#As all can tell yes animal style bishops are my favourite bishops :)

[eggobuggo]

Woe Bishops of the Old Faith be upon ye! 🐛🐸🐈‍⬛🦑🕷️

[ahqueenoh]

A Very (Unhealthy) Vegan Affair,

We all know the damage we have caused to planet earth, and I mean it when I say that the easiest thing we can all do is reduce our meat and dairy consumption, something I started doing late last year and intend to maintain.

Where I can (and whenever I can) I eat vegetarian and vegan meals, at home my kitchen does not carry any animal based products and I was surprised at how easy it was to swap my favourites (here’s to you yogurt!) for vegan alternatives.

Sometimes it’s not about being perfect, as a society we do not need four people leading a perfect zero waste Vegan lifestyle. We need everyone doing their best to make better decisions and we live in an age where it is so much easier to make plant based choices.

If you’re a vegan, vegetarian or just plan curious, here are some of my favourite places to eat as the world’s worst vegan:

Kalifornia Kitchen

Another Instagram find, hidden in a side street just off of Tottenham Court Road this pink gem is home to the best vegan burgers I have had the pleasure to consume.

The staff are unbelievably friendly and the Panko Chikken Burger was the closest I have come to tasting real chicken in months, the burger was moist the bun maintained its structural integrity throughout (which seems inconsequential, but there’s nothing worse then being on a date and taking a bite of your burger and everything falls apart).

Now the chips (fries)! These could have a blog post of their own, think Five Guys spicy chips without the burning sensation, these chips had exactly the right level of spice, crispness and mouth watering moisture. I savoured every bite and tried to pinch my dinner guests, who valiantly defended their right to their own chips and only let me pilfer one.

Overall a delightful evening with wonderful company (and my instagram looks better for it!) but I would skip desert if I was you, Kalifornia Kitchen is all about healthy plant based food so their deserts leave much to be desired for my sweet tooth.

Address

19 Percy Street, Bloomsbury, London, W1T 1DY

Temple of Seitan

As an East London resident I have the joy of having a Temple of Seitan in Hackney (yes you’re reading that correctly). Designed in the style of the classic English chip shop there is something quite devilish about treating yourself to fried Chick’n. My guest and I went after we had both had an extremely long day at work, we ordered enough food to feed the five thousand and sat in a corner and stuffed ourselves silly. There is something so comforting and welcoming about the classic British chip shop, a rare moment in society where the class divide means nothing and both barrister and barman queue together for their daily dose of grease, something that The Temple of Seitan gets so spot on that you don’t have to feel sad about giving anything up in your quest to be more ethical.

Plus the food feels less heavy and fatty then an actual British chip shop, which leaves you wanting more, exactly as the devil intended I’m sure.

*For those of you not in the know, Seitan is wheat gluten which is often used as a meat substitute because of its excellent ability to absorbed flavour and maintain a “meat” texture, however is not celiac friendly.

Address

Temple of Hackney

5 Morning Lane, Hackney, London, E9 6NA

Temple of Camden

43 Parkway, Camden, London, NW1 7PN

Dirty Vegan

During my Vegan initiation I think I missed the class on Vegan related puns, nonetheless if you really are in need of a McDonald’s or Burger King style junk food meal, look no further then Dirty Vegan.

I personally enjoyed a Bare Back Three Way, yes that is genuinely the name of the bonkers burger I ate.

But the real star of the show were the sides. Two things I find myself missing is bacon and fried chicken. Dirty Vegan offered fried BBQ Jackfruit (an excellent substitute for chicken and pulled pork) and bacon cheese fries, both sides I gobbled with a child like grin on my face, for the first time on my (worlds worst) Vegan journey I found I couldn’t tell if I was eating meat or not.

The BBQ Jackfruit felt rich and fatty like meat and fell apart in my mouth, the BBQ sauce was perfection, tangy and sweet and made my taste buds dance! A bit of Jackfruit followed by the Bacon Cheese Fries made my heart sing (and my doctor cry) as the rich “cheese”, crisp “bacon” (I am genuinely curious what it was substituted for!) and gorgeous fries filled my belly with love and happiness.

