151 posts
Latest Posts by princess-of-lions - Page 3
I love how the Earth is this giant, beautiful tectonic mosaic
hey if you died right now whats your ghost outfit you cant change it be honest
So a lot of people are rightfully unhappy about the possibility that Katara will be aged up in the new Netflix version of The Last Airbender. That has a lot of issues and I’m glad people are talking about it.
But truthfully, I’ve always had some issues with how Katara’s relationship with Aang was handled. Generally, ATLA did very well with its female characters and gave us a lot of strong girls and women to admire, but it still had its flaws.
Specifically, the thing that bothered me the most when I first saw it as a child was the scene in Day of Black Sun where Aang kisses Katara without warning and without permission. That always made me uncomfortable.
There’s also the way the writers handled the development of their relationship. Throughout the series, it is made very obvious that Aang has a major crush on Katara. But while Katara cares deeply for Aang, she is pretty much never shown to have romantic interest in him - except for that time that the fortuneteller tells Katara that she will marry a powerful bender and Katara is reminded that Aang is a powerful bender, plus that time they dance together in the Headband. But honestly, neither of those carries a lot of weight, in my opinion, especially compared with other scenes. Katara explicitly has a pretty negative reaction to the idea of a relationship with Aang in the Ember Island Players episode - where, again, Aang kisses her without permission, right after she said she was confused. Again, she reacts negatively to the kiss, and to Aang’s pushiness regarding a relationship. It’s kind of hard to see how they could move from this point to a full blown romantic relationship over the next few episodes. (Honestly, I hate that scene for Aang. It’s a pretty negative characterization for him. This scene made me uncomfortable as a kid as well. Actually, I might have hated this scene more than the Day of Black Sun scene.)
Anyway, for most of the series, Katara acts more like an older sister or mother-figure to Aang. And then at the end of the series, Aang defeats the Firelord and suddenly Katara is all in for a relationship? I remember the first time I saw it, it seemed sudden within the context of the story. Outside of the context of the story, it pretty much looks like Katara was treated as a reward for Aang - the hero saves the day, gets the girl trope. I don’t think I need to explain why that’s bad. It was also weak within the story’s plot, because it’s not well-supported by Katara’s character arc.
So the two main problems with the Katara/Aang relationship, in my view, are these: one, Aang’s treatment of Katara within the story; and two, the writers’ treatment of Katara from outside the story.
(Plus, a 12/13 year old dating a 14/15 year old comes off kinda weird to me. A couple years difference matters at that age.)
This is honestly my biggest criticism of the series. It was still a great show, and I loved it, but as iconic as it was, it wasn’t perfect.
16th February, 2021. [Video: Pablo Hasél being arrested by policemen and taken inside a police car while he shouts “mai ens aturaran, mai ens callaran, mort a l’estat feixista! mort a l’estat feixista!”, which means “they will never stop us, they will never shut us up, death to the fascist state! death to the fascist state!” in the Catalan language]
The rap singer from Lleida (Catalonia) Pablo Hasél being arrested for the lyrics of his songs and the content of his tweets. He has been sentenced to 2 years, 4 months and 15 days of prison for “glorifying terrorism” and “insulting the [Spanish] monarchy” according to the Spanish judicial system.
He refused to turn himself in, and instead locked himself with comrades who showed up inside the University of Lleida, as they barricaded the doors and people blocked the access of the policemen in solidarity. After 2 hours displacing the protestors, the anti-riot police accessed the third floor, where Hasél was, and took him directly to prison.
Spain is the country in the world with the most artists sentenced to jail (source: The state of artistic freedom 2020, FreeMuse).
More than Turkey, more than Iran, more than China. Spain, and disproportionately national minorities (Catalans and Basques). And the European Union allows it.
In Spain, you can go on TV and openly give support to fascism, you can send death threats to people from national minorities and/or political dissidents, you can do the fascist salute on the streets and shout “viva Franco” and “arriba España” while circling cultural centres of national minorities (mostly Catalans and Basques) and calling for the need to “shed their blood”, the Spanish army can call for the execution of 26 million citizens … but you cannot take a stand against the Spanish monarchy (remember Josep Valtònyc is still on exile for having said “the Bourbons [dynasty of the Spanish monarchy] are thieves”) and wish them the guillotine.
People like Pablo Hasél and Valtònyc were not even famous when they released these “criminal” songs, they were just people like any other, with access to internet and something to say. Spain came for them like it can come for any of us, like it came for our parents and grandparents. Like they came for Adri, for Tamara Carrasco, for the Altsasua boys, for Dani Gallardo, for Jordi Cuixart and Jordi Sànchez, for our democratically-elected government still in jail and exile, for everyone arrested and threatened and beaten by the police in strikes and demonstrations, for the people who tweeted jokes about the death of Carrero Blanco (the fascist admiral who could’ve been Franco’s successor as fascist dictator if he had not been killed by ETA), for the people who posted on Facebook comments against the Spanish police’s brutality on Catalan people… People like you, people like me.
