henceforthidothyap

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Aromanticism/Asexuality in Heartstopper

Alright, so I just finished season 3 of Heartstopper (I know, I'm super late to the party but I have the attention span of a fruit fly bear with me) and the aroace representation was EVERYTHING to me. Isaac's journey, what little we get to see of it, is insanely realistic. I know that Alice Oseman, the creator of Heartstopper, is aroace, so it makes sense that this is some of the best rep I've seen.

The way he feels left out within his friend group is so painfully true to life. He has a fantastic friend group and they're all super supportive, but they're all paired off. Isaac is on his own more often than not, feeling like a third wheel or ninth wheel in the larger friend group setting. The first season, most of them were single, and we see a lot more of Tao, Charlie and Isaac hanging out together as a trio, but in the third season Tao and Charlie are almost always paired off with Elle and Nick, respectively. You can see how Isaac tries to recreate the dynamic they once had when everyone was single, but how the romantic relationships invade every aspect of that.

His outburst with Tao mirrors everything I've had breakdowns about myself. With an amatonormative culture that puts so much emphasis on romantic relationships and finding the one, ending up alone while all my friends are happily paired off is such a big fear of mine. I want to lean on my friends for comfort, but they're also the source of my pain, which makes it so hard. It's so easy for people in relationships, especially in that honeymoon phase, to neglect their friends and as an aroace person, I struggle to be understanding with this because I don't understand those feelings. I value friendships over every other relationship and it's so frustrating when I don't feel like I'm getting that same energy back. Isaac does such a good job of dealing with these feelings for so long (an entire summer! insane!) that it's only natural for that patience to wane and snap.

What he was talking about at the aquarium was so real too. Figuring out that you're asexual and aromantic is such a joyful but also devastating moment. As a kid (at least for me as someone who's AFAB), you're always told that you'll grow up and get married and be so happy. But realizing you're asexual and aromantic means that this picture-perfect ending you've always assumed will be yours might not be anymore. Being aroace in an inherently amatonormative world means that your path will automatically be so different than everyone else's. Coming to terms with that is painful. It feels like your future happiness has been ripped away from you and it'll be impossible to find it again. It takes a lot of support from people you care about and most importantly a lot of time to become ok with that. I believe that Isaac will find some manner of this and I'm curious to see if there will maybe be a QPR with him and James (I've not read the Heartstopper comics if it wasn't obvious).

Shifting gears a little, Tori is also important representation. I know that she's asexual from the fact that she's the main character of Solitaire (a book I need to read still), but I also think she's on the aromantic spectrum at least. Being uncomfortable with relationship labels isn't an inherently aromantic thing, but she seemed to be struggling a lot with understanding a different kind of love than the sibling love she has for Charlie. It would make so much sense to me for her to be demiromantic, an identity that could always use more representation. I love that Michael's only goal is to be happy with him and Tori side-by-side and is doing his absolute best to understand what's going on in her head. Figuring out identities is so stressful, and that support is everything! I will definitely be reading Solitaire at some point because I need to see more of their relationship ASAP.

This has been an excited rant from someone who cries every time they see aroace rep on TV because it's so rare and even more rare to be done correctly.

[henceforthidothyap]

Krebs Cycle :(

Pyruvate now has to go to the mitochondria (matrix, specifically) for its next journey

Oxidative decarboxylation of pyruvate by the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex. This makes Acetyl-CoA and CO2 is formed

Condensation of acetyl-CoA with oxaloacetate by citrate synthase

Makes citrate

Water molecule makes CoA go elsewhere

2. Isomerization of citrate by aconitase

PRODUCT: Isocitrate

Isocitrate is easier to oxidize

3. Oxidative decarboxylation of isocitrate by isocitrate dehydrogenase

PRODUCT: alpha-ketoglutarate (NEEDS Vitamin B1 to operate!)

