#A Misfit's Life

[thismisfitslife]

Introducing: Diya Wellness

When I went to a Christmas market at Yoga X Life in Ouseburn, a year or a few ago, I got introduced to the wonderful products local business Diya Wellness has been creating over the past four years. It seemed only logical to bring them to you in our 'Introducing Misfits' Q&A series, so that you can get acquainted with them as well!

Hi! Could you introduce yourself and your brand? When did you start your business and what inspired you to do so? "Hi, I’m Vino Subramaniam, the founder and owner of Diya Wellness. I’m a wellness enthusiast and a maker – I handcraft a range of wellness products incorporating ancient Indian formulations and rituals.

Diya started as a passion project in 2020 during lockdown. Growing up enjoying clean, natural ingredients and traditional self-care rituals in Malaysia, I wanted to offer a holistic approach to wellness through my brand. As I started searching for balance in my own personal wellness journey, I began to understand the importance of looking after my physical fitness, mental wellbeing and emotional health. Each product I’ve created and every ritual I’ve shared is part of my own journey of discovering, supporting and nurturing ME!"

How do you decide who and what to work with? "I keep this simple: I don’t work with anyone or make any decisions that don’t align with my personal or brand ethos."

Who have you worked with so far and what has made it a good fit for you? "I’ve worked with Peloton Studios London, 261 Fearless Club UK, Kind Currency, Mana Living, Just Canny, AirMid Massage Therapies, Mayfli, Green Bee and many more amazing people who are very passionate about wellness, sustainability and supporting small businesses."

Who do you hope to work with in the near future? And what do you hope to achieve with your brand in the next three years? "I would love to work with any charities supporting mental health. I hope to grow my brand further and have my own little space so I can keep creating more beautiful wellness products for you to enjoy."

Where can we find you next, be that on a market, in a shop, or online? "You can find Diya Wellness at the Ouseburn Market, Night Market (Boiler Shop), Sister Shack Market, Just Canny Whitley Bay, Green Bee Hexham and online www.diyawellness.com.

Our next Salt Making Workshop is taking place on the 22nd of November at Full Circle Brew, Hoult’s Yard. Our next Wellness Walk will be in January 2025 in Jesmond Dene."

[rrat-king]

i love them so much i can't even say (also oh my god d20 graphics and editing team this is amazing thank you)

[tsuki-in-faerun]

can we talk about jammer consistently refusing opportunities that give him an advantage over other people in his community?

i keep getting stuck on the magical community kitchens that he wanted to create in the epilogue of the initial season. evan thinks about abolishing the wall between magic and mundane, k thinks how to facilitate access to information, sam thinks of leading with kindness and education. jammer thinks of the essentials of life. if we have a kitchen that can make anything without the burden of material resources, why would any being in the world go hungry?

jammer leaves school to preserve his sovereignty over his body and freedom of movement, but he also gives up something that would make him meaningfully more powerful than anybody in his day to day. with magic being wild and unpredictable, he can't funnel it into solving the most pressing problems affecting the people around him and therefore, there's not enough incentive for him to push past how freaky it might make him look to whip out a wand and do magic about it.

whitney doesn't have to be at LEEP as much as he is. he doesn't have to be getting 40-50 points a game. he tries to do a little magic because someone specifically asked about it but magic itself is not making enough of a fundamental impact on the way he can achieve his goals for him to use it. so he puts it away.

what i am getting out of jammer's arc so far is that the other members of the pilot program function to ask what magic can do. what is the nature of it in this form or that form? jammer is on this quest to ask "what is magic for? can we use it so that every body has everything they need to live a good life?"

love jammer.

[kermit-coded]

she meets him where he's at....

[ineffabledesiretobeasleep]

I’ve fought adults in gas station parking lots with no magic. Like, if Axelby wants to start some shit, I won’t need my eyes to go black. I will just actually stomp his ass to the ground

[worshippin]

*wakes up in the middle of the night* sam and evan are drift compatible

[fancyhats-and-fennelsbuds]

When there's a person that manages to be an even quirkier, crazier -- fully gone nuts individual than you and you two cannot not become the greatest friends duo ever oh dear for the love of god someone divide them. They are "Some one will die." "...Of fun!!!" dynamic, but one with, the final twist to end up horribly dying either ways.

I would like to thank @randomalistic 's incredible 2:14:27 long video analysis (it's on Yutube go give a look is absolutely good aaargh!) for the sudden inspo to draw the terrible muffin man in thighs. (thank you thank you)

[buff-borf-bork]

So what I'm hearing is evan and k are STILL a perfect match even after breaking up but definitely in a "we make each other worse" kinda way

[wanderingsoftly]

The pilot program discussing what color island Sam would be and maybe transmutation being it immediately reminded me of what her first bit of magic was: the lint to ice cream.

