#what is a zero waste lifestyle

[compost-intraining]

Okay listen I’m all for people doing their part to be more environmentally conscious but one thing I really wish was talked about more is how ableist vegan and zero waste communities can be.

A lot of disabled people NEED single use plastic straws. A lot of disabled people NEED precut, packaged vegetables. Same with veganism. I have severe anemia to the point where I have to get iron infusions because my body doesn’t absorb it properly. I tried being vegan but it was not sustainable for me because it made my health issues a lot worse. Veganism is not possible for a lot of people.

And it’s not just physical disabilities either. If your depression prevents you from cooking your own food, go ahead and get the pre made meals. Doing what you can to make things more accessible to you does not make you a bad person. This is not even getting into the financial privileges needed to have an “eco friendly” lifestyle.

If you’re zero waste or vegan that’s great, I’m happy for you but please do not try and push other people to do the same. No one owes you an explanation on why that lifestyle isn’t for them, and no one is a bad person for having a different lifestyle than you.

[being-addie]

The Glow Up Game

Part One: Pretty on the Outside

A comprehensive guide to getting your shit together. You heard me. We are done standing on the sidelines, looking at people living their dream lives being rich and hot and happy. WE'RE DONE.

This is a long guide, filled with pointers covering EVERYTHING regarding physical glow-ups. I'll be editing it and reblogging it whenever I come across new ideas and information. It covers everything from head to toe. I mean this literally.

Note: This is for people who want to do glow up physically. It is totally your choice to do anything you want to/don't want to on this list. We live in a world full of unfair beauty standards, and instead of being angry about it, I'm going to exploit the hell out of it.

Are you ready to change yourself? Here we go.

The absolute basics: These are lifestyle changes you're going to implement. Non-negotiable.

Go exercise: Don't look at me like that. This isn't optional. Find a way to move your body so you like it and you're actually breaking a sweat. Leisurely walking on the treadmill does not count, half-hearted zumba does not count. Whatever you're doing, it has to make you SWEAT. A good figure is earned. Trust me when I say you'll feel better, and like what you see in the mirror.

Change your diet: Enough sugar. Toss the soda out, and chuck out your candy stash. You really don't need it. Craving something sweet? Make a batch of healthy, homemade dessert. Or have a piece of fruit. I'm not kidding when I say the kitchen is where you make the biggest lifestyle change. It will be HARD, but every McChicken you say no to, is good for your HEALTH. You want to live longer? Cut out the takeout and heavily processed foods.

Fix your sleep cycle: Sleep is so important, and I think people overlook it so much. All your hard work is wasted if you don't sleep well. Your skin will break out, and your body will refuse to change even if you exercise. SLEEP WELL. Create a nighttime routine and stick to it. Make sure you have at least 7 hours of sleep as a minimum.

Create a skincare routine: Take off your makeup every day. And have a good skincare routine. Cleanse, moisturize and apply whatever you usually do. Exfoliate twice a week and stop touching your face. I also drink an ABC smoothie (Apple+Beetroot+Carrot+Water). This does wonders.

Use sunscreen: I cannot stress this enough. Skin cancer is real, and it will get you if you don't wear sunscreen. Use something higher than SPF 50 and use it religiously. Make sure to get your earlobes, chest and back of your neck. Cover every inch of your skin that will be exposed to the sun.

Drink your water: 3 litres of water per day. You will be amazed at the results. Your skin will clear, your breath won't stink and you won't be dehydrated. This shit works, and there's a reason everyone recommends it. Drink your water.

Moving on to each itty-bitty detail.

Eyes: SLEEP. You want your eyes to look fresh? No pesky dark circles? Get your sleep cycle right. No more late nights. Hot girls sleep on time.

Nose: Those blackhead-looking things are natural, they're called sebaceous filaments. And, no you can't get rid of them. But you can minimize them. Cleanse, moisturize and exfoliate. Don't pick at your skin.

Lips: Don't bite them anymore, for God's sake. You're going to make sure they're chapped beyond belief. Use lip balm religiously and don't overuse lipstick. Your lips WILL get discoloured when you're older. Use a light lip tint, and lip balm/gloss.

Eyebrows: If you want to shape them, go to the hairdresser and get it done.

Facial hair: As someone with naturally dark, thick hair I have a lot of noticeable facial hair. I'm planning on getting it lasered soon. Find a way that works for you and is affordable.

Body hair: I have zero self-consciousness about my arm and leg hair, so I have no desire to shave or wax it. I do wax my underarms, because of ridiculously thick growth. Understand that this is a personal choice, and you do not have to do this if you're unwilling.

Nails: Keep them short or long, always filed and CLEAN. Do not let grime or dirt build-up underneath. Don't keep your nails painted 24/7, it will 100% lead to yellowing. Give your nails some time to breathe between every manicure. When they aren't painted, keep them filed and presentable.

Hair: I have Type 3a curly hair, so my hair routine is tailored to suit me. But what I can tell you is wash your hair at least 1x a week, use sun protectant, and oil your hair before wash day(it works). And use heat on your hair SPARINGLY. If you want to colour you can, but remember it does lead to long term damage, brittleness and bad texture. Get your hair cut every 3-4 months with a trusted hairdresser. Keep switching up hairstyles and do not stick to a single part (middle part, side part) constantly because it can lead to thinning of hair there.

Acne: STOP TOUCHING YOUR FACE I am begging you. Touching your face with grimy hands is a recipe for acne. Cleanse everyday, moisturize heavily and go to a dermatologist if it gets worse.

THIS LIST WILL BE UPDATED

Go live your best life. You deserve everything, and you shouldn't let anything stand in your way, not even yourself. Now GO, you've got shit to do.

xoxo

[samarecharm]

tw disordered eating (not in explicit detail)

Whenever i write Yusuke and his relationship w the thieves, i try to emphasize that Yusuke was in a really really Really bad space not only mentally (like the others) but physically; hes bone-stick thin and you can feel his ribs jutting out if you go for a hug. Hes a bit gaunt in the face and hes got next to no muscle mass. He tires easily and hes kind of a shit fighter bc of it. The metaverse fills in the gaps a little bit, but his body is still very frail and unprepared to transition to an active lifestyle after years of surviving off of such a bare bones calorie diet. For my Akira, it is the driving force behind wanting to takedown Madarame; hes a sucker for a pretty face but hes also unable to look away from someone actively wasting away because of the actions of their guardian.

If any of them try to mention Yusukes physical state or diet, he often deflects, angrily, reminding them that he is abnormally tall, and that that obviously contributes to his thin (frail) stature. Its very hard to get him to eat while theyre in saferooms, and he often lags behind while exploring the museum. He cant stay in combat for too long, and at some point, Akira debates if he should even allow Yusuke to stay on the team; if he passed out or Worse under Akiras watch, hed never forgive himself.

BUT. As the thieves gain his trust, Yusukes a bit more willing to indulge them. He learns quickly that they arent pitying him like he initially assumed (he is far too aware of how much he feels like hes neglected his own body; and how others can easily see that neglect). They routinely eat and hang together bc thats just how they bond, and theyre just trying to invite him into their circle properly. Akira has zero experience w this kind of thing, but Ryuji and Ann are athletes and models respectively; theyre both in fields that encourage that kind of self destructive behavior, and they have some kind of insight into how to avoid falling for those same traps, and helping people who Do end up in those scenarios.

(Anns parents, despite their absence, do their best to prepare her for how cutthroat the modeling world is; to keep her from developing the kind of habits and mindsets that let young men and women destroy themselves. ESPECIALLY bc my Ann is a plus sized model. And Ryuji, as a promising track star, would know how bad it can get for professional athletes, the lengths at which theyd go to maintain their positions and ability to compete. Hes a gym rat who loves food and nutrition and knows what he needs to keep himself fit, and thats all he really needs)

They cant feed Yusuke the way they WANT to bc hes already so thin, so they just let him take from their plates to sample things and let him feel included. He starts taking up Ryujis offers to go get meals together, even is Ryuji ends up taking almost an entire extra serving home as takeout. He lets Ann drag him away to the crepe shop and her other little snack havens, even if he only leaves w a small chocolate of sorts to take home. He lets Akira make coffee and curry for them to split when he comes to Leblanc. And maybe he lets Sojiro cook a full plate for him to take back home to eat at his leisure and away from prying eyes. Yusuke goes from bitter to extraordinarily fond rather quick, and he finds himself angry that this is yet another thing Madarame has stolen from him.