Isocitrate dehydrogenase makes NADH

Waste product of CO2

4. Oxidative decarboxylation of alpha-ketoglutarate by alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase

PRODUCT: succinyl-CoA

Uses five coenzymes

5. Hydrolysis of succinyl-CoA by succinyl-CoA synthetase

PRODUCT: Succinate

Drives production of GTP

Active site of histidine

6. Oxidation of succinate by succinate dehydrogenase

PRODUCT: fumarate

FAD to FADH2

7. Hydration of fumarate by fumarase

PRODUCT: L-Malate

8. Dehydration of malate by malate dehydrogenase

PRODUCT: Oxaloacetate

NAD+ to NADH

Totals:

Used: Acetyl-CoA, NAD+, FAD, GDP, phosphorous, water

Gained: 2 CO2, 3 NADH, 1 FADH2, 1 GTP, CoA, H+

Regulation:

Citrate synthase (step 1) regulated by ATP, NADH and succinyl-CoA

Isocitrate dehydrogenase (step 3) regulated by ATP, ADP and NAD+

Alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase (step 4) regulated by NADH, succinyl CoA, AMP but NAD+ and CoA activate it

[henceforthidothyap]

Steps of Glycolysis

Phosphorylation of glucose into glucose-6-phosphate via hexokinase (far from equilibrium, ATP -> ATP)

Glucose has to be imported via GLUT proteins, but that means that it could be taken out with those same proteins. So, glucose gets phosphorylated into glucose-6-phosphate so it stays trapped in the cell to actually be useful. Now the inside of the cell has less glucose so that the cell goes and gets more

2. Isomerization of glucose-6-phosphate into fructose-6-phosphate by phosphoglucose isomerase

Makes the next step easier since it's easier to phosphorylate fructose than glucose

3. Phosphorylation of fructose-6-phosphate into fructose 1,6 phosphate by phosphofructokinase

First permanent step of glycolysis

Uses ATP (ATP -> ADP)

Phosphofructokinase is HIGHLY REGULATED by ATP

4. Isomerization of fructose 1,6 phosphate into DHAP and G3P by aldolase

Cleaves C-C bond

Goes from six carbon sugar to three carbon sugar

Three carbon sugars have more energy

5. Interconversion of DHAP by triose phosphate isomerase

Next enzyme in the pathway needs GAP so DHAP needs to become GAP

Keeps the road to glycolysis a single lane

6. Oxidation of G3P by glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase

Allows for net production of ATP

Gives NADH

7. Phosphorylation of 1,3-biphosphoglycerate by phosphoglycerate kinase

1,3 BPG can donate phosphate group to ADP to make it ATP

Kinases are needed to be the middleman for that donation

8. Isomerization of 3-phosphoglycerate by phosphoglycerate mutase

Mutase catalyzes the transfer of functional groups

9. Dehydration of 2-phosphoglycerate by enolase

2-phosphoglycerate sucks as a phosphate donor

Generate a high energy phosphate compound

10. Phosphorylation of phosphoenolpyruvate by pyruvate kinase into pyruvate

Net production of 2 ATP

Needs metals (Mg)

Tautomerization

Totals:

1 glucose, 2 ATP and 2 NAD+ used

2 pyruvate, 2 ATP and 2 NADH made

[henceforthidothyap]

Biochemistry Chapter 6: More Proteins (but in more depth)

Bonds in Proteins

Hydrogen bonds: We love these. We want these. Sprinkle hydrogen bonds like confetti! It's a hoarder situation: we have a Bunch of these that we'll never get rid of

Hydrophobic bonds/interactions: Nonpolar side chains make their own clique and water is Not invited. Chatting up another nonpolar side chains means that they don't have to exchange awkward small talk with water, so they really prefer that. (This is how proteins fold usually)

Ionic interactions: Either the charges of something just want to get down and dirty immediately, or they hate each other with the fire of a thousand suns. Sometimes, salt runs interference on these interactions and says, 'no PDA!' or 'children, we must get along!' which totally screws up the normal ionic interactions. After all, they're on the surface of the cell and they have to look good for all the other cells.

