Other variations to the many buko pies I've consumed include the addition of vanilla, pandan and almond.

Buko pie is a recent discovery, entirely by accident by the Pahud sisters from Los Baños, Laguna. One of the sisters returned to her family in the Philippines after working as a maid in the USA where she learned to make apple pies. The sisters tried to recreate the American apple pie, but in the absence of apples in the Philippines, they used another fruit they had in abundance – bukos! The idea took off and became one of the most popular desserts in the Philippines.

Fellow coconut lovers listen up – buko is the word for coconut in Tagalog. Unlike the traditional coconuts which are smaller, slightly hairy and brown in colour, Filipino bukos are much larger, smoother and green. They have a lot more juice inside which makes them so much more satisfying, especially when you want to refresh your body and cool down in the hot, humid Filipino weather. It's also a fantastic source of potassium, sodium, magnesium and iron, which is why the coconut tree is nicknamed the ‘Tree of Life’ in the Phillippines.

10. Arroz Caldo, the Filipino porridge

Arroz caldo is the Filipino porridge equivalent, a popular breakfast dish and comfort food that all our Filipino friends swear by.

It starts out as a sort of chicken soup with rice cooked in water with chicken stock. However, unlike chicken soup, the mixture is cooked for longer until it turns into a thick porridge – this is the arroz caldo! It is then infused with ginger and garnished with toasted garlic, scallions, and black pepper. It is usually served with calamansi or fish sauce as condiments, as well as a hard-boiled egg.

Although arroz caldo means “rice broth” in Spanish, it was in fact based on the congee introduced to the Philippines by Chinese immigrants many centuries ago.

A traditional arroz caldo uses glutinous rice and is slightly yellow in colour. This comes from the addition of kasubha (safflower) or saffron. In the absence of safflower or saffron, turmeric can be used instead.

Other variations of arroz caldo include a French inspired “arroz palaka” where instead of chicken, frogs' legs are used instead (palaka means “frog” in Tagalog)! Another interesting one we discovered was a vegan variant which uses mushrooms or tofu in place of meat.

Philippines is wonderful country, different kind of people who are generous, very friendly and the hospitable one and especially open to accept, embrace and promote our own culture. As we explore the beauty, the paradise and the hidden treasure from luzon, visayas and mindanao, we will see the real beauty of the Philippines. Different places with different stories, different tribes with different cultures, different personalities. We grew up in this world not knowing there are still some hidden places waiting to discover. I am inviting you to explore and enjoy the true beauty of the Philippines. So what are you waiting for? Halina't magsaya at mag pakasasa mga larawang dika magsasawa, Philippines road to forever beauty.

#capture #promoting #travel

[sohannabarberaesque]

During a late-night jam session with Peter Potamus' diving crew at their base of operations

(Which, know, is a beachhouse colony along the Pacific coast of Southern California, somewhere between San Diego and Los Angeles, well off I-5 as a matter of fact. And it's during one of those convocations of Peter Potamus' divers which are basically a mix of MeetUp and refresher course to review diving techniques and try out new dive gear.

(As the session opens, our intrepid group is seated at the fire alongside the Pacific's shore as the tide sweeps in....)

PETER POTAMUS, getting to the highlight of the session: I thought you might all find fascinating a rather interesting bit of Polynesian lore which I came across during one of my recent sojourns to the isolated parts of Polynesia--as in a Polynesia of sheer wonder and fascination made even more interesting by the natives wearing pretty much themselves, and liking it!

MILDEW WOLF, somewhat stunned by that revelation: Actually, Peter means the natives are naked!

PETER POTAMUS: Mildew made a good point there, if a bit on the snarky side; yes, nakedness IS a commonplace with these same Polynesians ... but it's mainly driven by tradition as much as comfort. And it's especially true when they're diving, swimming with dolphins or even surfing ... they just can't help but feel so natural in their nakedness!

SQUIDDLY DIDDLY, somewhat observant: I should say so myself!

PETER POTAMUS: Which, you might say, is the point of the story I'm about to relate. It's a story I picked up during one of my visits to Hidden Polynesia, and was related to me by a crown prince of their King--who, I have to admit, was rather young for his age, but related it in such a way as piqued my interest!

HIS FELLOW DIVERS: [Ad-libbed shouts of "Do tell! Do tell!", for the most part]

PETER POTAMUS: What's amazing about this story is that this involves a princess of a nearby archipelagic kingdom with whom that particular such had a close relationship ... and that such was when this particular princess was in a Polynesian sort of a "tomboy" state, willing to take on male challenges even though she was female! She was roughly ten or eleven years of age, and for some reason, the king of those particular islands called for this princess to see him coming out of her sleep one morning.

MAGILLA GORILLA, munching away on a banana: So what exactly did the king want with her, to begin with Peter?