LLIBERTAT PABLO HASÉL
I love elephants
Kinosaki, Japan | Nishimuraya Kinosaki Onsen
A friend of mine with a passion for folklore and small presses recently introduced me to Inhabit Media, and I’m so glad to have had a chance to peruse these books.
Inhabit Media is an Inuit-owned publishing company based in Iqaluit, Nunavut (i.e. very very very North). They are dedicated to preserving and promoting the stories, knowledge, culture, and language of the Inuit and of Northern Canada, and they publish a range of books for children and adults that include contemporary and historical fiction, folklore and legends retold and beautifully illustrated, and non-fiction on history, science, and arctic life.
If you enjoy folklore, oral history, wintertime storytelling, or really superbly creepy mermaids, definitely check them out.
hey! so normally I'm 100% for vaccines and all but I'm,, suspicious about the COVID vaccine bc of the rushed timeline and Pfizer's history. I also have some personal mental issues that's making it difficult for me to break down the likelihood of the vaccine being dangerous/fake/etc and was wondering if you could help me with that? What do you think the likelihood is that Pfizer faked their data? Or that the vaccine has long-term side effects? Or that it was dangerous materials in it?
I've been wanting to write something about this, so I thank you for this question!! I am confident in the vaccine, and will be getting it as soon as I'm allowed. I have done my research, spoken to physicians within my family who have also done their research, and am happy to say that a lot of the fears people have are unfounded. Let's get into it!
Was the vaccine rushed?
No. It was prioritized. The Covid vaccines, to receive approval, have undergone all of the same trials, rules, testing, and processes as every other vaccine. No corners were cut. Over 45k were used in human trials. The reason most vaccines take a number of years is because a) availability of persons with said illness for testing, b) availability of persons willing to undergo human trials, c) resource availability (scientists work on a number of things), and d) funding. The covid vaccines could move faster than usual through these barriers, for obvious reasons, leading to quicker outcomes.
Pfizers history? Likelihood that they faked their data?
They have had a number of lawsuits against them throughout their existence as a company (best known for Chapstick, Advil, and Prep), most involving undisclosed side effects in medications they have produced. Some involving unapproved human trials. Vaccines are, of course, different from medications. However, the Covid vaccine has undergone extensive external review and has been found valid and safe.
Wall Street Journal - FDA review confirms safety and efficacy of Pfizer coronavirus vaccine
Medical Xpress - Pfizer vaccine results published in peer-reviewed journal
The New Daily - FDA publishes first peer-reviewed report on Pfizer trial as Britain rolls out COVID vaccine
The New York Times - Pfizer’s Vaccine Offers Strong Protection After First Dose
BBC News - Safety data on Pfizer jab released by US
Vaccine long term side effects?
This is hard to say! However, the nature of how the vaccine works leads to minimal concern about long term side effects. To quote a physician I'm related to when I asked him about it, "I imagine the worst it could do would be....not work for someone, so that they still get Covid." Let's jump to the next question to see why that is.
Dangerous materials in it?
Vaccines train the immune system to recognize the disease-causing part of a virus. Traditionally, this means they contain either weakened viruses or purified signature proteins of the virus.
But an mRNA vaccine is different, because rather than having the viral protein injected, a person receives genetic material – mRNA – that encodes the viral protein. Think of it like instructions to make a fake shell of the virus. When these genetic instructions are injected into the upper arm, the muscle cells translate them to make the viral protein directly in the body. Your body creates the fake shell, which looks like the virus.
This approach mimics what the SARS-CoV-2 does in nature – but the vaccine mRNA codes only for the critical fragment of the viral protein. This gives the immune system a preview of what the real virus looks like without causing disease. This preview gives the immune system time to design powerful antibodies that can neutralize the real virus if the individual is ever infected. In conclusion, your body creates a dummy virus uniform with no virus inside of it. Your immune system then learns how to defeat it, without risk of harm. That way if it ever runs into the real virus, it sees the shell and knows how to effectively attack.
While this synthetic mRNA is genetic material, it cannot be transmitted to the next generation! This means your body won't continue creating fake shells. After an mRNA injection, this molecule guides the protein production inside the muscle cells, which reaches peak levels for 24 to 48 hours and can last for a few more days. So essentially, you create fake shells for a few days, then you stop. It doesn't keep going forever, which I know some folks were concerned about.