By Futabas palace, hes filled out enough that Akira doesnt immediately panic when Yusuke gets tossed onto the floor by some brute of a shadow, worried that hed shattered every goddamn bone in his body on impact. He doesnt have any real muscle by any means but his face has the faintest bit of cheek fat that Ann is able to pinch w her evil little hands, and when he looks in the mirror, the ribs peek out but they dont jut out. His breathing is better, his skin is just Pale and not Ghostly white, hes got a healthy flush when he laughs at Akiras stupid puns, and he finds himself allocating a bit more of his budget towards stocking his fridge. Sometimes, Akira can even convince him to people-watch out in the sun instead of in the subway tunnels.

At some point, Yusuke becomes very vocal about things he wants, but importantly, about Food he wants. He will eagerly allow his friends to treat him if they ask, and he picks whatever sounds nice to his ears or whatever Ann and Ryuji recommend him. Part of it is due to him feeling safe enough to ask for such things; the thieves kinda laugh about his eccentricity and forwardness, but Akira, Ann and Ryuji know how different and comfortable this Yusuke is compared to the one they met. Its silly but its good; he gets to act like this bc the thieves let him be forward- they let him voice his wants and needs without a fight.

By post game, hes got the barest hint of a tummy pouch, and Ann will attack it relentless with a firm poke whenever hes foolish enough to stretch and lift his shirt to expose it. She thinks its cute 😭 Shes really happy to see it, bc she thinks of Yusuke all skin and bones and angry and scared like a feral dog barking mad, lashing out at any help they offered and working himself sick (figuratively and literally) trying to help make things right. It makes her so sad recalling it, so she likes to remind herself that hes okay now, even if hes a little embarrassed by it. She knows Akira and Ryuji do the same, inviting Yusuke to hang and just see him w their Own eyes that hes better, and that they did the right thing by insisting he join their little ragtag group.

[storiesbyjes2g]

3.73 Solidarity

Dub sent Maia a text, presumably asking if they had dinner plans, or maybe asking how much time they had before boarding the train. He said he was cool to hang, so I told him the restaurant had a strict dress code and I was going to pop over to Dad's house to shower and change. But after the words left my mouth, I realized I didn't know where Dub came from or how long it would take him to get there, so I invited him to come and freshen up if he wanted to. He looked kind of relieved. Did he think I'd leave him or something? Weird.

He looked around and grinned, seemingly impressed with the restaurant, which pleased me because I got at least two aspects of the tour right. Once we were seated, I channeled my mother and wasted zero time getting to the bottom of his relationship status.

"So...this Maia...are you two..."

He may have rolled his eyes, but he never stopped grinning.

"I knew you were going to ask!"

"I mean, you only brought her up 87 times. How could I not?"

"Ha ha," he said, flatly. "Anyway... I don't know, man. I mean, I can see us together for sure, but she dropped something heavy on me today."

"Ouch."

I don't know why, but I remembered Yasmine telling me about her open relationship lifestyle. I was so put off by it, not because I wanted a relationship with her, but I thought we were going to have fun for a little while. Knowing that made me want to hang with her a lot less. Hopefully Maia's news was nowhere close to what Yasmine told me.

"I'm sorry to hear that," I said. "Do you think you can recover and move past it?"

"I think so."

I was very glad to hear that. She sounded like a good sim.

"I like her. A lot. So what she told me shouldn't matter, but still... On top of that, there's this other girl from back home. She popped up on my Social Bunny today and is now on my mind again. But she's off limits, so...I don't know. I'm sorry, dude, I'm rambling. I didn't mean to drop all this on you. I don't have anyone to talk about this with. Anyway, how about? Do you have a girlfriend?"

I felt for him because he reminded me so much of myself. Why couldn't life ever be simple?

"You're good, man. Seriously. I actually don't have any men in my life to talk to either—except my dad. I've enjoyed your company today."

He nodded. A half smile spelled his relief.

"But yeah, I have a girlfriend. Actually, I've been thinking about...well, that's why I was out here today. I've had a lot on my mind too, and I thought a walk around the lake would help."

"How long have you two been together?"

"Officially? Since early winter, but...well...long story."

He chuckled.

"Complicated, huh? I'm very familiar with that."

"What about you? How long have you known Maia?"

"Sometimes it seems like I've always known her, but it's been like a week. Weird, right? My dad once told me that's what it feels like when you're in love. But how can I love someone I've only just met? My parents have an incredible marriage, so I know he knows what he's talking about, but it's crazy."

Gosh, he sounded just like me a week or so ago. At least he could get all of this figured out early in life. At halfway through my young adult stage, I felt like I wasted a lot of time being confused and scared, and I was glad to see him asking these questions and searching for answers.

"It is crazy, but you are not crazy," I said. "I know exactly what you mean because I felt the same way when I first started talking to Sophia. I didn't understand it until recently, but I think your dad is 1000% correct."

"So that's her name. I was wondering. What's on your mind that's got you walking lakes in the middle of the day? Unless that's too personal..."

"No, it's cool. We've had a lot of serious conversations about the future lately, and I think maybe it's time things stopped being hypothetical...if you know what I mean."

"I think I do."

"Yeah... Big movies, man."

He nods in agreement.

"Big moves."

Wade Banks by @mysimsloveaffair

[kremlin]

it really is alarming how bizzare and erratic and nonsensical my behaviors and actions have become and how much of a complete weirdo i am, not in a fun quirky way nor a dangerous and mentally ill way, it is certainly negative and probably a symptom of much more pedestrian but nonetheless very serious problems like a lifelong hardcore drug addiction and lifestyle that would make a doctors eyes pop out of his skull. i haven’t exactly been to a statistically significant number of psychotherapists to make a sample size but certainly a good amount of them, the more straightforward ones have admitted they do not know which direction to go anymore and all of them licensed to write prescriptions have stated that my issues are not something medication is suitable or feasible to address. when i wrote that post a few weeks ago about how my life has been a failure despite zero hardship and every possible advantage, i don’t think i made it clear that this isn’t upsetting from a “boo hoo i am sad” perspective but a “i could have absolutely and meaningfully contributed to society with my skills but i didn’t”. those words i wrote were absolutely true and after re-read and consideration things might be even fucking darker, the only fucking thing i want anymore, more than i’ve wanted anything in my entire life, is my own family and it’ll never happen for categories of reasons, you can’t be a deadbeat junkie and expect to have a healthy family, you cannot treat people the way i treat people and expect them to just put up with it forever, you cannot expect to meet women that are going to love you and want to start a family being in the shape i am and *certainly* not women that are able to have kids and still roughly around my age. it would be frankly a seriously unethical move to waste their time frankly because even a basic relationship probably won’t work out.

i’ve never in my life been as social and outgoing and fun as i am right now, never been closer to my parents and extended family, and never felt this lonely by a mile, even when i was in school and would go months without a meaningful non-coursework non-job-related interaction with someone.

it’s so fucking frightening and i am so sick of being this miserable and i don’t know what the fuck to do about it and the closer i look the blurrier it gets. this is a new thing in my life, i’ve never really even been upset for longer than 3 days. i think before this last year. i don’t know if what happened last autumn just completely broke me or the camels back. and please for the love of god do not think for a moment i am about to do the things usually suspected of people who say things like i am saying because i am not and feel embarrassed that i have to write that.

[ruthlesslistener]

do you have any headcanons for anything you've been holding onto, but haven't had a good chance to post about? I love your fics and I wanna peer into your mind palace

Shhdhchs EXCELLENT bc ive had a lot of thoughts but this quarter + anxiety in general has been killin me

-Okay so I'm still hyperfixated on Destiny 2 bc of a DnDestiny game I'm in, but since Hollow Knight is a special interest and I read a couple of frankly stunning crossover fics (one with the Inheritance Cycle, one with Transformers, both are outstanding and I will recc them wholeheartedly if you ask- the TF one especially blew my tits clean off which is saying something bc I have zero TF knowledge, also its 500k words but I'm rambling), my brain has been essentially locked into the concept of a crossover AU where a couple of my D2 OCs get slingshot into the HK world via a fucked-up warpgate through wish-dragon magic, and it's now got me kind of obsessed with the idea of the world of Hollow Knight taking place on an alien planet that had some convergent evolution re: general insect body plans, but went off the fuckin' rails with everything else. So here's some worldbuilding thoughts on that:

-Their planet would be far from Earth and the origin place of the Ahamkara and precursor race to the Worm Gods, who are distant relatives to each other that took to the stars to opportunistically feed off of rifts in reality. They are in turn sister taxa to the Wyrms and Higher Beings from Hollow Knight, who also feed off of the wants, desires, and gulf between what-is-desired-and-what-is-true, but unlike the worms and wish-dragons, the Higher Beings are essentially 'settled' species. They're the farming civilization to the hunter-gatherers of their Destiny-based kindred, and yes, both branches of the family tree fucking despise each other and look down scornfully on the other's lifestyle. The Higher Beings view the Worms and Ahamkara as little more than scavengers, while the Worms and Ahamkara see the Higher Beings as glorified slavedrivers with sticks up their asses- though it should be noted that since the Ahamkara's whole deal so far has been malignant trickery as a hunting style, this doesn't neccessarily carry the same negative connotations that it would in our society. I also don't know enough about the proto-Worms to say how their race would react, but the Worm Gods as they are now certainly are something that Wyrms would look down on

-(Yes that means I have thought extensively about the Pale King's ghost bristling aggressively at a baby ahamkara barely a few hours old. In my defense, it's funny, and also I almost never remember to write him as the cold, prickly, arrogant ass that he is bc his kids make him Big Sad)

-The planet would likely be smaller than Earth with lighter gravity, though how much smaller I can't say because I'm not a fuckin' physicist. I just want an excuse for making fuckoff-huge animals a thing even beyond the inherent space magic thing going on

-Oh, and most life is underground because the atmosphere is thinner than Earth and so the upper surface gets bombarded with deadly amounts of radiation, which causes the mind-wiping effects of the Wastes (where the angle towards their sun is the greatest and thus the strongest). Ngl I did briefly think about potential magnetic field fluxes also being the cause of that effect but like, I cannot overstate how little I know of things outside biology

-HK being set on an alien planet lets me do wack shit with the species there too bc I'm no longer bound by comparing them to Earthbound species. For example, I can make Quirrel an isopod with cricket legs. Who's going to stop me, God? He doesn't exist here

-That also means I can stop being bothered by Herrah's dubious leg placement bc it would kill me forever otherwise

-Also, them being on an alien planet gives me even more of an excuse to never put traditional vertebrate species in there, which is great. I've said it before, but putting Earth vertebrates in the HK setting totally ruins all the fun for me because I love the concept of all the species diversity being made up of invertebrates, and that the 'advanced' bugs we see have filled the niche that vertebrates would have otherwise taken over. Like the carboniferous period but on steroids

General HK thoughts too:

-been toying with the idea of wyrms having a set of evertable inner jaws like polychaete worms, which would be used for keeping dirt out of the mouth and biting off chunks to eat, while the outer jaws (the ones we see) are used for killing, digging, and sparring with other wyrms. The idea is that the outer ring of mandibles bites big circular chunks out of the substrate, which then breaks off into tiny pieces they filter out in between gaps in their mandibles and pack down into tunnel walls as they move forward

-I've also been toying with the idea of them secreting some kind of mucus as they dig that's almost a calcifying substance, but now that I think about it, I can probs just put those glands in their frontal mouth so if they need to reinforce a tunnel (like, say, one burrowed in sand instead of rock), they can mix their saliva in with the substrate to chemically solidify the tunnel walls

-Which btw is a major thing for ecosystems bc the tunnels are used for lots of different things by lots of different species. Wyrms are terraformers baybee!! Kinda the same way wildfires are, but still

-I've also been thinking about maybe making it so that the row of plates I like to draw on their backs act as a secondary pair of belly scutes, which means that wyrms can slither just as easily upside down as they can on their undersides, which helps underground. It's not as efficient as the super-smooth scales on a blind snake, but that's the tradeoff they get for needing to be so heavily armoured

-I'm also leaning towards making marine/freshwater variants that are just straight-up bobbit worms on even more steroids, but since I already have fuckoff huge marine alien bobbit worms in a scifi setting of mine, I'd need to figure out a way to make them unique

-I learned that there's internalized folds of exoskeleton for muscle attatchment in my invertebrate biology course and got really excited about that being a potential basis for the formation of skeletal elements in the world of Hollow Knight- like, maybe bug bones started off as those lil folds (i forgot their technical name which is embaressing bc i literally just took the final this night) becoming stronger and deeper-set into the body to better support the weight of larger and larger bugs, and then it spiraled into a skeleton analogue from there. Being derived from the exoskeleton probably means that it would be less strong than our bones, but it would likely also be lighter

Misc:

-God I really need to write Hornet in Silksong so bad. Fuck. I need need need to write this mildly autistic unsocialized princess running amok in a civilization that isn't ready for her. Also my interpretation of Lace is basically an oc at this point but I don't want to do anything with her just yet bc that shits a lot of work, I just need to write everything down for her so far (and tbh Lurien probs also counts at this point but thats more filling a niche that TC left unfufilled)

-I've also got gijinka thoughts in that I'm leaning towards making Lurien a trans guy who didn't have any gender-affirming surgeries bc a.) I love love love making a variety of trans characters and b.) Hallownest isn't a society where the concept of being transgender is an issue, so there's no need to do it to pass, only to prioritize your own comfort. And since Lurien never expected to be seen in anything but his formalware, he never saw the point of bothering

-(The aformentioned point also applies to normal bug Lurien but this is more of a personal thing here)

-Need to focus more on how the latent magic of the god of a realm changes your eye colour, with the more intense the shade = the more involved you are with their magic. Using Lurien as an example again: his eyes were brown naturally, but after he became Watcher, they slowly shifted to shades of paler and paler blue. I also like the idea of Quirrel's eyes getting more blue the more memories of Hallownest he unlocks, until they're the same shade as the Blue Lake in his final scene

-This can also happen in reverse; for example, my Lace gijinka starts off with gold eyes to signify the church of Pharloom's hold over her, but then slowly revert back to brown as Hornet gives her more and more hope that the institution can be toppled, until they're eventually their natural deep brown with just the faintest flecks of silver in them (signifying Hornet's importance in her life)

-It just occurred to me the other day when I was at work that Striga and Morgana from Castlevania S3 are almost exactly how I imagined my Vespa and Herrah gijinkas to be and now I can't stop thinking about it. The main difference is that my Herrah is a fat spider-orc with tats and Vespa is a fae queen with bee features shimmering through her human veil, but still. Its uncanny

[sustainablyfashionable]

Underconsumption core trend

On TikTok lately there is a fashion/lifestyle trend going on, the underconsumption trend.

The main types of underconsumption are:

• The Zero Waste Underconsumption Core: Vintage, thrift store, zero waste stores, buy in bulk, local grocery shopping, gardening and sewing.

• The Fashion Brand/Thrift Underconsumption Core: Thrift stores, buy from big shopping brands (few quality pieces), local grocery shopping.

• The Luxurious Underconsumption Core: Buy luxury items (few every year), thrift shopping, zero waste stores, cooking at home, vegan or cruelty-free makeup.

• The Cottage Underconsumption Core: Vintage shopping, buy from the market, local grocery shopping, home making things, cooking mainly at home, crafts.

My opinion choose to do whatever suits you the best. You do not have to get rid of everything or buy new things from a zero waste store and give €500.00 on sustainable fashion brands. First use what you have, open your closet and make three piles. On one side place the clothes you wear, the other one the clothes you love but you are going to wear for sure on a special day and on the other side choose which clothes you haven't worn in years. Do that with shoes, bags, accessories and makeup. The next thing check the makeup and skincare products you buy. Are they safe or are they carcinogenic. You do not need two aprons, you only need one. Stop buying plastic taperware, switch to glass.

Less is more

[twelvegrimmyplace]

Nick Grimshaw on kindness, queerness and life lessons as a grown-up.

Gay Times Honours Issue 2023

Friendly media mogul Nick Grimshaw, aka Grimmy, has done it all. He’s introduced his parents to Lady Gaga and, recently, even had tea with Harry Styles. Now, however, the former Radio 1 DJ is getting acquainted with something else – growing up. 

Getting older, no doubt, is terrifying. Carefree late nights with mates at sticky, flooded gigs are suddenly swapped for questions revolving around major milestones: partners, career, and, of course, kids. Close friends are no longer egging you on to ditch work and hangout or checking in to see if you’ve actually drank water. Instead, you’re trying to squeeze in a meetup between deadlines, dates and an ever-growing to-do list of life admin. And Grimmy is no different. Booze-driven afterparties have morphed into nourishing Sunday roast dinners with Mesh, his fiancé. Girl dinner Quaver packets have matured to conversations – on his glitzy new foodie podcast Dish co-hosted by Michelin-star chef Angela Hartnett – with Miriam Margolyes on how she likes her mashed potatoes. 