PETER POTAMUS, continuing: I was about to get to that ... at any rate, this particular king, who was getting rather on in years, called upon the princess to undergo some tests to prove herself worthy of her presence and position, tests of established native tradition among especially the royalty and chieftains ... and among the tests she had to undertake was one of riding in some rather extreme waves to shore on a "native" surfboard ... and I mean a surfboard of koa wood, perhaps the finest surfboard material known to Hidden Polynesia--and traditionally reserved for the nobility!

MILDEW WOLF, again with snark: Were there other tests this princess had to go through to, uh, prove herself?

PETER POTAMUS: Another one she had to undergo was her diving to the depths of The Blue Lagoon, which was something like 30 feet, in the company of sharks as much as dolphins ... and wearing herself as well! And at any rate, His Majesty called upon this princess to tell her that such was the day she was to undergo such tests of her worthiness, this having been revealed by his astrologers and kahuna some time beforehand!

HARDY HAR-HAR, ever the pessimist (even with Lippy the Lion): Well, how did it come out exactly?

PETER POTAMUS: Hardy, I was about to get to that ... following a number of ritual prayers and blessings, our princess took to the waters of The Blue Lagoon for the diving part of her test. To dive down among sharks as much as dolphins, and not show any fear or cowardice--and, of course, naked besides! Following some ritual deep breaths in the shallows of the Lagoon, which she was to rely on throughout, our princess dived in ... and dive in she did, sensing the presence of a coral reef close to the bottom as was undergoing a mix of decay as much as renewal! And as she dove deeper and deeper, gradually sensing the sensation of her body vis-a-vis the lagoon's waters, she couldn't help but sense the presence of a number of reef sharks close to hand, not to mention makos and hammerheads ... as well as a pod of dolphins not that far off as she approached bottom, where she was to briefly sit cross-legged and meditate without fear as such sharks passed by, some rather close to her ... and for some reason, one blue shark came wonderfully close to the princess' body, gently rubbing each other close as she was preparing to make her ascent. And yet, you had to picture just how it was possible for her to actually handle a shark in the same way natives would handle a dolphin while swimming with them in such wonderful closeness?

HIS FELLOW DIVERS: [Ad-libbed remarks of admiration and disbelief as to how such could be pulled off]

PETER POTAMUS, continuing the tale: What wonderfully graceful moves did she make for her age underwater as she did with a shark! And what a feeling such must have been in her Polynesian nakedness!

WALLY GATOR, intrigued as pretty much everybody else: And yet not manage to have been eaten by those sharks, don't you know! So where was this surfing-related test?

PETER POTAMUS: As for the surfing part of her test to prove her place, once she recovered from the dive, our princess was taken by outrigger canoe to an outer break off a rather modest island fronting upon a reef whose waves were not only rather substantial, but were traditionally reserved for the nobility ... and at a designated point, the canoe came to a standstill, whence the board was placed into the water, followed by the princess boarding same. Within a few minutes, the break came along--the signal for her to go into the "duck dive" to enter the wave from underwater. It may have been a little hesitant at first, but boy, did that dive feel wonderful on her as she broke the surface and mounted the board for the obligatory ride to shore within the green room of the gods!

WALLY GATOR: "Green room of the gods"--where have I heard THAT one before?!

PETER POTAMUS: So, positioning her body in the standing position essential to surfing, this princess began to barrel her way through waters as were heavy on the corals to such extent as made the waves as massive as they are ... only about ten feet from shore, for some reason she slipped off the board and fell into the waters, with her wondering what was bound to happen next as she was tossing and spinning around, intense corals close to the bottom as could risk cutting her open to injury ... but amazingly, as if instinct called for it, a dolphin swam close by this reef and sensed the peril the princess was facing. The dolphin signalled to the princess to grab his dorsal fin and hang on tight as shore approached, practically underwater all the way, with the very reef at hand flashing by throughout!

HOKEY WOLF, curious: So, how did the princess fare in the end?

PETER POTAMUS: Crawling onto the shore of the modest little island, catching her breath even, the princess wondered what exactly was to follow ... and after a short rest, she walked to a nearby cove to find the same dolphin who had rescued her from the surfing portion of the test jumping up and about in the waters, as if wanting to guide her back to her home island ... which she accepted, and with plenty of "quality time" underwater that amounted to discovery of herself, and then some! [Pause, as if to build up the suspense] When it was all over, and she has returned to home shores, she asked, "Well--?"

And, after a brief pause, such royalty serving as the judges, so to speak, signalled where she had passed, for the most part. Especially where a somewhat older prince noted where her slipping off the surfboard during the surfing test may have been accidental, but that the dolphin's rescuing her, and taking her in a sort of adventure over that legendary reef, may have been a rather unlikely, yet interesting, sort of test in and of itself.

[Another pause] Now--any questions?

[In essence, a stunned sort of amazed silence fell upon the divers, considering the sort of story as was just related being itself unbelievable.]