Conclusion:
It is a trustworthy, worthwhile vaccine. If you don't want to go first, that's alright! It will be first responders, essential workers, and folks in long term care facilities who will receive it this year and early next. But I do encourage everyone to take it if they are at all optioned to.
I hope this helps!
...I’ve got some ideas! (This ended up kind of long...oops)
Okay, so the six books in the Enola Holmes series cover events over one year. I don’t think the movie will cover nearly that much time, so I think it will cover only the case from the first book (The Case of the Missing Marquess) and then it will end with the resolution from the sixth book in the series - perhaps with scenes from the other books sprinkled in.
There’s also going to be a number of things that are different from the books - in the books, Enola is not trained to fight, while in the movie she clearly is. In the books, Enola and her mother are not that close, but in the movie they clearly are - although, giving Helena Bonham Carter more screen time is certainly not something I’d complain about. Another major thing that might have plot ramifications is that in the books, Enola runs away before Mycroft can send her off to boarding school. Meanwhile, the trailer clearly shows scenes of Enola at boarding school, so the means of her escape are going to be different in the movie.
In the books, The Case of the Missing Marquess is actually one of the simplest that Enola solves - probably because it’s the first book, and so a great deal of it is taken up with exposition rather than mystery-solving. In the movie, I expect they’ll change that up and make the case more complicated and dramatic. Viscount Tewksbury (i.e. the marquess who went missing), who is introduced in the trailer as a blond teenager on a train, plays a very minor role in the books - also, in the books, he’s twelve. The trailer suggests that his role will be significantly expanded in the movie.
One thing that did bother me a bit about the trailer is that Enola disguises herself as a boy in it. There is nothing inherently wrong with that, but in the books, she makes it a bit of a point of pride that she never disguises herself as male - for a couple reasons: one, she knows it is what her brothers will expect her to do, and she is trying to hide from them; and two, in the many ridiculous accoutrements of female fashion, Enola conceals money, candies, other bits and bobs, and her knife. In the books, Enola disguises herself as a widow, a nun, a secretary, an assistant, a scholar woman, a street-seller, an orphan girl, and, as shown in the trailer, a high-born lady. I think it will be something of a pity if the movie forgoes all those many disguises and uses only the disguises of a boy and a lady.
Also, in the books, Enola is largely solitary and mostly works alone, though she occasionally teams up with Sherlock. The movie, it seems, will be giving her some companions. I think that will be fun, but it will kind of reduce one of the books’ main arcs - that Enola can and will do very well on her own.
All in all, I think the movie will be fun to watch and will stay true to the spirit of the books, but the plot of the mystery will be different than anything already present in print. I think it probably would have been more effective to make this a TV series in order to cover more of the story and character development, but what’s done is done. I think the actors will do a marvelous job - I am really looking forward to how Millie Bobby Brown and Henry Cavill portray Enola’s and Sherlock’s sibling relationship.
Some scenes that I hope would show up in the movie in one form or another, but that I think will probably get left out:
when Florence Nightingale gives Sherlock Holmes a piece of her mind
when Enola bursts into Dr. Watson’s home looking for help dressed as a nun and covered in blood, and Watson and Holmes think that she is injured until she whips a bloody knife out of her bodice
when Enola hides from her brother in his own flat, knowing it is the last place he would think to look (actually, I think this one might very well show up in the movie - at 1:00 in the trailer looks like it could be the scene I am referring to, but I can’t tell for sure)
when Enola throws a cat at Sherlock in order to create a distraction and slip out unnoticed
when Enola bumps into Mycroft and kicks him in the shin to get away
when John Watson tells Enola (while she is disguised) that he is worried for Sherlock, as he seems quite distressed over his missing sister
When Mycroft and Sherlock post an ad in the classifieds asking Enola to come home, and she replies: To M.H. and S.H. Rot. E.H.
When Mycroft bursts in to stop a wedding, claiming the bride is an imposter, and Enola rips off her veil, shouts at him, throws off the dress and runs out the door
(also, try this link to download an EPUB copy of that second book, The Case of the Left-Handed Lady.)
I read the Enola Holmes series in one afternoon like two years ago, and I really enjoyed it! I’m excited for this movie. I’m sure some things that I liked in the books will be missing, since that’s just the way of movies, but I really think I’m going to like this movie anyway!
I’m gonna re-read the series before I watch it though.
(Also Henry Cavill is playing Sherlock?? So Superman is joining Iron Man and Dr.Strange in being Sherlock Holmes and I think that’s fun)
I read the Enola Holmes series in one afternoon like two years ago, and I really enjoyed it! I’m excited for this movie. I’m sure some things that I liked in the books will be missing, since that’s just the way of movies, but I really think I’m going to like this movie anyway!
I’m gonna re-read the series before I watch it though.
