you need only ask

Speckled Racer (Drymobius margaritiferus), family Colubridae, South TX, USA

What's this gesture called? A Lingthusiasm zine 

The same gesture can mean different things, or have different names in different languages. In this Lingthusiasm zine, Lauren Gawne gets enthusiastic about these "emblem gestures." 

Print and fold your own copies

8½ x 11 paper: colour, b&w 

A4 paper: colour, b&w

How to cut and fold a minizine

Learn more

Why do we gesture when we talk? (Lingthusiasm podcast)

Why do we move our hands when we talk? (Tom Scott's Language Files on YouTube)

Gesture: A Slim Guide (book by Lauren Gawne, 2025, on Amazon or Bookshop)

Gestures (book by Morris et al, 1979, borrowable on archive.org)

More from Lingthusiasm

More zines that are enthusiastic about linguistics!

We also make a podcast that's enthusiastic about linguistics!

I'm talkin white people selling rattles and dream catchers, white people banging First Nations style drums, white people teaching talking stick workshops, that kinda shit

So what do you do when you see this crap? How do you show your disapproval in a way that makes them give a shit?

I'll tell you what I do. The point is to show them that appropriating Indigenous cultures will lose them customers.

When I see fakey Native art I say something like "Oh wow, you make dreamcatchers! What nation are you from?" (Use tribe in the states)

I used to ask point blank if they were Native, but I'd nearly always get some Cherokee great grandmother bullshit, or even "I'm not sure, I could have some Native in me!"

Most of the time they don't know what I'm talking about, because they're not Native and don't know that this is a very normal thing to ask when meeting another Native.

When they ask me what I mean I say "I mean your tribe, which First Nation are you from?"

This is the point where they sheepishly mumble that they are not First Nations.

I let my face fall and say something like "Oh. That's disappointing" or "Wow. Unfortunate."

I let it get awkward. And then I leave, shaking my head in disapproval.

You may feel like you need to educate them on cultural appropriation but here's the thing: it's 2025. They know. Brenda the middle class reiki shaman is FULLY aware that her smudge fans are stolen culture. She doesn't care. The only way to make them care is to hit them where it hurts: the wallet.

Make them think that you would have purchased what they are selling if it was AUTHENTIC.

If you wanna go the extra mile send an email to the organizers, in your best white people voice, and tell them that you are disappointed that they are facilitating culture theft.

someone on reddit explained 😭

* floral (lavender, lily, rose, etc.)

* fruit (coconut, lemon, mango, etc.)

* spice (allspice, cinnamon, cloves, etc)

* herbal (chamomile, mint, rosemary, etc.)

* cooking ingredient (chocolate, coffee, sugar, etc.)

* plant (grass, pine, sandalwood, etc)

* object (camp fire, clean laundry, leather, etc.)

* place (ocean breeze, old library, tropical beach, etc.)

* something else

* unscented/“soap” smell

* it’s complicated

* see results

If your soap has multiple scent categories, pick the most prominent/the one you think fits best

Magnifies a display beyond standard options with keyboard / mouse movement inputs or voice commands,

Can read text on the screen,

Has different color filter options for text / background distinction,

Can change and magnify the cursor beyond standard amounts,

Works on Windows or more than just Windows,

Has a keyboard echo (says the character you've pressed on the keyboard out loud)

Closest match: Psylliodes chrysocephala genome assembly, chromosome: 4 Common name: Cabbage Stem Flea Beetle

I fucking love when people give in-universe reasons for omegaverse shenanigans being a relatively new phenomenon and not just a fact of life. And this is probably my favorite out of all of them. Insane choice, and I want to kiss the author sloppy style about it.

the people putting on the events had training and qualifications in sexual health & safety too and they even organized many of the most popular public kink events & sex parties in the area.

and now when i talk about this space and BDSM being crucial to my recovery as a rape survivor, people will become shocked and appalled because (to repeat myself from a previous post) our society frames sexual violence as something perpetrated by strangers in the night and something we heal from in solitude—often assisted by a sole, tender sexual & romantic partner.

we're supposed to meet the love of our life and trust our healing solely in their hands.

and that works for some people and that's good!

but for me personally, expecting that of me feels like telling someone I survived a drowning accident and I really want to find the courage to swim again, and people give me two options:

Use apps and go to bars looking for someone random to take me swimming again. They can tell me their credentials as a swimming instructor, but I have no real way to check those qualifications and I can only hope they don't intentionally or even unintentionally harm me in the water. If they do harm me, all I can do is move on and start searching for a new random person to try again.

Go to Swim Camp at the YMCA to be reintroduced to swimming by well-known instructors with proven skills and lifeguarding certifications. As I gain confidence and independence, I can count on them to continually answer my questions and provide further training. I will be surrounded by other swimmers—both new and experienced—to help me along the way, and if someone is engaging in risky behavior, I can report it to the instructors.

The whole metaverse can no longer be properly viewed without an account and I am definitely not making one just to see your contact info or opening hours.