#vignette #hanna barbera #peter potamus #meet up #storytelling #polynesian lore #Polynesian fables #princess coming of age #survival tests #diving with sharks #surfing #hannabarberaforever

[silvokrent]

An excerpt from the zoological text The Hunter’s Encyclopedia of Animals (First Edition).

Chapter VII: Qurupeco

The qurupeco (Cantio sirenius), or peco for short, is a species of equatorial bird wyvern that inhabits the landmasses around the Elde Gulf. It is the smallest of the extant membranalans, averaging in length from 5 meters to 7½ meters (16.4 feet - 24 feet) when the neck and tail are fully extended, with a wingspan of 11 meters (36 feet). It is exceptionally lightweight for its size at 91 kilograms (200 pounds), a result of its pneumatized skeletal system. The qurupeco’s latitudinal limits fall around the Isthmus of Metape, where tropical jungle transitions into the deciduous Shilkore Forest. Its range encompasses the majority of Arcolis’ eastern seaboard, the southern region of the Elde subcontinent, and the islands scattered in-between. It is capable of acclimating to all the biomes within its range, occupying less ideal habitats such as xeric deserts and the foothills of the Latio Volcanic Belt. There exists a healthy breeding population as a result of conservation efforts through the International Hunters’ Guild, intended to reduce the overharvesting of eggs.

The lifespan of the qurupeco is 26 years, with no distinction between the longevity of the sexes. Sexual maturity is reached around 2 years of age and typically follows the adult qurupeco’s second molt. The qurupeco is one of the most specialized members of its clade, as demonstrated by its morphological adaptations to piscivory, its array of antipredator adaptations (deimatic displays, vocal mimicry, and fighting accessories), and its thermoregulatory responses to living in hot or dry environments. Breeding coincides with the commencement of the monsoon season, when precipitation creates ideal and energetically efficient conditions for reproduction. Rainfall triggers a decreased diurnal temperature variation that lessens the metabolic demands of homeostasis. The seasonal flooding of whitewater rivers also leads to a spike in prey abundance, as many fish species migrate to the várzea to feed and spawn. Mortality in the qurupeco mostly involves chicks or eggs as a result of predation, nest collapse, natural disasters, or starvation.

It is impossible for anthropologists to study any aspect of human society — be it theological, economic, or agricultural — without at least a casual mention of the qurupeco. The cultural importance of this bird wyvern persists into the present day, particularly among the inhabitants of Loc Lac and Moga where it is associated with well-being, safe travels, and homecoming. Desert nomads reliably track qurupecos to find sources of water not guarded by barroths, while fishers have come to associate the qurupeco’s songs with mainland. This contrasts with the impressions of sailors from Schrade and Goldora, who feared that it would lure boats toward the shore with its voice and cause them to founder. Despite its reputation amongst seafaring westerners, the qurupeco was considered a novelty by the courts of the Unified Schrade Kingdom. It became custom for minstrels and bards to wear feathered brooches, or don hats with qurupeco plumes, as the qurupeco had become symbolic of gaiety, mischief, and seduction. Such was their popularity that there was a demand amongst nobles to import dwarf pecos from the Moga Archipelago, a demand that traders were reluctant to satisfy given lingering superstitions.

The transoceanic trade route helped secure the qurupeco’s economic importance. Its guano, which is rich in phosphorus, nitrogen, and potassium, was a lucrative fertilizer, until it was replaced by the cheaper and more easily mass-produced guano of the domesticated gargwa (Theia orientalis). Eggs are a common delicacy in port towns like Tanzia. The Sea Folk used its carpal scales as an early form of currency, fletched arrows with its feathers, fashioned sailcloths from its wing and tail membranes, and carved fish hooks, awls, and beads from the flints. The flints themselves were used as early fire starters by applying mechanical stress (friction) to the bones. Their piezoelectric properties resulted in an electrical charge from tissue deformation, creating the sparks that were used to light kindling. One legend from central Arcolis, dated to 6,000 years ago, was born from this exact tool-usage. It tells of a qurupeco that took pity on humans and wyverians living under the tyrannical reign of fire-breathing dragons. To liberate them, the qurupeco equipped them with the weapon of their ancient enemy, and taught them the secret of fire.

Scholars have had little success in reaching a definitive conclusion as to the origins of the qurupeco’s name. Currently, there are two theories supported by the linguistic community. The first theory suggests that the qurupeco’s name is an onomatopoeia of its distinctive “coo-roo” alarm call that it performs when confronted by a predator. The other half of its name is based on the harsh “PEH-ko, PEH-ko” call that it makes immediately before its signature boxing attack, in which it brings down its flints and claps them against a predator.

The second theory suggests that the word qurupeco is a poorly-sourced loanword from the Archipelagic language of the Sea Folk. Because the indigenous of Moga practiced oral tradition for thousands of years, there are no written sources to verify the etymology. There is, however, a precedent for common names being derived from indigenous languages. One such example is the akantor, whose name is descended from an extinct language once spoken by the inhabitants of Pokke Village.