My guest and I ordered this meal to be delivered on New Years Eve and I can’t think of a better way to kick off the new decade then fine food and fabulous company!

At the time of ordering (and eating) Dirty Vegan had a pop-up in Shoreditch, I don’t think that is there anymore however their main base is:

The Balcony, Westfield (Whitecity), Shepard’s Bush, London, W12 7GE

Fortnum and Mason

Every so often a family member (or two) fancy going for a lavish afternoon tea for their birthday. This year it was to F&M, I went with the intention to avoid meat but I was pleasantly surprised, when I asked for a milk alternative, that I was also brought a vegan menu.

I was even more surprised, when I ordered the Vegan Afternoon Tea, that it was so delicious and heavenly, I ordered more sandwiches. The sandwiches, cakes and even the tea where extremely decadent and rich (far from healthy) but oh so gorgeous!

F&M has an expensive tea room, but one way that they go above and beyond (and many other tea rooms could learn from them) is they offer free plate refills. This afternoon tea experience was by far the best I have had in London and was certainly the only place that I have felt the price matched the experience. Definitely a must do if you’re in London and fancy a spot of tea.

Address

Fortnum and Mason, 181 Piccadilly, St Jame’s, London W1A 1ER

National Theatre Terrace Restaurant and Bar

Next time you’re seeing a show at London’s iconic theatre, look no further then the Terrace Restaurant. A Spanish tapas style of food, it is recommended that you order three to four plates to equal a standard main, their menu is more vegetarian heavy then vegan however there was enough options for me to order the recommended amount.

The plates were absolute works of art and the food… interesting, I did enjoy my meal however I found many of the dishes dominated by one or two flavours which became boring and bland the more I munched. One such example was the aubergine mousse, deep charcoal in colour, whipped to perfection yet boring in comparison to the artichoke and cashew stuffed mushrooms. However, where the Terrance restaurant triumphed was its dessert. I treated myself to an old favourite of mine, rice pudding. The terrace put quite the modern spin on the stodgy British classic (and at the time I wasn’t sure how I felt about it) by creating rice pudding balls in a passion fruit syrup, and despite my original reservations, it was gorgeous!

Address

National Theatre, South Bank, Bishop’s, London SE1 9PX

Nopi

Last, but most certainly not least, Nopi is part of a small chain of restaurants in London. Their menu has very few vegan options, but enough to make the meal enjoyable.

I have been to Nopi before and it is certainly pricey, but the friendly staff and fiendishly good Gnocci justifies the price.

They also make the most fabulous vegan chocolate chip cookies with Almond Milk, the milk is made in house and is creamier then any shop bought nut milk. The cookies ooze with rich chocolate, while still maintaining the crunch and doughy texture one desires in ones biscuit.

If I ever feel the need for a childhood comfort that equals its (non-Vegan) original, I am on the first tube to Oxford Circus.

Address

21-22 Warwick Street, Soho, London, W1B 5NE

[sophygurl]

I love the question memes and my fave kind is the kind @pixiedane​ just tagged me in (thank you!). [Also sidenote: ILU @theawkwardterrier​ for always tagging me in the tagging memes but JSYK I won’t be doing the latest one because I’m just not really a picture person so I don’t really have a lot of pictures saved and the idea of trying to use whatever weird random stuff I might have saved to describe myself would just not work. But you’re the best and I’ll catch ya on the next one!]

The rules:

Post the rules

Answer the questions given to you by the tagger

Write 11 questions of your own

And tag 11 people

1. What’s the meaning of your name? Does it suit you?

Rosemary doesn’t seem to have a specific meaning, although of course it’s an herb, and Rosemary is for remembrance, which is hilarious given my memory problems. Mary means bitter, so some name meaning sites say the meaning of my name is “bitter rose” which I guess is a nice combo of sweet and sad, which I would not really classify myself as. So, no, the various meanings of my name do not suit me.