Having the big four-zero on the radar prompted a new perspective for the presenter. What was once maligned (“I felt like growing older was the end of something or deeply depressing,” Grimshaw admits) has been, mostly, embraced. It’s less coming of age but, rather, coming to age. Still, new digits doesn’t need to mean the fun is over. In fact, just last night, Grimshaw partied late with celebs Jake Shears, Amanda Lepore, Jodie Harsh, and Mutya Buena in Soho. Here in Holborn, however, things are much more mild. Sure, there’s some tasteful framed nude art to our right and Queen’s ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ crackling over studio speakers but nothing beats a good old-fashioned launch party, or a karaoke b-day bash taking place later this evening in central London. 

Nursing a non-alcoholic beer, Grimshaw scoots across a black leather couch, arriving fresh from a photoshoot, something he describes as his “Naomi Campbell moment”. Comfortably clothed in a light-wash denim shirt and distressed jeans, he kicks off the conversation as if reuniting with an old friend. “I've never taken stock before. I'd never sat down and thought about myself, ever, and I don't think people do,” he says. Since his early twenties, Grimshaw’s image has been inextricably tied to two things: big names and his infamous towering quiff haircut. At some point, he acknowledges, you will have heard his quick-fire Mancunian comedy soundtracking your early mornings. Whether he was making jokes with Taylor Swift or having the early hours crashed by Charli XCX, the presenter became a known face at the Beeb. In his autobiographical book, Soft Lad, Grimshaw reminisces on the pull the small screen had on him as a young child. Armed with a love for glamour and theatrics, the events he saw on the telly called to a younger Grimshaw who dreamed of moving out of Manchester to take on London. 

Onboarding, in 2012, at Radio 1 to cover The Breakfast Show was something the podcaster remembers clearly; “There was a lot of pressure”. His days of spinning songs and connecting with artists over music became more than a vocation, but a specialism. While he does admit, sheepishly, that there were days his hangover ran over into work hours, he’s since taken time to reassess his habits and lifestyle. “When I was 23 I was getting absolutely wasted and doing it like a Geordie Shore night out,” he says. Now, Grimshaw is more conscious of being selectively sober in certain environments. “It can be really hard to go out and connect with people who are drunk and you're not drinking. But, sometimes, you have the best nights ever. I went out last night and went to a really fun party up until 1.30 am and had really good chats with loads of people.” He’s taking stock of the bigger moments around him, particularly ones that bring him closer to friends and family – “It's about learning. It's about growth,” he says earnestly. 

At 39, Grimshaw’s longevity has something to do with his candour and bonhomie. The most common compliment doled out about the presenter is his warmth. As a child, he recalls, the label “soft lad” was stuck to him, presenting his sensitivity as something to be ashamed of. But, years later, it’s become something – like his favourite Maison Margiela knit sweaters – that he wears openly. “At school, I always felt on edge that I was going to get beaten up or laughed at. When you've had that, you learn empathy and you think about how people might feel or what they're going through,” he explains. 

Realisng he was gay, as a child, filled Grimshaw with dread as he feared what it would mean. With limited queer culture references growing up (just Elton John and Lily Savage) his feelings were fully realised, aged 11, when he developed a crush on a poster of England footballer David Beckham pinned up on his bedroom wall. “You know what’s funny, not that I’m doing Miriam Margolyes press, but I saw her yesterday. I'd never met her and I went into her dressing room. Before I could say hello, she pointed and exclaimed: ‘You’re gay!’ and continued with ‘So, my dear, nice to meet you.’ As I got into bed last night, I thought about how that would’ve killed me if I was a teenager, but it was a really lovely bonding moment.” 

Though being a presenter and DJ took up most of Grimshaw’s early adolescent years, his move to writing has allowed him the space to trawl through his past years without expectation. From reassessing his comfort with queerness to realising the strength found in the LGBTQIA+ community outside of his town in Greater Manchester, Grimshaw is grateful for the relationships he’s built with those around him. “I learn constantly from the queer community. It’s that notion of being yourself and leaning into yourself which can be hard to do if you're queer, especially if you've had that knocked out of you when you're a kid,” he says. “The community are essential in helping everyone, and me, support one another.”

Soft Lad and Dish capture different versions of Grimshaw; the quirky characteristics of a presenter that couldn’t surface in a music hotbed. In his new roles, the presenter-meets-podcaster chats to hot-shot talent while unravelling stories centred around food, famous friends and frenzied stories. His book is an homage to his parents (“I realised how important they were shaping me – I love them contractually, but also really love them) and to his English and Irish roots. Bookended between stories of queer curiosity and his loathing for football, tales of community and camaraderie at Radio 1 surface. “I loved it when we had a great guest from the queer community. I had great times with Sam Smith, they would be a riot and would really gossip with us when the records were on and tell us stories that we couldn't have on the radio. Troye Sivan was a great time as well,” he recalls. 

Another memorable moment was his run-in with an early-era Lady Gaga, in Notting Hill, before she became Mother Monster as we now know her. “I did my first interview with Gaga years ago, for the telly, and it was when she was brand new. ‘Just Dance’ had just come out in America and she was making a bra out of gaffer tape on a dressing room floor,” he says, laughing. “I brought mum and dad along because they were in town so they met her right at the beginning of her career. Ever since then, whenever she'd come onto the radio show, she’d ask about my mum and dad.”

Grimshaw’s stories of famous crossovers are, understandably, endless – even if they’re ones he’s told plenty of times before. Up until recently, he’s remained embroiled in an ecosystem of music promoting a “product�� but, now, he feels like his new projects allow for authentic conversations about people and their interests. His mantra, nowadays, is this: “Living in the full, truest form of yourself, without fear and judgement.” For a young Grimshaw, this unbridled queer joy took the form of “glamorous” drag shows where he dressed up as Cher for his family. Today, it’s about cooking in a kitchen packed with too many guests (and remembering to drink water). Turning 40, at one point, felt like a frightening due date. Now it’s a milestone Grimshaw is ready to take on.

[lowwasteorbustanut]

Just remembered an important point about the low waste community.

Don’t forget disabled people.

I am disabled, and so will never truly be 100% zero waste. My pill bottles aren’t recyclable in the everyday containers, I have to wait for a special recycle event that the county puts on.

One of my meds is a biological self injection. Obvs that goes in a sharps container to be disposed of safely. The single use alcohol wipes I have to use before injecting myself are also trash.

And I wear glasses! Which means as I wear a (washable fabric) mask, as an immunocompromised person to help protect me from covid, I need to use single use anti fog wipes.

But all of these things are necessary for my survival! I literally cannot survive without these things.

So remember to include disabled people in your talks about the zero waste lifestyle. And that some people can NEVER completely eliminate their waste, and that’s ok!

Because human life matters above all else. And there is nothing an individual can do to reverse climate change.

There need to be laws to regulate the companies that got us here. So remember to vote! And communicate with your representatives about what you want to see! And to treat people with kindness!

[ctheathy]

Yandere Lucian Abbot Headcanons

Lucian Abbot x Reader

Yandere Headcanons

Artwork and character belongs to The R.I.P

Lucian Abbot/Reader [Romantic]

[Gender-neutral Darling|Female Darling|Male Darling]

Potential ⚠️TWs⚠️ :

Bullying mention • Self-hatred • Co-dependency • Unhealthy attachment • Emotional reliance • Isolating oneself [Lucian] • Poor mental state • Self destructive thoughts and actions • Deprecating ‘jokes’/comments • Clinginess • Overprotective Behaviour • Monopolising

Right off the bat, Lucian is already one heck of a naturally unstable dude to begin with. Incredibly low self esteem and imagery, makes deprecating comments and self harm ‘jokes’ all the time. Zero remorse for his physical wellbeing, would starve himself for days to no end and practically commercial his limbs as the latest cutting boards. And he isn't exactly sweet towards those around him either. He can mainly be considered cold and distant from his peers, the average awkward teen behaviour but add in some higher self destructive thoughts and moves.

As stated in the song ‘You're an awful person’, he sincerely believes himself to affect people's days for the worse and is basically just a waste of space to society. And to prevent those interested in him from dealing with his ‘problematic’ self and mindset, he always behaves rather coldly and perhaps even snappy to those trying to speak with him. He comes off as somewhat apathetic and can be rough with other students if he doesn't get what he wants. Some would even consider him a less severe example of a bully. He makes judgemental and snarky comments just for the sake of making him feel better about himself. And he is not one to hesitate or back out when violence is included among the situation, resulting in him often coming home bruised and in rare cases even beat up.

But despite his attitude and choices of ways, I personally view Lucian as an incredibly easy target to gain yandere like tendencies or develop emotional attachments. Due to his efforts to isolate himself, it's likely going to be rather difficult to get close to the male at first. He wants to stand out as little as possible and oftentimes believes himself to prefer this lifestyle with lack of contact and nobody to talk to. But it's an easy strike as soon as you even just communicate to him. One simple compliment has him riding that high for days and making a simple effort to speak with him has the boy thinking about you for the whole week.