Taxonomy and evolution

A phylogenetic analysis of the clade shows that bird wyverns diverged from other theropods 125 - 150 million years ago. Unlike the other two families (the calcatrids and discuvultids) which seem to have radiated out of western Goldora, the Callodigitidae originated from Arcolis, based on fossil records and current distribution. Genetic testing found that the qurupecos are older than the other membranalan families, a conclusion supported by the retention of morphological features lost in the other lineages such as toothed beaks. Close relatives like the yian kut-kus (Discuvultus spp.) and hypnocatrice (Calcatrix rufa) range throughout temperate and tropical forests in Goldorolis and Fonlon, compared to the qurupeco’s narrower dispersal across savanna-desert mosaics, tropical coasts, and insular jungles. The qurupeco is differentiate from other membranalans by the flints, or heavily-modified thumbs on the exterior of the wings, amongst other traits.

It’s thought that membranalans became semi-terrestrial due to selection pressures such as competition with true wyverns.

Subspecies

There are at least 3 recognized subspecies of Cantio sirenius, which differ according to geographic range, size, coloration, and the presence or absence of certain body patterns. This number is controversial, as it’s not clear whether the qurupeco has a high degree of polymorphism, or whether the subspecies-specific phenotypes indicate sympatric speciation (despite the ambiguous reinforcement of breeding between members of the same morph). As a result of this dispute, publications inconsistently give estimates of anywhere from 3 to 7 subspecies, depending on the criteria used by the author.

The verdant qurupeco (C. s. sirenius), the nominate subspecies, occurs in the Sandy Plains, the coastlines of southeastern Arcolis, and the islands throughout the interior Moga Sea. Plumage coloration is majority green, with blue feathers along the nape and the length of the spine. Its appearance is inconsistent across ecosystems, with vegetation and geography heavily influencing the phenotypes of the native morphs. For instance, permanent residents of desert scrubland are considerably paler with dull laurel or yellowish feathers, and have a reduced surface area of blue feathers. These nuanced differences in appearance have been used to justify an upward number of subspecies, as selection pressures would lead to “desert morphs” better adapted to the Sandy Plains, “jungle morphs” adapted to the Flooded Forest, and so on. This is contradicted somewhat by the movements of vagrant populations that will occasionally travel into new areas and breed with the local morphs, thus homogenizing the sedentary population through genetic interchange.

The crimson qurupeco (C. s. versicolor) is endemic to the South Elde Peninsula, the islands throughout the interior Moga Sea, and Arcolis’ southeastern coasts. Its breast and underbelly are cream, while the remainder of the torso is red. The feathers along its nape, as well as the plumes between its shoulders, come in a range of turquoise. Its patagia are noteworthy for being bicolored, with an orange interior membrane contrasted against a light-green exterior. The white- and red-striped auriculars (ear coverts) are exclusive to this subspecies. The pigmentation of C. s. versicolor is believed to be a genetic mutation, and that there exists a correlation between it and allele for auricular stripe expression. This theory is inconclusive and awaits further studies on qurupeco heredity.

The island qurupeco (C. s. minor), more commonly known as the pygmy peco, is only found within the Moga Archipelago. On average, it measures at a height of 5’2” - 5'10” (less than 2 meters), and a length of 12’ (3.6 meters) when the tail and neck are fully extended. The island qurupeco differs from C. s. sirenius in size, with only marginally darker-green plumage. This subspecies is an example of insular dwarfism, having descended from a population of qurupecos that became permanent residents of the island less than 15,000 years ago. The limited availability of resources on the island necessitated a smaller body plan to cope with food shortages, one of the conditions of Foster’s rule. Additionally, small size is advantageous as it shortens generation time, and makes thermoregulation within a tropical environment easier. Despite having wings, island qurupecos seldom fly. When startled, they’ll explode into a short burst of rapid flight. Their diminutive stature lets them take advantage of wing-assisted incline running (or “WAIR”), enabling them to climb steep rocky slopes to escape predators.

Characteristics

The overall shape of the qurupeco is avian, with a pneumatized skeletal system and keeled sternum for muscle anchorage. Despite the retention of adaptations for flight, the qurupeco is semi-terrestrial. Its tridactyl feet have lost the back-facing toe that would have enabled it to perch on branches. To compensate, its feet have become semipalmate, a trait beneficial to striding atop loose substrates such as sand or mud, and wading through water. The upper and lower mandibles of the beak hold 24 teeth each. The teeth are conical and slightly recurved to prevent prey from escaping. The upper mandible of the bill ends in a weak nail, a slight downward curve vaguely reminiscent of the shape seen in balaenicipitid storks. A seamless hollow structure atop the beak — the casque — extends past the nasofrontal hinge and ends in a short, tapered lambeosaurine-like crest. The red gular sac is, contrary to popular belief, not a sexually-selected characteristic, as it is found in all qurupecos regardless of sex. The throat folds can be rapidly expanded and inflated as part of a startle display, or an antipredator bluff.