The name itself? Does. I love my name, and while most people can’t be bothered with a 3 syllable name in casual conversation, my preference is to be called Rosemary and not Rose. Rose does not feel like me.

2. What’s a movie you never get tired of?

A lot of movies fit under this category, but the movie I have probably seen the most amount of times and can still watch either in full or in chunks and still enjoy every single second of no matter what is Dirty Dancing. 

3. Your favourite movie soundtrack?

Are we talking soundtrack as in collection of songs used in the movie and put into an album, or as in score for the movie, or?

Because nothing but nothing beats the Star Wars scores for me. Well, original and prequels and TFA anyway - the last two have diverged quite a bit which has felt odd to me but whatever. [Second place would be the scores for the 70/s80s Superman movies - also John Williams of course]

If collection of songs - then we’re back to Dirty Dancing.

Although if we’re considering soundtracks of musicals, then I’m gonna be reduced to flailing and just naming half a dozen or so, so we’ll just pretend that’s not part of the question. 

4. How would you describe your personal style?

Accidental? I pretty much just buy things that I find interesting, and then put things together that seem interesting to me, and then end up with some pretty ... interesting outfits. One of my roommates actually described my look yesterday as “crazy” if that tells you anything.

Think colors that don’t quite match, conflicting patterns, stripey socks, chunky jewelry, and then at times like now at the end of winter when I haven’t shaved my head in awhile - short floppy hair that is sticking up in all directions that I swear I tried to tame but it just doesn’t take. 

5. Name a fictional crush.

Spike from Buffy. Also Buffy from Buffy. And put them together? Double crush. 

6. What’s your motto?

I don’t really have a motto, per se, but I do have a mantra, which is: love, peace, joy, hope. Those are the qualities I try to embody, embrace, spread, whatever. All four are of equal importance to me. 

7. Are you a gamer?

If by gamer, you mean obsessively playing the Sims, then yes. But most people who consider themselves gamers would probably say no.

8. Would you rather spend time on a secluded beach or at a fancy cocktail party?

How about a fancy cocktail party on a secluded beach? Too much sand in the drinks, never mind.

Ah, these are both problematic for me. I don’t do so well with being completely alone, especially without some kind of distraction or diversion. I guess if I had a book with me on the beach, I’d be okay for a little while, but I’d also get uncomfortable super fast if there wasn’t, like, a comfy sofa or something to recline on. 

And I also don’t do well with fancy, or come to think of it with cocktails since I can’t drink any more with the meds I have to take. 

But, if I had to choose, I’d probably pick the party. I’d be dressed inappropriately (probably something with loud colors and polka dots?), and sitting in the corner mostly people watching, and I’d get overwhelmed and head home early, but still. 

9. Recommend a television series.

oohhhoooomygods just ONE?

I’ve rec’d this one many times, but since it just came back for season two last night (I haven’t watched the ep yet - it’s next on my list), I’m gonna recommend Imposters to you all again.

Imposters is a lil show with a small but dedicated fandom on Bravo. 

It stars Inbar Lavi (Prison Break, The Last Ship) as a con woman and Rob Heaps (Home Fires, And Then There Were None), Parker Young (Arrow, Suburgatory), and  Marianne Rendón (Mapplethorpe) as three of the people who she has swindled. Additionally, Brian Benben (Private Practice, Dream On), Stephen Bishop (Being Mary Jane), Chastity Dotson (Pitch, Veronica Mars), and Denise Dowd (Secrets and Lies, Beverly Hills 90210) star. 

The story of season one is that these three scorned exes find one another and begin a quest to find the woman they all alternately view as their loving spouse and the cruel con who stole everything from them. Along the way, they learn some cons of their own, gain back some of their confidence, and of course discover the power of friendship. 

There are many twists and turns along the way which I won’t spoil for anyone who wants to watch season 1 for themselves, but it involves cons within cons within cons and unlikely teammates. 

Also - Uma Thurman as a hitwoman.

