in case you need some joy in your life. also watch the americans.

Origami Around
Cosmic Funnies

Janaina Medeiros
let's talk about Bridgerton tea, my ask is open
No title available
Keni
Mike Driver

@theartofmadeline
NASA
Monterey Bay Aquarium
we're not kids anymore.
Show & Tell
i don't do bad sauce passes

#extradirty

祝日 / Permanent Vacation
ojovivo
No title available
Claire Keane
Game of Thrones Daily
he wasn't even looking at me and he found me
seen from Malaysia
seen from T1

seen from Malaysia

seen from Malaysia

seen from United Kingdom
seen from United States

seen from Malaysia

seen from Malaysia
seen from China
seen from United States

seen from Portugal
seen from Germany

seen from Indonesia
seen from Türkiye

seen from India
seen from United States

seen from Netherlands

seen from Sweden

seen from Türkiye

seen from Saudi Arabia
@autoimmunetostudying
in case you need some joy in your life. also watch the americans.
my heart🥺
The Organas
A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away there lived a queen and her king – in stature if not title. Breha was born to be queen, but there was no line of succession that would have ever put Bail on the throne.
He was a prince, and then a senator, but it wasn’t until he met and married Breha that his power extended beyond his province. It was a courtship of love, one of stolen kisses and secret missives.
When Breha proposed, the world rejoiced. There were some that turned their noses up to this upstart Bail, who did not carry any royal blood within him.
The Organa family reminded the dissenters that first kings and queens of Alderaan were elected. Though the title and position had become of lineage and inheritance, that was not the founders’ original intent.
Bail and Breha were married and were a symbol of the peace and prosperity that was to come. There were but a few who could have seen, or predicted, what was to come.
It started off as a trade dispute; who had what rights to where. Bail and Breha championed peace through democracy, but had little say in what transpired next.
They had their own battles to fight. While perhaps insignificant when weighed against a galactic war, the Organas had not yet had a child.
The dissenters, who had never liked Bail from the beginning, began to vocalize their concerns over why he had not been able to provide the queen a child.
The Organas wanted a child, not to pass the throne off to, but to have and to hold; to tickle and kiss and teach.
The nights were long, the doctor visits were frequent. As months became years, hope faded from Breha’s eyes. Of all the miracles and wonders in the galaxy they had discovered and tamed, none could provide a way out for the Organas.
So when Bail first heard about the cloners on Kamino, he sat up a little straighter. He asked a few more questions than he usually did. He took notes and he volunteered for the first facility inspection that could be arranged.
The Kaminoans’ knowledge of human biology was unparalleled. Bail was stunned by the width and depth of their research, he was appreciative of their patience.
He underwent exhaustive testing and as they prepared his results, they bundled up for him a selection of tests he and Breha could perform at home, as well as some educational holovids they could watch together.
Before the sleek, elegant scientist released these to Bail, she said softly, “there are some mysteries that simply refuse to be solved. However, should this not work out for you in the way you would like, we would be happy to discuss personal cloning with you and your wife.”
“Perhaps,” the Kaminoan said, “that could provide a measure of solace for you, your queen, and your people.”
Breha cried when Bail shared what he had brought, what he had learned. But then she shook her head. “All I need is you, for the rest of my life.”
It wasn’t a lie. Two years ago, it would have been. But she had made her peace with never being a mother. And through the hardship, Bail never flagged or failed. He was ever hopeful, ever diligent, and ever willing to try this month’s recommendation.
The hole in heart was healing, Bail could see that. And perhaps she would find something to fully fill it, but it would always be there. There would always be a longing, and aching.
As the war on the Outer Rim carved its way into the heart of the galaxy, Bail devoted more of his days to the war effort – no, not the war effort. The peace effort.
He sat and supped with every senator, every dignitary, every general on every side of the conflict that would give him a fraction of their time.
Breha dedicated herself to her people. Alderaan, a peaceful planet of art and music, became a sanctuary to those displaced by the war.
There were those, of course, that bristled at this. There were senators that felt it undermined the war effort and there were more local fears of the unknown.
These refugees spoke different languages and respected different customs. Some of them didn’t even look human.
The concerns of the galactic senate were not Breha’s concerns. She did, however, understand and appreciate the fears of her people.