Van der Waals interactions: We've got instant attraction and instant hatred together again. Just one of these is super weak, but there's strength in numbers.

Protein Bonds

Secondary structures: you're stabilized by hydrogen bonds! Your peptide group's proton and the carbonyl oxygen of another's just can't get enough of each other. Your alpha helices and beta sheets are because of these bonds!

Protein Origami

Hydrogen bonds everywhere mean that alpha helices and beta sheets are also everywhere

They like each other and huddle together

Peptide segments in secondary structures are short and direct so no fancy loopy loops

Proteins like stability so they try to get a ton of hydrogen bonds and less surface area

Alpha helices are made primarily of alpha-keratin

Beta sheets are made primarily of fibroin and beta-keratin

Collagen is weird because it forms a triple helix because there's so much glycine, proline and hydroxyproline

Globular Proteins

Core is made of a ton of alpha-helices and beta sheets, and any little gaps are stuffed with hydrophobic amino acids

Polar side chains face out, so the surface is hydrophilic

Globular proteins are super dehydrated, there's like no water inside them

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Biochemistry Chapter 5: Proteins

Proteins are separated into cabins based on how they're made (I would use the sorting hat as an example but JK Rowling sucks)

Cabin 1: Fibrous proteins! Are you a simple, linear, straightforward type of protein? Are you a fan of making sure everything is structurally sound and hate water? Join the cabin!

Cabin 2: Globular proteins! Are you a sphere with your hydrophobic outside and secret hydrophilic inside, which makes you love water? Join the cabin!

Cabin 3: Membrane proteins! Are you someone that hangs out on the outskirts of parties? Do you also have your hydrophobic amino acids on the outside? Do you generally not like water but could be convinced with some detergent? Join the cabin!

Once you're in your cabins, there's further clubs based on how you're made! (Tag yourself, I'm a tertiary structure)

Primary structure club: You're just an amino acid sequence. No muss, no fuss. You're a minimalist, and that's ok.

Secondary structure club: You've gotten a bit fancier with some hydrogen bonds between adjacent amino acid residues to make either a helix or a pleated segment. This club doesn't discriminate, both alpha helices and beta sheets are welcome!

Tertiary structure club: Your polypeptide chains bent and folded because you don't like to take up space. You make yourself into a sphere and do Not want to interact with your environment. Maybe you have some social anxiety to work through?

Quaternary structure club: You're extra special with your at least two tertiary structures stuck together. Yes, we know they're called subunits, you don't need to keep reminding us.

Conformation: your 3D look, you can just do a little twirly twirl to change that

Configuration: the geometric possibilities you have, but you have to break bonds :(

Protein defining characteristics

Your amino acid code is everything! Your polypeptides are unbranched, so they've got two ends: N-terminus (amino terminal) and C-terminus (carboxyl terminal). Read from N to C (reverse alphabetical because why not?)

Do you just feel a sort of genetic kinship to other proteins even when they're not your species? You might be orthologous! You might have a common ancestral gene (try Ancestry?)

Do you feel super close to the proteins in your own species? You might be paralogous, which is lovely for a close-knit family.

Protein LinkedIn

Are you the type of protein whose love language is physical touch and just wants to bind to other proteins? Be a ligand today!

Are you a ligand that wants to travel and see the world? Be a transport protein today! You'll get to transport substances and soluble proteins across the membrane throughout the body!

Are you a ligand that misses making pyramids from your cheerleading days? Be a scaffolding protein today! You'll get to recruit other proteins into multimeric assemblies and coordinate the flow of information!

Are you a ligand that wants to be in charge of chemical reactions? Be a catalytic protein today!

Are you a ligand that wants to bind to specific bits of DNA to make sure genes aren't flying off the handle with gene expression? Be a regulatory protein today!