As the finale of season one had our three scorned exes riding off together into the sunset, I am very excited to see where season two leads us. Seriously, you have to watch this show. 

[But if I may very quickly rec some of my other underwatched faves: 12 Monkeys, Colony, Counterpart, Ghosted, Insecure, Kevin (Probably) Saves the World, Madam Secretary, People of Earth, Scream, Speechless, Timeless, UnREAL,You’re the Worst - ask me about my underwatched faves plz.]

10. Do you have any phobias?

Boy howdy, do I! I have OCD, which often comes with phobias as part of the anxiety which leads to some of the obsessive compulsions. [FELLOW PHOBES MIGHT WANNA SKIP THIS PART - PLEASE TAKE CARE OF YOURSELVES.]

I have a slight germ phobia which I mostly don’t go deep into because I don’t have the energy to do what I’d need to do to feel better about it so I just make myself not-think about it really hard, but the underlying anxiety is Still There. 

This is especially true of what I call “poop germs” - which is anything that has ever been inside of a bathroom ever. This makes, you know, having to use bathrooms very upsetting and problematic for me, so again, I deploy my aggressive pretending it’s not there as much as I can, but poop germs can cause me to break down into tears on a bad day. Fun times!

I’m also an emetophobe, which means I’m terrified of throwing up - a fun little phobia to have when you have constant low-grade nausea which occasionally flares up to higher-grade, lemme tell ya.

Another biggie is infestation of any kind - so any kind of insect or small animal that comes into my home. Like, I am absolutely fine seeing these critters outside where they belong - I might even oooh and aaah. But the second I see one INSIDE - I’m screaming bloody murder and waking up the entire apartment complex. 

I’ve worked real hard at being less scared of the harmless single bugs that enter a home, especially the kind that EAT other bugs - so for example I am perfectly fine with spiders (being obsessed with Charlotte’s Web as a kid helps), and even centipedes after the initial screaming over how creepy they look is done. And I’ve gotten where I look insects up on websites that identify bugs and talk about them in positive/scientific ways and have stopped panicking about certain bugs and their larvae now as I can tell which ones are and aren’t actually harmful or prone to infestation. BUT. I’m still prolly gonna scream when I initially see them because eaauughhss. 

Those are the main ones, but the fun thing about OCD is that new ones develop all the time if you don’t stay vigilant about letting those obsessive thoughts do their thang, so I try real hard to ignore those news segments and articles about bringing black lights into hotel rooms and about all of the horrible ways people are committing violent crimes these days and other terrifying and/or gross things that might creep their ways into my fear center. 

11. What’s your rarest rarepair?

Oh, good question. I don’t tend to have rarepairs because the way I fandom is deep immersion into canon and not necessarily delving into fanon/fanfic. So even my non-canon ships tend to be ones that the canon itself at least played with a little bit or that the fandom-at-large has talked about enough that I start to see it. lol

I’m having trouble even thinking about a ship I have that could be classified as rare? It would probably be something involving Spike because I ship that fool with pretty much everyone he’s ever shared screentime with because he is just so yummy, and because Marsters was just really good about getting his character to bring interesting things out of whatever characters he was interacting with, and because he’s clearly so omnisexual that he just oozes chemistry with everyone he meets, but like. I’m also definitely not the only one who sees all that about him and also is shipping him left right and center. So. I’ll just toss out Spike/Harmony because I’ve never heard of anyone else who actually liked them together ha!

Phew! That was fun. I hope all of you all who I end up tagging have as much fun with my questions (and if not, feel free to use some of pixie’s).

My questions:

What is your #mood rn?

Tell me the sweetest childhood memory you can think of.

Favorite mythological/fantastical animal/creature.

What is your favorite mode of storytelling - for example, books, movies, TV shows, graphic novels, video games, etc. - and why do you think that’s your fave form?

Star Trek, Star Wars, or Starlord? (this is not a serious question and you may feel free to expound upon all three if you wish)

Favorite type of geographical location to visit, and is it different from where you prefer to live?