I'm torn between her not being an island avatar because she doesn't want to be a powerful wizard, just Sam, which I think is absolutely beautiful. Versus her being the transmutation avatar given her constant attempts to make the extraordinary out of the ordinary in a non-flashy way. Lint to ice cream. Gas station phone to a phone with a screen. Person or monster to potential friend. Sam improves everything around her without amplification or creation. It isn't even like Jammer's "see a need, fill a need" mentality. She takes what is and improves. She sees potential in everything. So I agree she doesn't need to become a major magic wizard, she is one already whether she steps into that or not. (But if she did I vote purple island lol)

[neogotchi]

I've seen a lot of people talk about how scary Brennan's description of B² dying was but I don't see it that way at all.

yes, Evan killed her on a snap decision with no hesitation. no he does not regret it, because she deserved it for being a horrible bigot and hurting someone he loves. but he still has a deep respect for human life. he killed her quickly and painlessly, she didn't even have time to realize she was dying. he could have made her suffer but instead he describes her death in a sort of tender way.

"a silent custodian walking the halls, turning the lights off one by one. like someone putting a house to bed" these are gentle things he's describing. a soft goodnight as he leaves

[thismisfitslife]

Introducing: Radiant by Lucie

I recently met the lovely Lucie through musical friends, we spoke briefly and quickly realised how many interests we had in common, think yoga, wellness, events, and music. Before we said goodbye I asked for her social media handles only to realise I already followed her! So, I had to know more. Lucie is the first to partake in a Q&A series I'd like to call 'Introducing Misfits', we spoke about her brand, her goals, and the people she's worked with so far. And here it is; get to know Radiant by Lucie.

Hi! Could you introduce yourself and your brand? "Hi! My name is Lucie, and I am the owner of the wellness brand ‘Radiant by Lucie’. I am originally from the Czech Republic, but I moved to the UK in 2019 to study a Health Psychology degree. I have always had a great passion to make a real and positive difference in people’s lives; love all things health & wellness, and this is where the idea of starting up a wellness brand came from. I started building my business earlier this year, and every single aspect of it has been super exciting! The vision behind the products I make is sustainability - making handmade eco-friendly products from materials that are kind to Mother Nature; and also pure purpose - aiming to help people live a healthier lifestyle and promote health and wellbeing."

Do you make everything by hand and what is the process of creating your products? "Yes, indeed! I make every individual product by hand, and with love. I start off by drafting out as many ideas as I can think of, and then select the ones I believe are the best. I carefully select each material/supplier/ingredient for the creation of my products, this is to make sure it aligns with the ethos of my brand. The first product that has come out so far is the Bottle Bag, and this is crocheted from 100% recycled cotton that is made in the UK. Then, a custom-made ‘Radiant by Lucie’ tag made from 100% organic cotton is sewed onto the bag to complete the finished look. You can check the finished product out on my Instagram page at @radiant_bylucie."

Who do you hope to reach with your brand, and what do you hope to achieve with selling your products? "The dream is to create a community of like minded people who are interested in self-development and greater wellbeing. I would love to reach people who no matter at what point in their wellness journey they are, they wish to work on themselves and their lifestyle habits. When facilitating some workshops in the future, I wish to be able to provide a safe space for everyone to feel seen and heard, and also the chance to connect with other kind souls. By creating my products, I would like to be able to provide people with tools that can help them achieve a greater version of themselves. I really wish that the products I have designed so far, and all the products coming in the future, will help people feel healthier, happier, and more in tune with themselves."

Are there any people or brands you have worked with that you would love to highlight, or anyone that you would like to work with in the near future? "I have been so extremely lucky, having been surrounded by so many wonderful people who have all made a huge positive impact on the entire process of creating my brand. I am especially grateful to my partner, closest friends, and family, and all of their encouragement and love that they give me. Similarly, I am super grateful for the support and all the advice I have received from Jodie and Tom from ‘Ride the Tide’, their kindness, creativity, and passion for wellness and business has helped me gain a lot of confidence and courage to build my brand. I would also like to highlight my good friend and an awesome photographer Ellen, who has recently taken some beautiful pictures for the upcoming website! I have also been meeting with my good friend Eliot Lloyd Short lately, and we have been working intensely on creating a wholesome workshop series… keep an eye out for that because we will be sharing some details soon! Finally, in the near future, I have some exciting plans to hopefully collaborate with the wonderful Sjaan van de Langenberg, who specialises in yoga, breath work, tea meditations, and so much more!"