To quell those fears, she spearheaded a multi-tiered PR campaign that introduced the customs, rituals, and histories of the people most affected by this war. Slowly, the people of Alderaan began to see they were not so different after all.
And, they had to admit, if the situation was reversed, and Alderaan was being reduced to rubble, they would appreciate a stranger’s good faith.
When the first transports arrived, Breha was the first on the dock, the first to greet them, the first to show them what an Alderaan Welcome looks like.
Bail and Breha had purpose. They were fanning the spark of hope, praying it would ignite and spread through the galaxy.
But there the darkness was relentless, sowing chaos and fear that stamped out hope’s fledgling embers.
The Jedi fell. At the heart of the Jedi conflict was Anakin Skywalker and Breha’s best friend in the senate, Padme Amidala.
Padme’s exact involvement was a surprise that remained a mystery for the rest of their lives. Bail and Breha only learned of it after she heartbreakingly passed away. She died giving birth.
Perhaps it was fate, but Bail was there when the twins were born. Some considered him a hero, called him brave and wonderful, but it was for very selfish reasons he volunteered to take the twins.
He just wanted to be a father. And he wanted Breha to be a mother. And here were two children that needed parents.
The last Jedi, General Kenobi and Master Yoda, thought it best to separate the twins. Bail didn’t understand why, but had learned to not debate them. He snatched up the little girl, hoping Obi-Wan would change his mind soon and the twins would be reunited.
Breha cried and covered the baby girl with kisses. She cried over the baby. She cried over Padme. She cried over Bail and the three of them held each other so tightly.
Breha’s chief advisor, a thin-lipped and thin-skinned man named Veil, was troubled by the arrival of the girl who already being called Princess. She was not an Organa. She wasn’t even of Alderaan.
He once brought it up to Bail, who pinned Veil against the wall and dared him to “say she’s not my daughter again.”
Veil, who had always been to familiar with Bail, hissed back, “My concern is not whether or not she’s your daughter, she is not the queen’s!”
Veil was without a job by the end of the day. Breha sent him away, saying, “she is my daughter and your princess and if things continue the way they are, she will one day be your queen.”
Veil left the palace but did not leave the public eye. In the Alderaan Parliament he became the Organas’ most vocal opponent.
Veil made it not secret he subscribed to Senator Palpatine’s worldview. There are the way things were and there are the way things are. If the customs and culture and of Alderaan are to be preserved, things needed to return to the way they were.
“Instead of forging the Clone Army from a melting pot, there isn’t a single weak link! Millions serve in our army, but it is a single soldier, working in tandem and in unison with his brothers!”
Veil’s racist fear-mongering frustrated the Organas. There was actual evil in the galaxy that needed their attention. This angry little man’s pettiness only distracted from the bigger picture.
But every attack Veil launched, the Organas turned into a teaching moment. Leia witnessed it all and she learned.
Leia made Bail and Breha’s strengths her own. And, try as they might, their weaknesses too. She was a little too impatient, a little too brash, a little too uncompromising. She spoke her mind with no concern how others might take it.
But for those that needed it, she was patient and she was kind. She reserved her temper for those that tried to make the galaxy a small place.
She was curious, always tugging on her father’s sleeve and asking “what is that?” She knew no fear. She would try anything and wanted to learn everything.
As the Empire rose out of the Republic, it never crossed the Organas’ minds to keep Leia away from the Rebellion. It was right to rebel. It was good to rebel.
The princess joined her father on many of his trips. She would listen and more than once, recommend what their next mission should be.
Bail and Breha watched her grow and, perhaps as every parent does, knew she was destined for great things.
Perhaps they shouldn’t have made themselves feel small for wanting a family. It felt unimportant in the shadow of galactic war. But, perhaps, the path they took to become a family was exactly what the galaxy needed.
Perhaps raising Leia was the most important thing they had ever done.
love this compilation
Analyzing Films for Your Paper
My intro to film studies class was very writing-heavy, and one of the most important skills I learned was how to analyze films effectively without rewatching them a million times. For me, watching them two or three times did the trick, so long as I wasn’t distracted. After the first two papers, I was able to follow through with this plan:
1. Read and understand your prompt completely. In my experience, prompts tend to get very complex. For the most part, I was always asked to write about key themes and messages that the films portray while also reflecting on motifs (symbols), causal connections, stylistic elements, structure, sound design, etc. We were expected to connect everything so the paper itself would sound cohesive. A lot of parts can easily get lost in translation, and sometimes some stylistic elements might not directly support your thesis. However, that shouldn’t give you a reason to neglect it altogether, so make sure you have all the requirements in mind prior to watching your film.