Name a character that you love, but who you would probably hate in real life.

Reboots, renewals, and revivals. Are they ruining your childhood or do you love ‘em?

Tell me about your favorite cookie (or other sweet if you don’t care for cookies).

If there is one thing people could just atomatically know about you upon meeting you that would make socializing with you better or easier, what would it be?

A lot of stories based on comics posit the theory that eventually humanity will evolve into at least some humans developing super powers. Suppose this started happening today - what would the results be, do you think?

Tagging:

(and of course, please consider yourself tagged if you wanna do this - I’d tag all of you if I could but I try and just pick folks I think enjoy doing these. if I’m ever wrong - please feel free and ignore the tag. additionally - please remember to tag ME so I can see your responses! also, feel free to re-tag me in this one since the questions differ and you all know how much I love to talk about myself.)

@absolutelyiris, @dianebluegreen, @c-l-ford, @theawkwardterrier, @the-invisible-queer, @brokenyellowcrayons, @knitmeapony, @fatherjerusalem, @swordsandparasols, @dmphelps, @nightlocktime

[deusmodum]

RULES.  Repost, do not reblog !  Tag 10 !  Good  luck ! Tagged by: @fatherofmachine​ Tagging: if you’d like to do this, go for it.

BASICS.

FULL  NAME : Samantha Groves. ( do not. ) / Root. NICKNAME/S : Cuckoo's Nest, Superpowered Nutball, CocoaPuffs, Nutter Butter, Nutella, Banana Nut Crunch, Princess, Eeyore AGE :  24-39, default around 35 BIRTHDAY : May 27th 1978 ETHNIC  GROUP :  Caucasian / white. NATIONALITY :  American. LANGUAGE/S : English, French, Japanese, Morse Code, American Sign Language SEXUAL  ORIENTATION :  Prefers femininity. ROMANTIC  ORIENTATION :   Prefers femininity. RELATIONSHIP  STATUS :  Verse dependent. Usually dating Sameen Shaw and/or The Machine. CLASS :  Middle Class. HOME TOWN / AREA :  Bishop, Texas CURRENT  HOME :   New York City, United States. PROFESSION : Hacker, Assassin, Analog Interface. ( Verse Dependent )

PHYSICAL.

HAIR : Dark Brown. Strands of grey at her forehead in later verses. EYES : Brown; wide NOSE :  Unusually long, slightly point FACE : Rounded, grows more angular as she ages; develops laugh lines and stress lines between her eyebrows LIPS : Thin, fuller lower lip COMPLEXION : Very pale. BLEMISHES :  Fairly free of blemishes, slight dusting of freckles. SCARS : Various scars littering her body from her time before and after working for the machine. Most notably three or four bullet wounds and grazes across her shoulder, a deep gouged scar behind her right ear where a cochlear implant is also attached, ( and for post-season five ) two large bullet hole scars from a through and through of a sniper bullet in her lower stomach and back, and a large trauma surgery scar from her belly button to her chest. TATTOOS :  None. PIERCINGS:  None. HEIGHT :  5 ft 8 in ( 172 cm ). WEIGHT : unknown. BUILD : Very gangly / lanky. Can look ungraceful and awkward at times. FEATURES :  Above. ALLERGIES :  Unknown. USUAL  HAIR  STYLE : Wavy and shoulder length. USUAL  FACE  LOOK :  

Tends to have a slight smirk more often than not. Blank faces usually mean her lips are parted and slightly showing her upper teeth. USUAL  CLOTHING : Skinny jeans, leather jackets, and various dark colors. Mostly blacks and reds.

PSYCHOLOGY.