Are you a ligand that just wants to phone it in and hit a lightswitch every now and then to switch conformations? Be a switch protein today!

Are you a ligand that wants to make sure everyone's standing up and confident in their base? Be a structural protein today!

[henceforthidothyap]

Biochemistry Chapter 4

All amino acids are tetrahedral, so it stands on three legs, has an abdomen and then a head sticking straight up from that abdomen.

The legs are: One hydrogen, one carboxyl group (COO-) and one amino group (NH3+)

The abdomen is an alpha carbon

The head is the R group, which is what makes the amino acid unique. Kind of like how everyone's brain in their head makes them unique.

The carboxyl and amino legs can make covalent peptide bonds with each other, which makes a water baby that gets put up for adoption. Like any other method of creation, making this bond requires energy.

Amino acids are all weak polyprotic acids because they dissociate (same), but not well, but at least two of their hydrogens can do that.

Some amino acids are nonpolar

They make proteins fold like a lawn chair

Some amino acids are polar, uncharged

Their R groups can make hydrogen bonds if water joins as their third

More soluble in water

Some amino acids are acidic

Net negative at neutral pH

Some amino acids are basic

Net positive at neutral pH

Amino acids are chiral except for glycine (glycine just Has to be special at every turn) and have 2 enantiomers

Peptide bonds

Its backbone is amide nitrogen-alpha carbon-carbonyl carbon

This backbone is pretty polar since it's got a permanent dipole but is stoic as hell

Peptides

Short chains of amino acids (keychains vs. heavy chains) and each link is called an amino acid residue

Dipeptides have two amino acid residues and so on and so forth with the prefix number nomenclature but once you get to 12, nobody has time for that, and they're called oligopeptides. If there's like 48 of them, they're polypeptides but nobody really has a set border between oligo- and poly-

Want to get rid of peptide bonds? No problem! Just hydrolyze the thing with a strong acid and get your individual residue today!

Proteins

Definition: molecule made of 1+ polypeptide chains

One polypeptide chain makes a monomeric protein and anything else is a multimeric protein. 2+ of the same is homomultimeric (Republicans hate them) and 2+ of difference polypeptides is heteromultimeric

This has been a mildly unhinged summary of chapter four for my finals, thank you very much

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The Uncanny Counter: Episode 2

This episode starts right where the other one left off, with So Mun blocking the rich kid's punch, which was super cool until the rich kid's crony kicked him away. So Mun's down for the count, totally passed out (someone please check him for a concussion), when the noodle crew shows up and evens things out. I'll hand it to the noodle crew, they had a lottttt more patience than I ever would've had with the bullies. Inevitably, when the noodle crew and the bullies go head-to-head, Mo-Tak takes them all down with one punch each. The visual that they used here of the X-ray vision into the injuries being given to each bully was super cool and I really hope that they use that again. Unfortunately, Mae-Ok heals them while she wipes their memories. I would've just left them in the gym with no memory and busted arms, but I suppose that's why I'm not a Counter (which I've learned is the right term, not Grim Reaper).

When So-Mun wakes up (seriously, he was out for a long time someone Please do a CT scan on him) his leg is now healed by Mae-Ok. I'm not gonna lie, I'm a little disappointed that they healed his leg, as I was looking forward to how he'd be a Counter with his disability. I'm not someone whose voice should be heard on this matter though, so I do wonder how the disabled community felt about that. It felt like a bit of a cop-out to me, but I digress. Bro immediately runs for ages despite Mae-Ok telling him to take it easy, which is very much teenage boy activities.

When they're back in the shop and the noodle crew is discussing their backstories, Mo-Tak mentions that he fell from a building and was a police officer. I'm thinking that this is definitely the dude from the first episode that So-Mun's parents were on the phone with and that's why Mo-Tak was trying to figure out why So-Mun looked familiar. Interested to see how that plays out, especially if Mo-Tak gets his memories back.

