Melissa in the Blue
Bio
hold my hand and we can jump straight into the cold unloving sea
Stories (28)
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Review: Dawn of the Firebird
Dawn of the Firebird is a stunning, sweeping story that takes place in a world inspired by central Asian landscapes and culture and food; this is everything I love about fantasy and more. DOTF joins the likes of Blood Scion and She Who Became the Sun, books that don’t just appropriate the aesthetics of royalty and revenge but says something with it. And boy does Rana have a lot to say!
By Melissa in the Blue18 days ago in BookClub
In answer to: Israel isn’t targeting civilians and celebrating it
In response to a comment I got that Israel was the lesser evil due to the fact that they 'didn't target civilians and celebrate it', I wanted to write a fact-based response, sourced with 38 Western and Israeli sources to show that this is not the case. This is not a commentary on my personal beliefs. These are facts to point out that 1- Israel does, in fact, target civilians and 2- commits war crimes and has historically done so.
By Melissa in the Blue2 years ago in The Swamp
How Panda Express Taught Me to Love Myself
Growing up, I reviled Panda Express. I grew up in China, and occasionally went to the US for various trips and studies. On one particular trip, the American kids jokingly tried to convince me that Panda Express was the true Chinese cuisine, and that it had simply changed in the two weeks I was away. My autistic 16 year old self was not amused. In fact, I was rather distraught.
By Melissa in the Blue2 years ago in Humans
In argument for Religion
Let me begin by saying, I am not religious. I do not ascribe to any organised religion. I grew up in a heavily Christian school and went home to a non-Christian, non-religious family and celebrated a mix of Christian holidays and traditional holidays. And yet, I find there something so very, well, religious about religion. On my worst days, I seek not the comfort of religion but the community it might bring me.
By Melissa in the Blue3 years ago in Humans
Eco Friendly Christmas Shopping Guide
Ever since the pandemic hit time has been warped which means somehow, we are yet again nearly at Christmas. So how do we turn a holiday that has been commercialised into the most materialistic holiday of the year into a greener holiday?
By Melissa in the Blue3 years ago in Earth
The Path Home
When you ask where home is, I can give you a variety of answers. I was born in Hong Kong, but I grew up in Shanghai. I’m not deeply familiar with either of these cultures as I went to an American school, understanding enough of each culture to relate to my peers but not enough that I would fully fit into any particular city. Of course I now live in London, and have since picked up a strange mix of an American-British accent as well as a combination of random phrases and slang from both cultures. I speak enough Mandarin and Cantonese to get by and hold conversations, but not to a degree that would be useful for any job. Effectively, my mother tongue, the language of my ancestors, is being lost to me and unless I move back to Hong Kong, will likely be lost to any future children I may have.
By Melissa in the Blue4 years ago in Humans
"Cursed" is a story for the Colonised
Fae legends have frequently been coded as colonised and oppressed peoples. Perhaps the most famous one of our modern age is JKR's portrayal of goblins—small, large nosed, greedy bankers who care nothing for the rest of the world. Anyone with the slightest understanding of Jewish stereotypes understands the allusion. The orcs in Lord of the Rings are an older stereotype of the 'barbaric' Mongols. The folklore of changelings is now attributed to autistic children. In each case, the Fae are to be reviled, a warning of the evils that the Other could do to the Self.
By Melissa in the Blue4 years ago in Geeks
The Great Wall Lovers
There is a saying in China about movies. Americans go to the movies to have a good time, to imagine a better life. Chinese go to the movies to have a bad time, to remind themselves of what life is not. We can see this phenomenom far beyond the advent of cinema, to the very stories on which our civilisation is built. As such, the stories I grew up on did not teach me about hope and a better future but of the angst of love and longing, the type that can transcend time and space itself.
By Melissa in the Blue5 years ago in Humans