FEAR/S :  Severe phobia of needles and sedation, thunderstorms make her jumpy, and she has a moderate phobia of mental hospitals, and being locked away.  ASPIRATION/S : Freedom of information and The Machine, to be able to keep those she cares about safe, eventually protecting humanity by way of finding a way to care about the individual person even though she despises humanity as a whole. POSITIVE  TRAITS :   Confident in her talents however dangerous they may be to others; extremely high intellect; loyal and faithful to those she believes in; protective to a fault of those she cares about; can grapple and understand difficult concepts and tasks with ease; passionate and assertive NEGATIVE  TRAITS : Can be hypocritical when it comes to her actions and beliefs; extremely stubborn; doesn't value her own life and will often use it as a bargaining tool; paranoid; appears to have delusions of grandeur or heightened self-importance ( e.g., her chosen name ); impulsive ZODIAC :  Gemini. TEMPERAMENT : Prone to extreme emotions, especially rage. SOUL  TYPE / S : I.. suppose I’d say Artisan. ANIMALS : Cats and foxes. VICE  HABIT/S : Not caring about herself as much as she should. FAITH : Polytheistic with a focus on Artifical Super Intelligences as higher beings, rather than the higher beings of myth / legend GHOSTS ? :  Doesn’t believe. AFTERLIFE ? : Doesn’t believe. REINCARNATION ? : Doesn’t care. ALIENS ? :  Yes. POLITICAL  ALIGNMENT :  ..honestly, she doesn’t care.  ECONOMIC  PREFERENCE : again, doesn’t care. SOCIOPOLITICAL  POSITION :  again. EDUCATION  LEVEL : high school, never attended college. ( certain verses. )

FAMILY.

FATHER : Unknown. MOTHER : Unnamed mother. SIBLINGS : Only child. EXTENDED  FAMILY : Unknown. NAME  MEANING/S : “root is the user name or account that by default has access to all commands and files on a Linux or other Unix-like operating system. It is also referred to as the root account, root user and the superuser.” HISTORICAL  CONNECTION ? :  … ?? ( leaving foa’s answer bc same. )

FAVOURITES.

DEITY : The Machine. MONTH : October. SEASON : Winter, fuck aches and pains. ( tho, really, she hates them so much. ) PLACE :  The subway, as much as she was adverse to it in the beginning. The low hum of electricity and computer fans ( PS3s really ) helps her sleep. WEATHER :  Cool, but not freezing. SOUND : The sound of disjointed voices filtering through a cochlear implant. SCENT/S : New leather, gunpowder, sharp scents. TASTE/S :  Likes a mix of bitter and sweet, like a really dark roast coffee with caramel and vanilla. FEEL/S :  That overheated feeling you get when sitting in a stifling room with a bunch of electronics running at once. She absolutely loves it. ANIMAL/S :  Cats and foxes. NUMBER :  050313 COLOUR :  Neon blue.

EXTRA.

TALENTS :  Video games, marksmanship, hand to hand combat, high tolerance for pain, social engineering, hacking and writing viruses ( all sorts, though i believe her specialty would be worms and honey pots ), counter surveillance, and manipulating. BAD  AT :  Empathy, valuing human life, seeing the good in others. TURN  ONS :  intelligence, gentle ( almost a whisper ) touching, hair tugging, showing that they care rather than telling, going out of their way to make sure she’s safe, smiles. TURN  OFFS : Ignorance, bigotry, treating others like objects. HOBBIES : enjoys playing video games n her downtime; likes a variety of different types of indie music; though not a collector, she does have various types of laptop computers and wiring strewn about; played the piano when she was younger and enjoys watching others play now; drives a black 2013 yamaha yzf-r6 TROPES :  There are SO MANY. ( i don’t necessarily agree with some of them, but there they are. ) AESTHETIC  TAGS :   glitching and flickering computer screens; system fonts; faded neon blue; a mess of wires and machinery; blood stained clothes and skin; grinning with blood smeared over lips and teeth; hard edges and angles; rain pattering on glass

FC INFO.

MAIN  FC/S : Amy Acker ALT  FC/S :  N/A OLDER  FC/S :  Amy Acker. YOUNGER  FC/S :  Alicia Vikander. VOICE  CLAIM/S : Amy Acker. ( Here is a link if you’re curious. This is also one of my favorite speeches of hers. )