The wings are membranous and highly-vascularized, co-opted for thermoregulation. Its alar flints are specialized pollical bones, evolved to withstand abrasion and impact trauma. When forced to confront predators, a qurupeco will slam them into an animal using a clapping or “boxing” motion. The patagium, which attaches at the thigh, is entirely featherless. Because the wings lack any sort of propatagia, they are considerably less aerodynamic, less resistant to applied bending loads, and are unable to contribute to the maximum lift coefficient. These deficiencies are offset by the qurupeco’s powerful legs, massive supracoracoideus and pectoralis muscles, and near-constant flapping when aloft. The paddle- or fan-like tail (the rhipidura) features a membrane with almond-shaped eyespots, one on both the dextral and sinistral sides of the tail. In addition to acting as a counterweight for the flints, the qurupeco can unfurl the rhipidura and use it as a rudder.

The trait responsible for the reds, oranges, and yellows of the crimson qurupeco, and the greens and blues of the verdant qurupeco, is a polyenal lipochrome called psittacofulvin. The pigment is unique to the psittacines and the callodigitids, having separately evolved in both theropod lineages. Studies conducted using transmission spectroscopy have shown that psittacofulvin is synthesized within follicular tissue and deposited in the barbs and barbules of the feathers. By itself, this pigment is responsible for the expression of the vibrant colors of C. s. versicolor. In the nominotypical subspecies C. s. sirenius, spongy nanostructured barb cells reflect in either the blue or blue-green wavelength. These spongy structures are enveloped by the psittacofulvin, which acts as a spectral filter by “mixing” its yellow-coloring, blue-absorbing properties. This effect results in the predominant green hues and the concentrated blue plumage on the nape and mantle regions of its body.

Wings

Membraned wings are a homoplastic trait amongst several theropod lineages, notably the true wyverns (Viverna), pseudowyverns (Paradraconia), and scansoriopterygids (genus Yi). Unlike its relatives, whose patagia are supported by elongated digits, the bird wyverns’ wings are a superficial cross between the appendicular skeletons of birds and pterosaurs. With the exception of the pollex (thumb), the fingers are fused into a single structure called the synphalanx that supports the membranalan patagium. It was originally assumed that all, or at least some, extinct bird wyverns used quad launch to vault themselves into the air. This theory failed to gain traction due to little supporting evidence, namely a lack of a disproportionate ratio in forelimb to hindlimb robustness, as would be expected of quad-launching fliers.

Instead, the qurupeco utilizes vertical takeoff to achieve flight. In the preliminary phase, the qurupeco moves its wings upward in a “clap” position, while contracting the appropriate muscles in its powerful legs. At the same time, bone alignment contributes to the preparatory phase through a pitch down of the trunk and a flexion of the ankles, hips, and knees. The crouching movement stores elastic energy released during the propulsive leg push-off and contributes to leg muscle loading. During leg push, the wings contribute little, if any aerodynamic lift; meanwhile, the entire lower musculoskeletal system extends to assist with forward momentum. At the moment the feet leave the ground, the upward movement increases airflow over the lifting surfaces, which allows “clap-and-fling” to generate enough lift for positive vertical flight. The height provided by the initial leg push lets the wings make a complete stroke without touching the ground. Once clear of the ground, the qurupeco can transition to level flight and the more economically-energetic steady-state aerodynamics mode. Kinematic analysis of liftoff and landing found wingbeat amplitude and frequency to be at its highest during takeoff.

Casque

Internal anatomy of the qurupeco’s cranial appendages was first described through radiography. The interior of the casque is hollow, supported by bony ridges and rods. It ends in a hollow, tubular crest that protrudes slightly past the base of the skull. Together, the casque and connective crest work to amplify the qurupeco’s calls. Rapid expansion and contraction of the flexible sides of the casque changes the air volume in the cavity, creating a resonance chamber.

Syrinx

The qurupeco derives its binomen from the syrinx, a duplex vocal organ located at the base of the trachea. It is surrounded by an air sac which permits the syrinx to act as a resonating chamber for sound. Its proximity to the lungs results in a structure where the trachea bifurcates into two primary bronchi. Unlike the larynx of non-membranalan and non-avian tetrapods, the syrinx is composed of highly-specialized cartilaginous structures, connective tissue masses, membranes, and numerous muscles. Sound is the result of a self-oscillating system of airflow that produces vibrations of the membrana tympaniformis (the walls of the syrinx) and the pessulus (a delicate bar of cartilage at the vertex of the bronchi). Qurupecos vary air pressure to influence the tension of the aforementioned tissues, resulting in changes to sound shape, loudness, and pitch. Because of the syrinx’s forked shape and position relative to the lungs, qurupecos can achieve lateralization of song and produce two simultaneous sounds.

