Cloudyskiesgivesrain - Look A Cat

Actor David Suchet was taught how to eat a mango in ‘polite company’ by Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. On May 2 1990 Suchet was at a private lunch at Buckingham Palace, per the Queen’s invitation. It was his 44th Birthday. He discovered the Queen likes to invite people from all walks of life whom she finds interesting.

During lunch, Suchet was served a mango and suffering from an acute attack of nerves, he turned to Prince Philip, confessing he didn’t have the slightest idea how to deal with the fruit. That provoked an enourmous laugh from Prince Philip, who replied immediately, ‘Well, let me show you,’ and demonstrated what exactly one should do. Suchet was relieved he wasn’t left floundering and was now able to eat the fruit in front of him.

Later that day he told the story to Brian Eastman, the producer of Agatha Christie’s Poirot, and asked him if they could include it in the episode they were soon to film, 3x09: The Theft of the Royal Ruby.

“We sent a copy of the finished film to Buckingham Palace on DVD, and I’m thrilled to say that it became the late Queen Mother’s favourite film. Indeed, whenever I’ve met the Duke of Edinburgh since that lunch, he always calls me ‘the mango man’.” - David Suchet, Poirot and Me

“My body, my choice” only makes sense when someone else’s life isn’t at stake.

Just an experiment. Reblog if you actually give a fuck about male victims of domestic violence and rape.

Of fucking course

What sick bastard doesn’t

THE PLANTYFLUTESIZER

I told Miyazaki I love the “gratuitous motion” in his films; instead of every movement being dictated by the story, sometimes people will just sit for a moment, or they will sigh, or look in a running stream, or do something extra, not to advance the story but only to give the sense of time and place and who they are.

“We have a word for that in Japanese,” he said. “It’s called ma. Emptiness. It’s there intentionally.”

Is that like the “pillow words” that separate phrases in Japanese poetry?

“I don’t think it’s like the pillow word.” He clapped his hands three or four times. “The time in between my clapping is ma. If you just have non-stop action with no breathing space at all, it’s just busyness, But if you take a moment, then the tension building in the film can grow into a wider dimension. If you just have constant tension at 80 degrees all the time you just get numb.”

Which helps explain why Miyazaki’s films are more absorbing and involving than the frantic cheerful action in a lot of American animation. I asked him to explain that a little more.

“The people who make the movies are scared of silence, so they want to paper and plaster it over,” he said. “They’re worried that the audience will get bored. They might go up and get some popcorn.

But just because it’s 80 percent intense all the time doesn’t mean the kids are going to bless you with their concentration. What really matters is the underlying emotions–that you never let go of those.

— Roger Ebert in conversation with Hayao Miyazaki

◕ ᴥ ◕ || zaylina1 on ig

Do you have any fanfiction recommendations?

Hi hello \\(°▽°)// I haven't read ATLA fics lately, but here are some of the fics whose tabs I have opened on my browser ❤️

Unpicked, rewoven by avaya29

– and Azula’s crackling bolt of lightning steadied, became still and straight, and was a beam of blue light thrusting from the horizon to the sky. The cold voltaic shock through his nerves was the sting of cold air damp with spray from the sea, the pressure of electrical charge the weight of armour on his shoulders, the harsh blue-white glow of lightning the grey-white-blue of sea and ice and sky.

…His scalp was cold.

Zuko doesn't know why he's suddenly back here again, here on his ship amongst the icebergs, with the Avatar's light stabbing into the sky. He's not even sure this is real. But if it is, he's going to do things better this time.

Of course, things go off the rails almost immediately.

Incarnadined Hound by Java_bean

All around her, the murmuring crowd hushed as if in mourning. Soon, all of the Fire Nation would hear the terms for the banishment, and they would react just the same. Azula smirked. She knew something they all didn’t know.

Find the avatar, Father had said. For anyone else, that was a death sentence.

For Zuzu, though? Well, that was doable.

Zuko could find anything

(A fic about Zuko and his insane ability to find things that he really shouldn't be able to find)

Seduction of the Innocent by southwest_trickster

Zuko doesn’t particularly want to build a life in Ba Sing Se. But since going home isn’t an option, he starts to figure out how he can be happy here. The solution? Attend Ba Sing Se University, write a thesis on the Air Nomads and the Water Tribes and why they’re important to study, and accidentally become a well-known author by writing comics about his sworn enemy.

And, of course, I have to rec @whats-a-reading's wonderful fic

Ship of Fools by IlliterateReader

“Zuzu? Are you still there?” And oh, Azula’s probably, definitely real. She’s not at his right. His sister is in front of him, regal as ever except for the burning missive flaring blue in her left hand.

or

Azula snuck on his ship. Good morning Zuko, welcome to your new banished life.

Saw this shared on FB. It covers counter-arguments for a lot of the most common pro-gun points you’ll see people raise. Long read, but very helpful.

he’s literally rigging the election and next to nothing’s being done about it what the actual fucking living hell