When you manage to befriend him and get him to open up. All of it seems so innocent at first, he clings to you a lot and seems to find some sort of emotional support by you just being... you. Your bond would actually start off as something extremely regular and wholesome for the both of you. But even from the start, he seems to put quite a lot... And I mean a lot of trust in you. In comparison to his distanced behaviour from beforehand, he becomes like a complete open book when you're around and perhaps even somewhat... Desperate for your attention. What he tells you varies from his daily activities, to how he's feeling, to what he's doing and continuing to make these disturbing jokes about how you keep his sanity from slipping and that you're what's keeping him from becoming the next school shooter. This also includes mentioning how he wouldn't know what he'd be capable of if you were to disappear and not be there for him. And you'd slowly start to grow more disturbed by these unsettling comments... But that becomes a problem if you don't have the hearts to call him out on it.

The real hell breaks loose if you were to not show up for even a day, as it becomes incredibly easy to set him off if you're not in the same area as he is. He goes absolutely ballistic and is on the verge of a complete meltdown if he cannot see you for longer periods of time. Weekends are already as bad as it gets for Lucian, but it's gotten to a point where he's quite literally just leaning on you in order to get through the day without relapsing or having a total mental breakdown. In many of those occasions, he'd usually end up with a ton of new cuts and wounds all over his body as well. Not even necessarily because he felt the need to do so that day, but purely to try and get your attention for it. To try and show you that he physically cannot deal with the day by himself and that he practically needs you to be there for him to provide that lacking support and fill that void.

He also has a tendency to grow aggressive if you were to take some space from him, lashing out at the elderly and other students in his state of rage. Lucian is naturally already the type to want somebody considered as completely his own, being one to hate sharing and already grows bitter when seeing someone in the exact same place as you are. He already desires to prevent it at all costs, but definitely isn't one to back out of growing overprotective and impatient as well when it comes to your former relationships with anyone else for that matter. He noticeably tries monopolise you at times to try and prevent others from being the center of your attention, making you a lot more isolated than you were before the meeting. And in some way; you believe your attendance has done him no well unlike you intented it to be.

He truly is... A foul mess

[random-xpressions]

People are victims to overthinking because it is very easy to fall into it. That takes no courage, no discipline, just some time and a lot of haphazard random directions in which your mind travels. End result: exhaustion, chaos and zero productivity. But there's another side to this thinking process. We can call it as 'clear thinking'. You devote a time, a place for it and even a certain body posture for it. It all depends on your comfort level. It could be while you're standing by your window. It could be while you're seated on your sofa. I personally prefer walking. Apart from all the scientific benefits of blood circulation and a good dose of better breathing, somehow my brain cells seem to be more activated, even as I now pen down these words while walking to and forth through the corridor of our building. So apart from all the physical etiquettes, what exactly does clear thinking actually connote? It is the ability to focus on what truly matters. To see past all your personal preferences and leanings, and to then see a situation and weigh it clearly for what it is. In clear thinking, you don't beat around the bush. You don't repeat the same thought again and again because just like body, your mind too has only a limited source of energy. It cannot be wasted. Every thought must be seen like a step in the physical world. First and foremost, is goal setting. Where exactly is it that you intend to reach? What sort of a lifestyle is it that you want for yourself, outside any external pressure or influence from the society, how is it that you truly intend to spend your life? The reason why you must answer these vital questions are because the mind can move only in that direction if the destination is determined. When you fail to do such basic prerequisites of clear thinking then you'll only be soon become like a feather in the wind, tossed up and down, because fate has its own ways of playing around with souls that don't know what they want out of life. Once the direction is set, then your every thought thereafter will be like a milestone in itself because now you're literally preparing yourself for it. Clear thinking at its peak is all about perceiving and creating such sharp insight into a subject that you are able to not just see it for what it is but also for what it will be thus helping you to design your moves in order to adapt to the near future that is soon to unfold. Planning is the very nerve of clear thinking, followed by practical preparations to confront any given situation, even if it be a catastrophe. So next time your mind becomes lethargic and drag you into overthinking, turn up the gears and move the steering into opposite direction. Initiate the process of clear thinking and you'll see that the quality of your life will step into the next level...

Random Xpressions

[ideas-on-paper]

An analysis of the voice lines from D.C. Douglas's Legion audition

[Potential spoilers for ME2]

So, the other day, I was browsing the internet for any interviews, commentaries, or anecdotes from D.C. Douglas in regards to his role as Legion in Mass Effect 2 (mainly out of curiosity, but also because his voice is prime ASMR material and I would never pass up an opportunity to listen to his relaxing timbre). While doing so, I stumbled upon an old video from 2015, containing some voice lines of D.C.'s original audition for Legion - well, strictly speaking, it wasn't the first one, but the call back he recorded after his initial audition. According to D.C., the first thing he submitted was a monologue, although the exact contents are unfortunately lost to us. However, since we have the fully voiced lines of the call back available (courtesy of Eric from Studiopolis), we have the opportunity to analyze the contents of these voice lines - which, as it turns out, happen to be quite interesting.

As a matter of fact, 99 % of these voice lines are completely unique and don't appear in the final game in any way, shape, or form. Although all we have is the isolated lines, we can deduce some of the context from the wording and the order of the recorded lines. Assuming that these lines were written by the ME2 staff previous to being sent to D.C. for test takes, it would mean that they were originally intended to be used in-game - and if this is the case, it would give new support to the theory that there is a huge amount of content, specifically related to Legion, that was cut from the final version.

The first thing to note is that in the audition file, Legion isn't even know as Legion yet - the recording is simply titled "D.C. Douglas - Geth", consequentially meaning that Legion's self-designation would be "Geth" as well (which, all things considered, is what they asked to be called in the first place). What follows next are some lines which seem to have been taken from a rather casual conversation with Shepard:

Most organics define themselves as social species, but insist on "personal space".

Six - six walls, including above and below. Humans do not think in three-dimensional terms.

We have noted your species is still poorly adapted to zero-gravity existence. Even aboard Normandy, you waste power creating gravity to comfort you.

My suspicion is that these are taken from a dialogue branch were Shepard inquires if they are comfortably settled in the AI core, asking if they are alright with being assigned such a tiny room (considering Legion's nature, this isn't really a concern, but it still would've been nice for Shepard to express the thought). Even though it should be clear that the term "personal space" holds no meaning to the Geth due to their nature as a Gestalt intelligence alone, the second line gives us an interesting insight into how they perceive the world around them. (It's worth noting that Legion also has combat lines where they announce the position of incoming enemies based on x-, y-, and z-coordinates, confirming their three-dimensional perception.) As for the third line, we actually know from astronauts what kind of effects continued absence of gravity has on the human body: myatrophy, blood circulation issues, and bone loss to only name a few. Although most of these issues can be reversed a short time after returning to Earth, it's still unknown whether humans would be able to adapt permanently to zero-gravity. However, if they did, we can assume they would have a hard time switching between life on a spaceship and going back to the surface of a planet, as this would require constant readaptation. (Though there's also the possibility that Legion was referring to a lifestyle exclusively onboard spaceships and space stations, like the Geth do it; either way, it's hard to tell without the context.)

Next, things get a little more interesting when it's apparent that human genetic engineering is discussed:

Human genetic engineering is sufficiently advanced to overcome those inefficiencies. You choose not to self-adapt. Why?

That's built-in obsolescence. Why does this law exist?

If we assume these lines are a continuation of the conversation above, it's possible that Legion is referring to genetic alterations that would allow humans to better adapt to a zero-gravity environment. However, as we know from the Mass Effect Codex, there's the so-called Sudham-Wolcott Genetic Heritage Act, which allows for the enhancement of qualities naturally present in humans, but prohibits manipulating the genome to gain new abilities - probably including any adaptations to weightlessness, whatever those might be (there are actually research endeavors to better understand and perhaps even cure the effects of bone loss, which would also be beneficial for people suffering from osteoporosis). When Shepard mentions the law to Legion, they are obviously confused as to why humans would actively choose not to evolve themselves if given the opportunity, as self-improvement is literally the main goal of the Geth.

Now's where things get really intriguing, because what follows are three lines that not only imply a profound discussion about the nature of humanity, but also Shepard's own self-confidence:

Ambiguous semantics - "human" is not a hardware configuration. "Human" is a set of shared experiences and assumptions - software.

The Geth believe that the Commander would be the Commander, no matter what hardware it is installed in.

Faith is belief without evidence. The Commander's core programming remains intact despite extensive hardware refit. That is evidence, and our judgement is not faith.