Like many passerines and psittacines, the qurupeco can mimic ambient noise. Sound acquisition starts through social learning, with chicks imitating their parents and any neighboring adults within the loosely-associated flock. As the qurupeco matures, it expands upon its vocal repertoire by mimicking the sounds of different species, including other predators. To date, the qurupeco is the only species outside of the hominins that demonstrates predator diversion and misdirection behavior. Researchers have extensively documented instances of qurupecos scaring potential threats (either nest thieves or larger carnivores) away by replicating the sounds of sympatric megafauna. The subject of one study involved a brooding qurupeco that successfully deterred jaggis by replicating the calls of common raths. The fidelity of its mimetic calls is so accurate as to make discerning them from their sources near-impossible, as evidenced by members of the mimicked species sometimes investigating.

As a member of the clade Membranala, the qurupeco is a poor flier. Although capable of evading most terrestrial animals, when confronted by other volant predators flight becomes insufficient. In scenarios where camouflage isn’t available and it would be otherwise overtaken while fleeing, a qurupeco will attempt to solicit intervention from larger carnivores by mimicking their vocalizations. Species that demonstrate high levels of intraspecific territoriality and aggression (diablos, tigrexes, barroths, et cetera) will respond to what they perceive as an intruding conspecific. A team of Guild ethologists studying call-response effectiveness in the Flooded Forest found that in 140 trials, other predators investigated the qurupeco’s call on 95 separate accounts, or roughly 67.85% of the time. Of those 95 instances, the arrival proceeded to attack the qurupeco’s original assailant, while the qurupeco successfully fled 80 times (84.21%). During one of those trials a rathian was summoned in response to not another predator, but rather the field team, which had ventured too close.

In addition to rendering the calls of other animals, qurupecos can mimic a wide range of human sounds such as gunshots, airship engines, hunting horns, and even spoken language. Anatomical constraints limit its ability to accurately replicate certain sounds like labial consonants [m p b f v].

The evolution of this specialized function of the syrinx is contentious, as it directly violates the learning mistakes hypothesis. This model explains the convergent acquisition of vocal mimicry in many bird species as accidental, rather than selected for. In general, songbirds learn their species-specific songs by comparing songs they hear to a mental template. Sounds that fall within the parameters of their template are learned, while sounds outside it are disregarded. In avian species with complex songs and relaxed-parameter templates, heterospecific songs and ambient sounds that are auditory matches get copied by mistake. The qurupeco’s ability to not only learn, but selectively employ and tailor its diverse mimetic repertoire as an anti-predator strategy, makes this the first case of vocal Batesian mimicry. The greater implication is a question of the qurupeco’s intelligence, which has been speculated to be on par with that of corvids.

Behavior

To contend with temperature, qurupecos exhibit crepuscular behavior, limiting their activity to dusk and dawn. While an accurate generalization, it doesn’t entirely account for individuals that live in areas with dense forest canopies or access to highly-stratified vegetation that offers shade. In places with ample relief from heat stress, qurupecos can become more active during daylight hours. At night, the qurupeco relies on unihemispheric short-wave sleep (USWS). One half of the brain enters a state of subconsciousness while the other hemisphere (and the opposite eye) remain alert. This mechanism allows the animal to rest and avoid predation. Ethologically, the qurupeco is an important animal of study as it boasts a wide number of anti-predator adaptations, including the exaptation of its gular sac as a deimatic accessory. By rapidly inflating the skin at its throat, the qurupeco can appear larger than it actually is, and buy itself time to:

• Scare away smaller carnivores • Flee from larger predators • Wait for larger animals to respond to its mimetic calls

Intraspecific interactions

Qurupecos are communal-parasocial. During the breeding season, interactions are limited to the breeding pair and parent-chick dynamics. Otherwise they are somewhat gregarious, willing to fish in semi-associated temporary “flocks” that contain anywhere from 4 to 20 individuals. These congregations occur at bodies of water where food is abundant, with the qurupecos spaced about 21 meters (70 feet) apart. Foraging groups like this usually disband after several days. Groupings like this are thought to be advantageous as there’s relative safety in numbers. In the presence of sea-dwelling predators, congregations of three or more qurupecos may engage in cooperative interspecific kleptoparasitism. Insular and coastal individuals have been observed harassing plesioths (Plesichthys coxa) to steal their food, as they aren’t able to fetch fish from the sea floor themselves.

Hunting and diet

As a piscivorous animal, the majority of the qurupeco’s diet consists of aquatic vertebrates fished from brackish, salt, and fresh water. Prey-capture is conducted from along the shoreline or the banks of rivers/lakes, or (more seldomly) from wading within the water itself. Its eyes are forward-facing in spite of their lateral placement, giving the qurupeco both a wide field of view and the binocular vision necessary for gauging depth. Along with visual adaptations for prey acquisition, C. sirenius has evolved self-correcting behaviors to account for disparities between perceived and actual prey location underwater. Light refraction at the air-water interface causes submerged objects to appear to an aerial observer along the line of refraction, or higher relative to where it actually is, in accordance with Snell’s law. The issue of light refraction is circumvented by the qurupeco’s ability to spatially reposition its eyes through two distinct phases of head movement: pre-strike (velocity 52 cm/s, trajectory at a 60° angle to the vertical) and strike (velocity 270 cm/s, mean path angle 33°), until the prey’s real (actual) and apparent (perceived) depth are linearly corrected. The point between these two phases in which path angle and velocity change, termed point-of-strike (STR), is the stage at which corrections for refraction are made, as determined by the qurupeco’s eye height above water relative to the two depths.