2. Watch the movie once without taking any notes. A lot of this is similar to taking notes from a textbook. I always get very invested in the story itself, so watching the film the first time around lets me enjoy the cinematic experience before I start deconstructing it. Plus, watching the film without taking notes allows you to put everything into perspective, or rather, to reflect on the biggest takeaway. After you’ve watched the film, you can start jotting down key themes or topics that you want your thesis to encompass. That way, you’ll have a sense of direction in terms of what scenes and stylistic elements to prioritize when you watch the movie a second time.
3. Rewatch the movie, this time taking notes. Now that you know where your paper might possibly be going, it’s time to deconstruct the film scene-by-scene. If you’re able to stream the movie at home, then don’t be afraid to pause in between (you’ve already watched the movie once so you won’t get distracted as much now). And most importantly, DON’T feel compelled to rehash every single scene– that would take forever and you’ll lose sight of your thesis. Your goal is to integrate stylistic elements from relevant scenes; there’s no contest to see who can incorporate the most scenes to support their argument (though if it works, kudos to you!) So moving onto specifics: what should you pay attention to? Two key aspects to film are the visuals and dialogue, so it really helps to analyze their significance both as independent functions of the scene as well as interdependent functions. Economy, the way various parts of a scene (whether it be dialogue, lighting, sound effects, camera angle, etc.) work together, is a huge part of film analysis, and the more relationships you can demonstrate, the stronger your examples will be.
4. Draft a thorough outline. At this point, you’ll have a lot of notes floating around the breakdown of individual scenes, but centering each body paragraph around one scene isn’t exactly cohesive. You’ll want to shift scene analyses around so your body paragraphs’ topic sentences emphasize the significance of context–the specific content details are there to support those topic sentences. For example, you might want to break your essay down into the beginning, middle, and end of the film. The first two body paragraphs might talk about exposition, so you may choose to center your topic sentences around the main character’s attitudes, beliefs, and relationships to other major characters and how that would connect to your thesis statement. Once you have that established, your specific details would highlight the specific content of the scenes you want to bring in. Your final outline can easily get long and dense, but I personally think that’s okay. For me, the heavier the outline, the easier it is for me to translate everything into a final paper.
5. Put it all together! You’ve got all your info and the flow of your argument is spot on! So now, the words should easily flow onto the pages. Of course, if you still feel like you’re lost or that you’re not drawing back to your thesis enough, revisit your outline to see if your topic sentences are broad enough to elaborate on. Also do the same with your thesis. Remember, as a rule of thumb, always go from general to specific!
I hope all that is helpful! These papers honestly felt really daunting the first time around, but going in with the right plan will definitely save a lot of time. Good luck!
I arrive at the park
Dinosaurs: Released
Tits: Out
Life: Finds a way
I am forcibly airlifted from Jurassic Park.
Mark Harmon & Pam Dawber at The West Coast Marine Scholarship Ball - 10/30/10
“You must be Jethro!”
in which this one person represents the entire ncis fandom
I arrive at the park
Dinosaurs: Released
Tits: Out
Life: Finds a way
I am forcibly airlifted from Jurassic Park.
it is 2:18
and I am so drunk and happy and inspired and positive
This weekend I will be putting together my first scientific proposal for federal funding.
“suspiciously skilled”
Today, a PI complimented my lab performance by saying I am “suspiciously skilled” for someone who got educated in Greece and is only 25.
I wanted to be offended but it just meant a lot to me. It means I am holding my own pretty well in a rather competitive workforce.
“Hey Greeks, sorry for our government” - German citizens at Berlin Occupy
2018 Journal Challenge Writing Prompts Part 3!
There you go, everyone! An entire year’s worth of writing prompts just for you!
Hope you enjoy your writing this year!
Feel free to tag: #Journaling-Junkie, and #2018JournalChallenge
if you post any entries on your blog and would like to share your writing with us!
Wishing you all a very happy and successful 2018! :)
2018 Journal Challenge Writing Prompts Part 2!
Happy New Year, everyone!
Tag: #Journaling-Junkie, and #2018JournalChallenge
2018 Journal Prompts part 1
Happy New Year, everyone!
Tags: #Journaling-Junkie #2018JournalChallenge