Going by our trail of thought from above, it could be that the reason Shepard gives why humanity abstains from extensive genetic modifications is that they would no longer be "human" otherwise. Legion, however, states that the term "human" has nothing to do with outward appearance, but rather a set of values and beliefs that all humans share - which, all things considered, is actually quite wholesome. (I guess as a neurodiverse person, this would kind of make me a "subspecies" of humanity - not that I mind, though.) 

What's even more interesting is that following this, Shepard themself seems to make a comment that they don't feel quite human, which, perhaps, could be related to their revival and the Cerberus implants. (I know of quite a few fanfictions which address this topic, and I always think it's interesting to consider Shepard themself is mostly cybernetic by this point.) Meanwhile, Legion tries to ease their worries by saying they are still the Commander, no matter "what hardware they're installed in". Shepard apparently thanks Legion for their faith, but Legion affirms that their statement is based on factual data rather than pure belief. (What a way to say "No matter how much of your body was replaced, you're still human - nothing can change that.")

And lo and behold, guys: the next line is the one and only from this audition to be used in the final game (near the end of Legion's loyalty mission, to be precise):

Alert: Heretic Geth runtimes downloading to mobile platforms.

After that, we get multiple lines that seem to be intended for combat. However, what stands out here is that they were apparently meant to be used during a battle onboard the Normandy:

Boarding attack imminent; Normandy must withdraw.

Armor hull bridged; multiple attempts to burn through pressure hull: three dorsal, one ventral, one bow, two aft.

Alert: ingress at port airlock.

Activating intrusion countermeasures; sealing bridge.

Airlock turrets hot*; burnout 2-3, burnout 2-7; 2-2 destroyed.

Alert: vehicle bay breach; crew withdraw to quarters deck.

Airlock turret 2-4 destroyed; burnout 2-5.

Cargo deck clear; locking crew lift; venting drive plasma.

Yes, cargo deck is clear.

Alert: Mobile platforms closing in on the CIC. Initialize combat routines.

System link interrupted; engaging target left at 10 meters - firing.

*UPDATE: Changed "Airlock turret taut" to "Airlock turrets hot"; thanks to @deskmisfit for the tip

To be honest, I always thought that all of the squadmates leaving (like, every single one) after the installation of the IFF for an unspecified "mission" right before the Collectors hit felt a little forced - and maybe, considering the above lines, it was planned for there to be a big battle to defend the Normandy. (There are even two alternative statement/response lines about clearing out the cargo deck with plasma.) Although it's possible that these lines are taken from a fight against Heretic Geth instead (which the term "mobile platforms" seems to hint at), perhaps that means boarding battles in general were supposed to be a feature in Mass Effect 2. (Which, if you ask me, sounds like a real good asset for the gameplay.)

What follows now are the last lines from the audition (and the last of the three "theme groups" of lines) - which, going by the context, are probably the most interesting of all. The conversation is about a character named "Tina" (potentially a human girl) who appears to be in conflict with the Quarians, while Legion tries to act as a mediator (my respect for that kind of self-confidence after your history with the Quarians, friend):

Let the Geth speak. We may convince the Quarian creators to pardon Tina's father.

We do not hate your kind. We simply do not need you anymore, though we are still fascinated by you.

We record your communications. Study the music and writing you upload to the extranet. We analyze the words you left behind, the homes and structures you built for yourself. The collective mind does not understand why we do this, but I have come to a conclusion: We fill a void. An integral component of our systems is missing. You are still our creators, and we... feel your absence.

The Geth know what it is to lose creators. We have no wish to see this void in Tina.

If there's one thing I always found intriguing about the Geth, it's their attitude towards their creators - despite their history being defined by the Quarians trying to destroy them, the Geth never held any grudge against them as an organic species would. Instead, Legion repeatedly states in the game that they do not hate them (as they do in the second line above), and they even keep the old structures of Rannoch intact in memory of the Quarians. However, this is the first time that the reason behind these actions is classified as "fascination". In ME2, Legion simply says that they do research on organics because they strive to understand their creators better, but the term "fascination" carries with it something far more visceral - dare I say, even emotional - than one would normally expect from logical creatures like the Geth. Somewhat ironically, the Consensus seems to be at odds with itself regarding their relationship to the Quarians: On one hand, they claim that they no longer need them since they have evolved into their own independent species, but at the same time, they never seem to be able to truly let go of them, studying and analyzing the Quarians' writing, architecture, and music. To make things even more extraordinary, Legion - and Legion specifically - has come to their own conclusion regarding the matter. Note the "I" pronoun I marked in the third line; this indicates that this opinion, unlike everything else, is not the standpoint of the Geth collective as a whole, but Legion's own (or rather, the opinion of the amalgamation of programs that make up Legion). Moreover, Legion specifically uses the verb "feel" when describing that the Quarians' absence has caused a sense of "incompleteness", even "emptiness" among the Geth - another completely unprecedented expression of their inner thoughts. (My theory would be that since the Geth are machines built with a specific purpose in mind, this is their way to express that they feel like their existence lacks meaning without the Quarians; considering this, perhaps this is literally part of the reason why they want to build their megastructure to "create their own purpose".) To top it all off, this "feeling" of loss even seems to enable Legion to emphasize with Tina, comparing the potential death of her father to the void the Geth feel at their creators' absence.

Now, I'm generally very reluctant to humanize the Geth too much, since I feel it would be very disrespectful towards their nature. However, reading all of this, I can't help the notion that the Geth may have something like a "parent complex", for the lack of a better word. What I mean by this is on one hand, almost everyone loves and respects their parents, but on the other, you might feel kind of imprisoned by their presence once you grow up, and unless you want to live in their shadow forever, you have to break with them at some point. Still, some teenagers who were previously convinced "I can totally live without my parents!" might find themselves missing the guidance and stability they gave them. I know this probably sounds very cheesy, but I just think it's so funny how at times, the Geth seem a little like some lost kids who are just growing up and have to deal with abandonment by their parents. (Also, I think it's worth mentioning that Tali's character somewhat mirrors this: In my opinion, Tali is a character that's very prone to overestimating herself, especially during her Pilgrimage, but she regularly finds herself at the boundaries of her own abilities, so she has to rely on the help of others to achieve her goals. Furthermore, Tali also has a very ambivalent relationship with her estranged father; you can tell she respects him and does everything to gain his appreciation, but still wishes he would take more time to actually be there for her - which, ultimately, isn't meant to happen. If you were really daring, you could even deduce the conflict regarding a loveless/absent parental figure as a core theme of the Geth and the Quarians.)

Another interesting point is that in this conversation, it seems like Legion might be developing something like an own personality. Without a constant connection to the Consensus, it is possible that the programs inside Legion's chassis have formed new "synapses" among themselves, which has unwittingly led to the creation of a completely independent intellect. As Legion themself said, they have a sufficent number of programs to function on their own (a normal Geth platform simply doesn't possess enough programs to reach consciousness themselves), and the continued restriction to one single platform would also disable the possibility of personality reset like it might occur normally when transferring to a different body (as explained in the Codex entry about Geth culture). Anyway, despite the Geth's somewhat ambivalent attitude towards individuality, the discussion above might imply that Legion gradually developing their own personality was something that was planned in the early stages.

Last but not least, regarding the conversation itself, it's interesting that it actually presents a scenario where you're standing against the Quarians (which does not happen under any circumstances in the final game). In addition to this, I recently stumbled upon this compilation of Legion's voice lines from the Legendary Edition, which also appears to contain some that were unused, but are still present in the code - including the combat announcement "Creator offline" (around 1:30), which is undoubtedly referring to taking out a Quarian.* From this, there can only be one conclusion: We were originally supposed to fight Quarians at some point during Mass Effect 2. (Again, this is my opinion, but I actually think it would have put the races on more of an "even ground" - I mean, we have been fighting Turians, Asari, and Salarians the entire time. It would only be fair to assume that not all Quarians in the galaxy are kind and peace-loving.)

*EDIT: I only realized now that "creator offline" is actually referring to Tali; when Mordin dies, Legion may say "Salarian offline", when Samara dies, it's "Asari offline", and so on. "Creator" is simply what Legion uses for Tali.