Ha-Na and Mae-Ok head out to capture a level one spirit, which is where we get a lesson on some of the Counter Jargon. I'm also including info from later in the episode just to keep my list neat because my memory sucks. We've got:

Level 1 evil spirits: these spirits are just chilling in the human and haven't killed anyone yet, so the ideal stage for capture

Level 2: now they've killed someone and are basically just a serial killer at this point. Later on in the episode they talk about how everything's case-by-case in how many kills escalates someone from a level 2 to a level 3

Level 3: now they've got supernatural powers beyond the whole enhanced strength gig and they're running amok

Level 4: never seen before, but this is when a human and evil spirit perfectly mesh together and become insanely powerful

I'm guessing that this excursion of taking So-Mun (who is super inexperienced, what the hell were y'all thinking) to go see this level 1 that Ha-Na detected. What better way to convince the dude to become a Counter than to show him the difference he can make? So-Mun saves a kid's life, and I could tell right away that he's hooked. He's got a good heart and I'm dreading when it'll inevitably break because he can't save someone.

Mo-Tak cuts down the amount of time he's got to decide about his future as a Counter to however many hours it was until the next morning, which is about how much patience I have too. He visits Wi-Gen again to decide and she tells him about the rules, which I thought were weird. One of them is don't meddle in human affairs, which, uh, has totally already been broken (like the bullies' arms), sooooo what's up with that? Anyway, he of course showed up the next morning with his matching tracksuit (I still find the noodle crew's matching outfits adorable).

The thing about the next scene that I found weird, which was So-Mun beating the shit out of the bullies, was that nobody (including his friends!) questioned how the boy who previously needed his crutch to get around was using both legs to fight them off. I found his little speech kinda funny and not really realistic at all, but then again, it's a high school boy who draws comics and is feeling like a hero because of the Counter thing, so I could see that influencing the speech.

Of course, So-Mun also had to have his badass training montage. I will admit, the part where he was doing push-ups while holding his legs up off the ground made me laugh because it looked so much like his legs were just being supported by wires. The same with the one-handed pullups. I could totally be wrong, but that's how I saw it and it made me snicker. He also got his ass handed to him by Ha-Na, which was funny because he was so confident about his skills before that. He also literally broke open a punching bag, so his power is definitely super strength and maybe parkour, since he managed to jump all the way up a building with his blue handprint (again, the clear use of wires made me snicker). So-Mun's little celebration when he finally got the spinny kick right was also adorable. But also, he spent so much time training in this montage and he's literally a high school student? When are you getting your homework done???

So-Mun's reaction to the noodle crew's truly awful 'police sketches' had me laughing too. They all looked so offended; it was hilarious. Thank the gods they've got So-Mun now who can actually draw a person and have it look like a person, not a wonky cartoon character.

Right before the episode ends, we've got the noodle crew (now including So-Mun!) in their trusty Mystery Machine to go capture the evil spirit in some guy talking to a little girl. (I cannot tell if this child has never gotten a stranger danger lesson or if she knows him).

Zero scenes of the policewoman or the mayor, maybe that plotline picks up again later?

Predictions:

I still think the rich boy will be a host for an evil spirit, especially now that he's wanting to kill So-Mun after being humiliated in front of everyone at school

Mo-Tak is the guy So-Mun's parents were talking to on the phone, and he knows why they died (if he gets his memory back)

Ha-Na REALLY doesn't want her memories read; she's got some trauma or wasn't a great person before being a Counter

So-Mun has something in him that enhances his powers and maybe that's why Wi-Gen picked him, even if it was an accident

Episode Rating: 10/10. I'm still hooked on this show, and it's doing a great job of introducing information gradually so that everything comes together. The noodle crew is already super protective of So-Mun, which I love, since they feel like a weird family. So far, I like the balance of humor and supernatural drama.

[henceforthidothyap]

The Uncanny Counter: Episode 1

Streaming service: Netflix

This show threw so. much. information at me in the first episode that it was hard to keep track of it all. They introduced several characters in several different walks of life and I'm really curious to see how they're all relevant to the plot and for how long.