In arid ecosystems, the qurupeco hunts within riparian zones for prey such as western chubs, popfish, sushifish, trout, pikeminnows, and barbels. While it primarily eats fish, it’s known to feed opportunistically on other animals, including amphibians, crayfish, small lizards, and the occasional rodent. Coastal dwelling qurupecos are accustomed to feeding on armorfish fry, glutton tuna (Thunnus vorator), Moga tuna (Katsuwonus katsuo), whetfish, sea bass, smelts, and mullets, along with crustaceans such as the Atlantis crab (Portunus lapicrustatus).

Qurupecos that reside in tropical rainforests and floodplains incorporate the largest percentage of fish compared to nonpiscine prey in their diet. Trees that grow along the water’s edge have evolved to rely on ichthyochory (seed dispersal via fish) in order to reproduce and avoid competing with their offspring. Many fish species adapted to feeding on the fruit congregate in these river galleries, a fact which is so noteworthy as to be reflected in their names (like the scatterfish, Brycon fragilis, named for its mutualistic role in “scattering” the seeds of the fruit that it consumes). Qurupecos exploit these locations for their relatively easy access to perches, carps, roaches, tilapias, and piranhas. They also fish for non-frugivorous species like burst arowanas (Osteoglossum autothysia), red-finned arowanas (Osteoglossum esculentum), fen catfish (Palustincola gravis), and mummichogs.

Enemies and competitors

As no other bird wyverns occur within the qurupeco’s range, there is no precedent for the types of interactions between them. Scientists speculate that in transitionary ecosystems that represent an intermediary subtropical-temperate gradient (such as the Metape-Shilkore interface), qurupecos may rarely come across south-ranging membranalans such as yian kut-kus and yian garugas (Discuvultus malevolus). In these hypothetical encounters, the kut-ku and qurupeco would likely ignore each other, as the kut-ku is an arthropod specialist. The yian garuga, however, is carnivorous and actively hunts animals half its size (including the yian kut-ku), suggesting a similar predatory interaction with the qurupeco.

Desert-adapted qurupecos face predation from a small handful of species, most notably pseudowyverns such as the tigrexes (Abinferno rex and brutum) and the sand barioth (Electodon xeros). During high-intensity droughts, raths (Mandibulaformia terribilis) expand their prey inventory to incorporate qurupecos, despite the qurupeco having a lower fat content in comparison to their staple prey, aptonoths (Parasaurolophus cristatus) and rhenoplos (Monceratops petroides). Disputes between the qurupeco and desert barroth (Aratrum limus) occur near bodies of water, where the barroth charges at the qurupeco for intruding at its wallowing site. Territorial provocations usually end with the barroth emerging as the victor, forcing the qurupeco to flee with sustained injuries 40% of the time.

Qurupecos found in várzea forests and along coastlines are susceptible to predation from a number of semiaquatic predators. Lagiacrus (Heres jormungandrii), plesioths (Plesichthys coxa), and (to a lesser extent) gobuls will seize qurupecos at the water’s edge. Attacks by any of these animals are always fatal, as the result of blood loss, asphyxiation, or drowning. There are few accounts of nargacugas (Xyrafiptera spp.) interacting with qurupecos, as they primarily target small ungulates and immature vipracanids, and of the two co-occurring species only one (the green nargacuga, Xyrafiptera glaucus) is active at the same time of day as the qurupeco. There is at least one record of defecated qurupeco remains found in nargacuga stool, suggesting that predation or at the very least scavenging on carrion does happen.

The main source of fatality in qurupecos is from nest thieves. Immature and subadult jaggis (Magnaraptor ebrius) and wroggis (Magnaraptor paluster) will take advantage of unattended nests during periods of food scarcity, when both parents are required to forage and are unable to guard the eggs or chicks. Ludroths may dig out nests located near banks or attempt to hunt subadult qurupecos, when they’re still small enough to take without risk of injury. The deviljho (Daemon vorax) is a recurring threat to qurupeco wherever both species overlap, with the sole exception being the Moga Archipelago and its outlying islands.