Conclusion + my thoughts

If one thing is for certain, it's that Legion's character underwent a lot of changes throughout the development process. Judging by the lines from the beginning, it seems the Geth were meant to be a little more "critical" of organics at first, not really comprehending their irrational actions and openly pointing out their inefficiency. Meanwhile, in the game, they still seem quite confused by organics, but they never voice their opinion in a way that could be described as "judgmental". (Take the case of their little experiment with the star constellation, for example: In the respective conversation, Legion simply recounts what happened, but doesn't make a comment that the Salarians' premature reaction was silly or something.) All in all, the Geth act very tolerant of organics, accepting that their way of thinking is different from their own, but not deeming it invalid because of this - and aside from the few occasions where they point out the contradictions in organics' moral values (e.g. when comparing EDI's restrictions to slavery on Illium and remarking on the inconsistent treatment of animals in organic societies on Tuchanka), Legion never expresses criticism of the organic perspective in itself. As for myself, a huge part of the reason why I became attached to Legion in the first place was precisely this acceptance - a quality I wish I had experienced from more people in my own life (back when Legion came out with the quote "organics fear that which is different", I had to fight really hard not to break down into tears). The Geth are confident about their own existence, and yet, they never act aggressive towards the differing views of organics, despite not fully understanding them themselves - and since this is basically the essence of my own life principle, I must say that I like the finalized version of Legion's character more.

On the other hand, I absolutely adore the idea of an interaction between Shepard and Legion about Shepard's Cerberus implants, since I think how they're mentally dealing with their revival is just such an interesting topic to explore. In quite a few fanfics I've read, I've seen Shepard feeling alienated about their cybernetics, wondering if they're even truly "alive" at this point. Judging by the respective dialogue above, this seems to be exactly the dilemma they're going through here, and Legion joining the team would certainly add a very interesting layer to that. Maybe they could have done something similar to the conversation above, with Legion basically cheering Shepard up and helping them accept who they are - and who knows, perhaps Shepard's technological enhancements could have even led to a deeper connection between them. (This is not just me wishing I could have had something like a platonic relationship with Legion, I swear. xD)

On a similar note, I think it would have been quite interesting to see which road the writers would have taken regarding Legion's individuality. From the lines above, it's clear they're developing something like an own personality, and I wonder what Legion's reaction would be once they realize that this process is actually taking place. After all, this completely uncharted territory for the Geth, and I could imagine that while Legion goes through something like a phase of denial at first, they become very insecure - perhaps even "panicked" if you want to call it that - once they figure out that they are, in fact, developing an individual personality. Going by my train of thought from above, it might be Shepard's turn to help them through this, which may even result in some kind of mutual emotional support. (Guys, if anyone ever writes a fanfic like that, notify me immediately - I WANT TO SEE IT!)

Finally, I would have given all my money for a more detailed exploration of how the Geth actually stand towards the Quarians. They may harbor no hatred towards them, but I can imagine the Geth encountering Quarians - and, to a certain degree, other organic species - with cautious mistrust. (As a case in point, just look at how long it took Legion to finally tell Shepard that the Geth are working on a megastructure to upload their minds; they most likely judged that most organics' would react unfavorably to this information, potentially even resulting in aggression that would endanger their endeavor, so they withheld it until they were absolutely sure that Shepard's reaction would not be negative. Thus, it can be seen as a sign of immense trust from Legion to make this reveal.) Even if they don't have some sort of parent complex as I described above, I would suspect they would at least have some kind of "logical" equivalent to it, e.g. that the opinion of each program is defined by their individual experiences (some Geth might still adhere to their original function, while for others, the harm the Quarians did to them outweighs their core programming). Still, with artificial intelligence being outlawed in the whole galaxy and the Quarians attacking them 100 % of the time when they thought they could win (as stated by Legion during Tali's loyalty mission), their Gestalt intellect basically has no positive example to work with. Consequently, all the Geth would have to base their standpoint on are their own convictions, as strange as that may sound. Viewed from this perspective, the Geth schism almost seems like a battle of faith, with some of them still hoping that they might one day be able to live in peace, while others have completely given up the prospect of any coexistence with organics. (Somewhat amusingly, I actually had to think of Tron while pondering over this; in Tron, there are also those programs who have abandoned the faith in the users, while others still continue to believe in them, despite having no decisive proof that they will help them.) Maybe this dissent is what caused the Geth to split into two factions in the first place, and maybe this is why they chose such a strangely religious term as "Heretics" to denote those who turned away from the old beliefs.

Anyway, judging from the unused voice lines above, we can conclude that there formerly seems to have been a lot more content relating to the Geth in general and Legion specifically in ME2, which ultimately got cut in the final game. As for the reasons, we can only guess, but there have been rumors going around for a long time that Legion's presence in the game was supposed to be way more extensive - at the very least, it looks like you would have been able to take them on a lot of earlier missions, since Legion has recorded dialogue for those which still plays properly if they're added to the party via modding. Who knows, perhaps the Geth themselves were meant to play a much more central role in the story.

Still, you should probably take all this information with a grain of salt, as everything I'm doing here is educated speculation at best - nevertheless, I find it very interesting to explore what BioWare's original plans for Legion possibly were, as well as imagining what could have been.

[nourishandthrive]

How to Practice Sustainable Living on a Budget

Living sustainably doesn’t have to break the bank. In fact, many eco-friendly practices can save you money in the long run! Here are some practical tips for practicing sustainable living while sticking to a budget:

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Reduce: Buy only what you need to minimize waste. Avoid single-use items and opt for products with minimal packaging.

Reuse: Repurpose old containers, jars, and bags. Get creative with DIY projects to give new life to items you already own.

Recycle: Follow your local recycling guidelines. Make sure to clean and sort recyclables to reduce contamination.

Shop Second-Hand

Thrift Stores: Shop for clothing, furniture, and household items at thrift stores, garage sales, or online marketplaces. Not only do you save money, but you also give pre-loved items a new home.

Clothing Swaps: Organize clothing swaps with friends or community members to refresh your wardrobe without spending a dime.

Cook at Home

Buy in Bulk: Purchase staple foods like rice, beans, and pasta in bulk to reduce packaging waste and save money.

Meal Prep: Plan your meals to avoid food waste. Use leftovers creatively, like turning roasted veggies into soups or stir-fries.

Use Energy Efficiently

LED Bulbs: Replace incandescent bulbs with LED ones to save on electricity bills.

Unplug Devices: Turn off and unplug electronics when not in use to reduce energy consumption.

Use Natural Light: Maximize natural light during the day to reduce the need for artificial lighting.

Grow Your Own Food

Start a Garden: Even a small herb or vegetable garden can reduce your grocery bill and your carbon footprint.

Container Gardening: If you don’t have outdoor space, grow herbs and small vegetables in containers on a windowsill or balcony.

Make Your Own Cleaning Products

DIY Cleaners: Use simple ingredients like vinegar, baking soda, and lemon to make effective and eco-friendly cleaning solutions.

Reusable Cloths: Replace paper towels with washable cloths to reduce waste and save money.

Conserve Water

Fix Leaks: A dripping faucet can waste a significant amount of water over time. Fix leaks promptly to conserve water and lower your water bill.

Shorter Showers: Cut down on shower time to save water. Consider using a water-saving showerhead.

Opt for Public Transport or Carpooling

Public Transport: Use public transportation to reduce fuel costs and decrease your carbon footprint.

Carpool: Share rides with friends or coworkers to save money on gas and reduce emissions.

Use Reusable Items

Reusable Bags: Bring your own bags when shopping to reduce plastic waste.

Reusable Bottles and Containers: Invest in a reusable water bottle and food containers to minimize single-use plastics.

DIY Personal Care Products

Natural Ingredients: Make your own personal care products like shampoo, conditioner, and deodorant using natural ingredients.

Zero-Waste: Look for zero-waste options, such as bar soap, shampoo bars, and bamboo toothbrushes, which are often more economical in the long run.

Practicing sustainable living doesn’t have to be expensive. By making small, mindful changes in your daily habits, you can contribute to a healthier planet and save money at the same time. Remember, every little step counts, and collectively, these efforts can make a big impact! Start with one or two changes, and gradually incorporate more sustainable practices into your lifestyle. You’ll not only be helping the environment but also creating a more cost-effective and conscious way of living.

[refillstore]

Benefits of Shopping at Mission Refill Store

The Mission Refill Store is not just a place to shop; it’s a movement towards a more sustainable and eco-friendly lifestyle. In today’s world, where environmental concerns are at the forefront, refill stores are gaining popularity as a solution to reduce waste and promote sustainability. This article will explore the various benefits of shopping at the Mission Refill Store, helping you understand why it's a choice that benefits both you and the planet.

The Concept of Refill Stores Refill stores are retail outlets that allow customers to refill their containers with various products, such as household cleaners, personal care items, and food products. This concept is rooted in the idea of reducing single-use plastics and encouraging a zero-waste lifestyle. The history of refill stores dates back to the early 20th century, but their popularity has surged in recent years due to growing environmental awareness.