(Also Henry Cavill is playing Sherlock?? So Superman is joining Iron Man and Dr.Strange in being Sherlock Holmes and I think that’s fun)
apparently, people in the US do not use the word ‘cupboard’
Learning recipes passed down from my mother’s side of the family is so interesting but also kind of annoying because there are no measurements whatsoever. You just have to look at it and go, ‘yes, that looks about right’.
Yeah, have any of you read The Strange Case of the Alchemist’s Daughter? (It’s the first book in a series called The Extraordinary Adventures of the Athena Club.) The series features a blend of characters (specifically female characters) from 1800s stories such as Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Sherlock Holmes, Frankenstein, Dracula, The Island of Doctor Moreau, Rapaccini’s Daughter, Carmilla, The Picture of Dorian Gray, The Great God Pan, She, The Jewel of Seven Stars - and possibly a couple others I might have missed, because there’s obviously a lot.
Anyway, these books are a super fun read, and I highly recommend!
Schrodinger’s OC
I’ve learned the first minute of the dance so far, so I’m a third of the way through!
I’m kind of invested in learning this choreography now
....this sounds weird, but this post kind of invaded one of my dreams last night. So in my dream, I was trying to explain this whole problem with reconstructions to someone. I was trying and failing to describe how a penguin’s skeleton has a very long neck and actually looks a great deal like a plesiosaur’s skeleton and the implications of that, and then I didn’t have to try and explain anymore because a giant plesiosaur-penguin was swimming through the air toward us.
(After that, there was a thing with a restaurant that was inside a glass bubble and then I had to fold a parachute in a specific way so that when I opened it after jumping out of a plane it would be hard to see, so no one would know I was alive and I could fake my death for mission. And then I had to say goodbye to my friend who had just arrived for a performance but I couldn’t tell her it was the last time I would ever see her, and then I wandered off into the woods with other agents and my specially folded parachute in my backpack. There was a bunch more stuff after that, but it’s not very relevant and I’ve probably already shared way too much of my weird dreams.)
I visited here shortly after it opened back in 2008. It was an amazing building. I vividly remember the indoor rainforest especially - every other butterfly house I’ve visited since seemed dull and small in comparison. I adored this place
Natural History Museum
My sister just said “We’re all gonna die because people are stupid and want to go to college and have parties” and I looked over at her and said “We’re all gonna die because corporations value profit over lives - and so does the government”
Nobody gives two shits about an ENTIRE COUNTRY being hit by two cyclones consecutively. It’s displaced over 160,000 people and destroyed over 30,000 homes.
Yet no one cries.
No billionaires or other countries have talked about donating or helping the country out.
Please help by donating to charities and fundraisers dedicated to helping provide humanitarian aid to Mozambique!
https://support.savethechildren.org/site/Donation2?df_id=3241&mfc_pref=T&3241.donation=form1&cid=Social_Network:Twitter:Emer_Mozambique:Scus_Lp_Post2:031919&hootPostID=23abdd2d4250de3d6b684c68a4fb250b
https://www.allhandsandhearts.org/programs/mozambique-tropical-cyclone-relief/
https://www.msf.org/msf-response-wake-devastating-cyclone-idai-mozambique-malawi-zimbabwe
If you get this and would like - answer with 3 random facts about yourself and send it to the last 7 blogs in your notifications, anonymously or not! Let’s get to know the person behind the blog! :) 💛💙
Oh I’ve never gotten one of these before! Thanks!
Let’s see...
I can sing songs in more than a dozen different languages.
One of the items on my bucket list is to pet (or at least see) a giant oceanic manta ray – these darlings can grow to be 23 ft across, although a more typical size is around 15 ft across.
I have two baby lemon trees (they’re about 4 months old and 6 inches tall) that I grew from seeds I took from a store-bought lemon.
I’m kind of invested in learning this choreography now
Weeks? It’s been like 8 months.
Today’s aesthetic: keeping the same tab open in your browser for three solid weeks because you’re definitely going to get around to reading and/or acting on whatever’s in it any minute now.
I feel like this should say “Leaf me alone,’ instead of ‘Leave me alone,’.
everytime zuko goes out he leaves iroh a note that says “gone insane, back later”
This is super cute but like...cartography??? Why is one of Catra’s productive hobbies map-making? I don’t get it
(I love how the list says ‘Kissing Adora’ multiple times though)
Important Lectures
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[unrelated] This is a restaurant in vietnam and its so cool??
I hated 1984 for the way it treated its female characters but I didn’t quite know how to express that when I read it in middle school. I wish I could have spoken up in my classroom to tell my teacher and my peers that it was an awful and misogynistic book
I almost scrolled past this; was not expecting it to be this funny oh my god