Attacks on hunters

Most incidents are the result of unintentional provocation. The majority of documented attacks on humans, wyverians, and lynians are the result of stumbling upon a nest with eggs or chicks. Qurupecos seem to regard people in the same capacity as dog wyverns, and will try to scare them away by screaming at them, inflating their gular sac, or kicking up sand. A failure on the part of people to retreat leads to the next tier of antipredator behaviors: boxing with the wings, followed by mimetic solicitation. Despite the somewhat reclusive nature of this animal, encounters between them and people are relatively common. Oology (egg collecting) is still a popular pastime, and qurupeco eggs are highly prized for their coloration. Guild palicos are sometimes loaned out to poulters to harvest eggs from nests, an arrangement which helps to regulate the number of eggs harvested per year, while also protecting non-hunters from injury and satisfying the market demand for them.

The ecotourism industry offers guided tours through qurupecos’ fishing grounds. All attendees are required to sign a waiver and are instructed on how to conduct themselves, so as to not cause the qurupeco to summon larger carnivores. With that being said, the Guild reports an average number of fifty hunters dispatched per year in response to SOS distress signals. Fatalities are rare and indirectly attributed to the qurupeco, as the majority of victims were killed by the larger creature summoned by it. All the same, the qurupeco is still capable of administering contusions and bone fractures.

Reproduction and life cycle

Breeding begins at the onset of the monsoon or wet season, when rainfall dramatically increases and causes a 10 - 15 meter rise in water level. During this time, male qurupecos construct display platforms (open arena mounds) surrounded by dense bush, fashioned out of soil or a pile of branches. Over the steady patter of rain, the males’ calls can be heard as far as a mile from their point of origin. Their performance incorporates every memorized sound at their disposal, in conjunction with various dances. Their ability to weave complex songs is a testament to their fitness, which surveying females attempt to gauge before making an approach. Should a female enter the arena and approach the male, both bird wyverns will engage in reciprocal displays such as synchronized head-tossing, billing, and mutual preening. A successful courtship is signaled by the female regurgitating food from her crop, as a gesture of approval. Copulation immediately follows.

Prior to ovulation, the male scrapes out a depression in the ground. The site for the nest varies depending on the ecosystem: in forests, at the base of a tree trunk between the buttress roots; in scrub, within a dense patch of grass or mesquite thicket; in open areas (coastlines, seaward cliffs), near bushes or underneath overhanging rocks. The only consistency across regions is that the nest needs to be built high enough to avoid being washed away by seasonal inundations. Nests are often reinforced with leaflitter or detritus harvested by the female, to help conceal the depression against the surrounding substrate. Down feathers plucked from the parents’ breasts can also be used for insolation and camouflage. The eggs are round or subtly-ovular, and average in size at a height of 12 inches (30 and a half centimeters) and a width of 10.6 inches (27 centimeters). Coloration is generally cream to gray, with streaks or speckling from the red- and brown-producing pigment protoporphyrin that helps disguise the eggs. A clutch can contain as many as five eggs, which are incubated in shifts by both parents. The green coloration of C. s. sirenius is especially advantageous in forested ecosystems, as it allows the brooding parents to conceal themselves and the nest by blending into the surrounding foliage. The incubation period lasts about 4 - 5 weeks.

Chicks remain in the attendance of their parents for the next two months. They are moderately precocial, capable of running within days of hatching, and lofting onto meter-high ledges a week after. Chicks learn to fish from both parents and are able to feed themselves within a week, although the parents still provide the majority of their food. When accompanying their parents on fishing expeditions, one of the adults may freeze and hide them underneath their legs or wings if predators are present, while the other qurupeco will try to ward them off. Given the high mortality rate in chicks, only 3 are estimated to survive into adolescence. At the end of the wet season, the qurupecos begin to disperse away from their parents.

Health

Diseases and parasites

Unlike its theropod relatives, the qurupeco has neither the uropygial or elaiopteral glands of birds and ailurmorphs, nor the pulviplumes (powder down) of certain species. To maintain feather integrity, the qurupeco bathes in sandy or dusty substrates. It will crouch over the soil and wriggle its body/flap its wings, sending up a large cloud of dust into the air. Afterward, it will shake the excess particles from its feathers to remove debris and dry skin, which preserves its plumage’s flexibility and insulative properties. Frequent dust baths are also thought to smother ectoparasites such as lice and mites, and prevent fungal growth.

Another function of psittacofulvin is that feathers pigmented by it resist bacterial degradation.

Distribution and habitat

The presence of qurupecos in any given place is contingent on there being bodies of water capable of supporting fish. Reliable food supplies have allowed this species to diversify across much of Arcolis and the southern Elde subcontinent, into an array of biome subtypes. An incomplete list — based on documented occurrences — includes desert shrublands, xeric shrublands, matorral scrublands, várzea forests, tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, montane forests, mangrove forests, and Moga cloud forests. Their altitudinal distribution can fluctuate during rainy and dry seasons, to accommodate anticipated changes in water level and to avoid flash floods at arroyos.

There are unconfirmed rumors that qurupecos have been found as far south as Aya. Assessment of these rumors has been difficult, as the Ayan people are part of a voluntary-isolationist nation. Attempts through the Guild to act as a liaison and broker entry into their borders have been largely unsuccessful.

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