The trio high school friend group has my whole heart! Their friendship dynamic is so wholesome and just like real friends. Their reactions when So Mun's hair started pinging around was absolutely how my friends would react to seeing my hair do that. (Sidenote, is the wavy hair a side effect of having the Grim Reaper spirit in you?) Ung-Min not wanting to tell So Mun that he's being bullied because he's afraid that their target will switch to him is absolutely heartbreaking but really illustrates how close they all are. So Mun's friendship with Ju-Yeon didn't really get as much screentime, besides when she's teasing him about his 'wet dream,' but it's clear that she cares deeply for both of the boys too. I really hope that this doesn't become a situation where Ju-Yeon's secretly been in love with So Mun forever because I'm guessing that So Mun and Ha-Na are going to have a romantic attachment at some point.

The episode didn't really tell me a whole lot about the noodle crew yet. I found it insane that they just left their restaurant with a bunch of customers in it, but maybe that's the American in me talking, since if someone tried that here they'd come back to the place being absolutely gutted. They really got their collective asses handed to them by that level three demon (which I'm guessing is the strongest level?), which was a little disappointing since they're supposed to be Grim Reapers. So far, it looks like Ha-Na's the psychic of the group since she can read minds and knows when a demon is nearby. I'm guessing that Mo-Tak's power is super strength based on the fact that he literally snapped a knife in half. I have absolutely no clue what Mae-Ok's power is, but it looks like she has a bit of enhanced strength too?

I'll be 100% honest, Cheol-Jung's death didn't really hit me that hard. It was an absolutely brutal way to die (being run through by a piece of I think rebar), but I'd known his character for all of like five minutes. Also, if your team is telling you 'Hey, this dude's dangerous, wait for backup' when they're the ones that just fought him, maybe listen to them? Your arrogance got you killed, dude. Should've waited for backup.

As always, the rich kid that acts like a dick because he doesn't get love at home trope appears in full force. The one good thing about kdramas that doesn't parallel real life is that usually these kids get what's coming to them, so I'm hoping that happens. I don't want them to die, mind you, but maybe get beat up like they were doing to So-Mun and Ung-Min. I have a feeling, since the episode ended with So-Mun accessing what I'm assuming are his Grim Reaper powers, that this will be the case. Again, I'll reiterate how much I love the clear platonic love between these two boys and their desire to protect their friend. I'm also mildly wondering if this rich kid is going to end up as a host of a demon at some point, since he seems plenty violent, full of negative emotions and it's clear he's never been told no before in his life as the mayor's son.

Speaking of the mayor, that dude seems shady as hell. Shredding a report about the radioactivity in your city? BRO. I feel so bad for that guy that lost his daughter to I'm assuming cancer from that radioactivity, and I also don't think that he committed suicide. It's a bit too neat; don't you think? Clearly, that policewoman agrees with me, since she's looking into it even after being ridiculed by her misogynistic pigs of male coworkers. I'm guessing that the policemen are in the pocket of the mayor and are dirty.

Predictions:

Rich boy becomes a host for a demon

Policemen are in the pocket of the mayor, who's shady as hell, and the policewoman is trying to clean everything up and get to the bottom of the corruption

So-Mun's Grim Reaper power is also super strength, which is a bit disappointing given that there's already someone with that power

The show keeps going, so obviously he changes his mind and decides to join the noodle crew. I'm thinking that being able to protect his friend is the turning point for this decision.

The demon that's wandering around killing people is working for the mayor in exchange for something. The demon just happened to kill the guy that was staging a one-man protest outside city hall and that was publishing things about the city's radioactivity? Come on.

Episode Rating: 9.5/10. I'm very interested to see where this goes. The plot seems solid, and I like the main character a lot so far. It loses half a point for the very petty reason of the cliche of put-down policewoman vs. sus but powerful mayor.