I saw that you recently joined your first market, when will your next one be or where can people buy your products? "Yes, I had a tiny stall at my first Tynemouth market the other day! I haven’t planned any other markets just yet, so for the time being, if you would like to purchase your Bottle Bag you can DM me on Instagram and we can sort out the details together. There is also a new website in the making where you will soon be able to purchase my products, so keep your eyes peeled for that one. And a bonus one (you heard it here first!) - I have also been working on a new herbal tea blend packed with lots of health benefits, a perfect thing for the upcoming cold days… coming soon!"

[deadgodjess]

Brennan's little "i don't know, will you let me?" in response to Aabria's "Do you *have* an explosive in your bag?" is so fucking funny and sadly I found it very attractive.

[tsuki-in-faerun]

so, as i said before FUCK boudicca philtrum in particular. no one will mourn you, you crusty ho.

but also k getting majorly injured and the first thing out of their mouth is telling lemli that they have to lie and tell evan that they're fine. broken ribs, flat on their back, blood coming out of their mouth, knowing what evan will do and k trying to stop a thing that has already happened in the time it took for them to land.

did k ever see evan kill anybody while they were together? i know we're down with murder because fantasy but also, we all agree it's not great for evan's mental health to do a murder, right? and i really don't agree that it's love for k motivating him to kill because k doesn't want that for him. evan killed philtrum because philtrum needed killing and he has assigned himself that role. he would have taken her out, potentially nonlethally, as soon as they saw her if it weren't for their directive from dr. boodle. i think k is entirely incidental to his motivation, tbh. he goes cold when he goes into his shadow. i don't think what he's feeling in that space is anything that i (or bell hooks) would call a love ethic.

[30somethingontumbler]

BRENNAN LEE MULLIGAN WTF

I want us to remember that these first four episodes of Misfits and Magic 2 have all been like a collective 48 hours in game.

Meaning in the last two days or less Evan Kelp has: seen his Ex for the first time in a long time, only to then immediately get on a magical bar bike ride into a magical storm. Only to get his arm blown off by said Ex and die thus having to haunt his own shadow while going on the mission to bring himself back from the dead. Then come back from the dead butt naked to have the long awaited post breakup argument that has been building between himself and Kay before being faced with his own terra cotta skeleton. Then he has to face his extremely abusive former principal who tried to kill him not once but twice, and now tries to for the third time try to kill his friends and him only to end up entering her mind and turning it off like the light switches in a freaking public high school at the start of summer break. And at the end of that Brennan has the absolute audacity to say the most incredible morally gray, kill to keep my love safe line ever with “she attacked Kay, now she’s dead” delivered with zero emotion.

I ask again MR. MULLIGAN!! W.T.F!!

And you Mz. Abria Iyengar BURROWS END WAS ENOUGH TRAMA!! Please please you promised funny!! I am just trying to watch improv comedians play Dungeons and Dragons, not question everything I know and believe about morality! WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY FOR YOURSELF YOU BEAUTIFUL MAJESTIC GENIUS!!

And poor Jammer just wanted a vacation!!

I can’t even start on Sam and Kay because I am just to work led up! I need a nap!!

[green-green-grass]

"I think maybe I'm gonna experiment with 'K'" 🩷🖤

[child-of-the-danube]

This was the most beautiful episode of a series I've seen in ages. I am amazed and absolutely heartbroken 💔💔

I knew my girl was on her way out, but her end was beyond beautiful. Having lived a life that was never your own, nothing you did or said changed what you saw, but your end being your own choice is pure poetry. Everyone else on the road had their power taken or blocked by something outside their control but Lilia's power was painful to the point that she decided to take it away herself. Feeling so powerless that you decide to MAKE yourself actually powerless to avoid any more hurt is such a gut wrenchingly hard decision. But imagine how terrifying spending half of your time unsure of where you are, if things are really happening or if you're just seeing something must have been. And on top of that, all people ever saw you as is a herald of death, or worse, they didn't see you at all. Nobody was there to share her fears and doubts, and neither to share any happiness that could have been. She was her own obstacle and what does she decide to do when clarity and confidence have finally returned to her? The one thing she was never able to do in centuries - save the ones she loves. And she does it by sacrificing herself.

And Death knew her. Rio knew who Lilia was from the start cause she watched her from the shadows. She watched her grow and learn and become a witch and most of all - survive. Keeping their true meeting for when it was time to stop running...

I'm going to cry myself to sleep tonight

And if you want to cry yourself to sleep tonight too (some more), go listen to Patti Lupone singing Stars and imagine it is Lilia...