Benefits of Shopping at Mission Refill Store

Sustainability and Environmental Impact Shopping at Mission Refill Store significantly reduces the amount of plastic waste that ends up in landfills and oceans. By refilling containers, customers eliminate the need for single-use packaging, which is a major contributor to environmental pollution. This practice supports a circular economy, where resources are reused and recycled, rather than discarded.

Cost-Effectiveness of Refill Stores Another major benefit of shopping at a Refill Store is the cost savings. Since you’re only paying for the product and not the packaging, you often save money compared to buying pre-packaged items. Additionally, buying in bulk at Mission Refill Store allows you to purchase exactly what you need, reducing waste and saving even more money.

Personalized Shopping Experience At Mission Refill Store, you have the flexibility to buy the exact amount of product you need, which leads to less waste and more personalized shopping experience. You can also explore a wide range of eco-friendly products, knowing that each one aligns with sustainable practices.

Refill Store near me: Finding Your Local Store Locating a refill store near you is easier than ever with the growing popularity of these eco-friendly shops. Simply searching for "Refill Store near me" will provide a list of nearby locations. Supporting local refill stores like Mission Refill Store not only benefits the environment but also strengthens local economies.

Product Range and Availability Mission Refill Store offers a diverse range of products, from cleaning supplies to personal care items. Each product is carefully selected to meet high environmental and ethical standards. The store ensures that all products are of high quality and free from harmful chemicals, providing customers with safe and effective options for their daily needs.

Customer Experience at Mission Refill Store Customers at Mission Refill Store consistently report positive experiences. The store’s commitment to customer service is evident in the way they engage with the community, offering educational workshops and events that promote sustainable living. This not only enhances the shopping experience but also fosters a sense of community among like-minded individuals.

Sustainability Practices Mission Refill Store is dedicated to achieving zero waste by encouraging customers to bring their own containers and offering products in bulk. This commitment extends to their supply chain, where they prioritize partnerships with suppliers who share their environmental values. By shopping at Mission Refill Store, customers actively participate in reducing their carbon footprint and supporting a more sustainable world.

How to Get Started with Refill Shopping If you’re new to refill shopping, Mission Refill Store makes it easy to get started. Simply bring your own containers or purchase reusable ones at the store. Don’t be intimidated by the process; the staff are always available to guide you and answer any questions. It’s also important to debunk common misconceptions, such as the idea that refill stores are more expensive or less convenient than traditional stores.

Future of Refill Stores The future of refill stores looks bright, with more consumers embracing the zero-waste movement. Mission Refill Store is at the forefront of this trend, continually innovating and expanding their product offerings to meet the growing demand. As the refill industry evolves, we can expect to see even more sustainable solutions emerge, making it easier for everyone to live an eco-friendly lifestyle.

Conclusion Shopping at Mission Refill Store is more than just a transaction; it’s a commitment to a sustainable future. The benefits are clear: reduced waste, cost savings, and a personalized shopping experience. So why not take the next step and visit your local Mission Refill Store today? By doing so, you’ll be making a positive impact on the environment and supporting a business that truly cares about the planet.

[sadsongsandwaltzes]

Healthy living is a noble pursuit, and one we should be pursuing. Especially as Christians, as we understand that we ought to be good stewards and caretakers of what God has given us — which includes our bodies and the earth.

The problem with a certain brand of Instagram Crunchy Folk is that they forget a couple things

Hyper focusing on any one aspect of a healthy lifestyle will actually create an obsessive and unhealthy lifestyle. Hyper focus on diet or zero waste or fitness or whatever creates, well *vague gestures at Instagram wellness pages*

Risk assessment is allowed! You can know the risks of doing something and decide the risk may be worth it. We do this with everything in life: health is no exception. If you’re well informed about the American diet and consumption, generally try to eat healthy, but decide take out from Taco Bell on a Friday with a friend is an okay exception to your diet then that’s okay! !! My focus is more informed decision making rather than actually controlling the decision making of others. You can eat the cleanest diet in the world, but sometimes you just need that comfort food.

We can only do what we can with the information and resources available to us. This includes money, time, local market, and land available to us. Most people don’t have the money to over haul their kitchen and cleaning products over night. Most people can’t only buy Crunchi make up at $50 a bottle. Most people don’t have land or time to grow all their own food, and most grocery stores don’t carry the healthiest food. We can only do what we can with what we have. Thats the simple fact of life.

“Natural living” does not exclude nature or sacrifice supplementary support when needed. A lot of “natural living” folks idea of nature is taking a brisk walk in your suburban park. If you tell them to go camping or work with livestock they become disgusted because “toxins.” That’s not healthy. Part of living natural means actually being with nature. And nature can heal most of our societal, physical, and mental ailments. So this matters. HOWEVER, on the flip side, we live in a fallen, broken world. Sometimes things happen that we can’t control, no matter how healthy we eat or how sustainable we try to live. The response to the abuses of modern medicine isn’t to ditch modern medicine altogether: it’s to inform ourselves and use it only as we need it. And sometimes we do need it. And it is a gift from God what we can heal now.

Complete self sufficiency is not the goal. That’s a little jarring to conservative ears. But the individual is not the basis for society — the family is. Community is. The church is. We were made for fellowship. We need each other. It’s good to learn skills and employ them — to serve both yourself and your neighbor. No one person can do absolutely everything alone. So don’t expect to. If goal is complete self sufficiency, you’re always going to be overwhelmed at how short you fall, if you’re being honest with yourself. Try to learn some useful skills that you take well to and build a community of likeminded folk.

We should encourage people to live and pursue a healthier lifestyle. It matters. Don’t let the crazies make you disregard truth (uhhhh most modern food really is toxic, guys) but don’t let it overwhelm you or think you have to be perfect. Health is not a competition. It’s a mindset and a continual pursuit. Make the better decisions when you can. Make do when you can’t. And don’t let this conversation cause either Fear nor Apathy in you (which seems to be the two ends of the spectrum).

[zerofuckingwaste]

Reasons to go zero waste that aren't because of the environment:

It's good for your wallet! Wasting less means that everything you buy either is reused, or consumed completely with zero excess; so you aren't paying for anything that's just going to end up in the bin.

It's much less stinky! And you'll get fewer flies, if you live in an area like me where fruit flies appear if you so much as leave a jam jar open for more than 2 seconds! If you compost whatever food waste you do produce rather than dumping it in the trash bin, then you'll end up with a centralized location where the food waste can properly decompose, thereby not producing a horrible methane-filled stench, and not stinking up your trash bag.

Less trash means fewer trips to the curb or dumpster! I know that taking the trash out is my absolute least favorite chore, even below snaking the drains. It can get really gross and grimy, and the trash bin itself, or dumpster, can be absolutely unholy.

It might help you achieve that lifestyle that you wanted to do for a while, but couldn't quite manage. Whether that style is minimalism, which is facilitated by the idea of only buying the things that you absolutely need, with minimal excess if any at all, or maximalism, which is conversely supported by the idea of using what you have without letting anything go to waste, or anything in between, you'll find that you can focus more on your lifestyle goals when you aren't wasting time, energy, and money on needless waste. (I'm a maximalist with a house that has been described as 'an ADHD dream' so I really do mean it when I say any lifestyle is attainable through zero waste ideas.)

It can help support your community in ways you might not have thought of previously. If you find that you have a lot of old kitchen supplies and clothing that are very nice but unnecessary, then you can easily donate them to organizations for folks in need. In your journey towards a zero waste lawn, with more native plants and less wasted space taken out by hungry grass, you might find yourself advocating for more native greenery in your town, and make it more beautiful as a result. Heck, just going to the farmers market regularly can help you build friendships with people in a way that you could not possibly do at the grocery store- all the while helping local businesses and farmers!

You might discover a new hobby by doing DIY, you also might discover that you absolutely suck at DIY, either way, you'll have new and creative experiences to look back on. Fondly or not.

And finally: it can be way better for your health. Micro plastics are a HUGE problem both environmentally and biologically. BPA (and all those other three letter acronyms) is extremely bad for your endocrine system, and is likely linked to a lot of the illnesses rearing their ugly heads as of late- not to mention the unknown long term exposure effects we've yet to realize. They can cause neurological issues, hormone imbalances, even cancers. Aside from all those physical things, a zero waste lifestyle can be great for your mental health- certain aspects can be therapeutic in a meditative way, (for me I find great peace in gardening and baking,) while others can lessen your anxiety, (again, for me, I have found great relief in knowing that I have a stocked pantry, and I no longer have allergic reactions to the occasional hygiene product because I actually know what's in them).

Feel free to add on! Not all of these will be applicable to everybody, but I hope at least one speaks to you. 🌺