Melissa in the Blue
Bio
hold my hand and we can jump straight into the cold unloving sea
Stories (28)
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The ACOTAR Curse
ACOTAR, or A Court of Thorns and Roses, by Sarah J Maas, is easily one of the more controversial books I have seen. I have never seen a series or author that has as many ardent fans or anti-stans. On one hand, you have people who will overlook every problem with the book. On the other, you have people who hate it with a passion and go out of their way to let people know they hate it. I mean, part of it is understandable--this is the series that spawned the 'soap dick' controversy, it is massive. But that's not what I want to talk about today.
By Melissa in the Blue5 years ago in Futurism
The Fallacy of the Thrift Shop
The fallacy of the thrift shop is that it is simultaneously one of the best tools that we, as individuals, can have to fight over-consumerism and one of the tools that have been warped to support over-consumerism. The rise of thrift shops is often taken as a sign that more people are engaging with circular economies or at least thinking of reusing their items and giving them a new life by allowing others to have them. Yet both buyers and donators of thrift shop items, particularly clothes, are contributors to this fallacy.
By Melissa in the Blue5 years ago in Earth
To Save the Water Cycle: Stop Building Cities
As we all hopefully learnt at some point in our educational history, water cycles through its different phases. It spends time in the sky in clouds before it precipitates down onto land and bodies of water, where it can seep into the groundwater or lakes. Eventually, it will get drawn back up again to renew the cycle. But what if I told you that we're breaking that water cycle?
By Melissa in the Blue5 years ago in Earth
Eat my Heart: Why Eating From Head to Toe is Critical for Environmentalism
I am not a vegetarian. However, I do believe that we have long departed from respecting the animals we eat. This may be controversial, but I believe that ethical meat-eating is possible. We just aren't accomplishing it very well. There are some parts that are frequently talked about. For example, factory farming is obviously not a part of ethical meat-eating. Ideally, regenerative farming methods would be the way to go. If I were to go one further step, I might even suggest that people hunt their own animals to truly confront what it means to take a life to sustain yourself.
By Melissa in the Blue5 years ago in Earth
Direct Action: Tree Huggers and DAPL
When I say tree-hugger, what do you think? Is it some hipster with long, unwashed hair who loves the environment? It's probably used derisively, someone to be scoffed at as their heads are in the clouds. But this is an inaccurate idea of environmentalism.
By Melissa in the Blue5 years ago in Earth
Does Sustainable Banking Exist?
A few months back, I saw a couple sustainability influencers post about this ‘sustainable bank’ called Bank of the West. This article will take you through the good, the bad, and the ugly of this bank and what we can learn from this.
By Melissa in the Blue5 years ago in Earth
My No Buy Year
Many of us live in a world where more often than not, we can live by the Ariana Grande quote, "I see it, I want it, I got it". Some would argue that this isn't necessarily a bad thing—after all, what's wrong with seeing a baby elephant desktop computer topper, wanting it, and spending your well earned pay check on it? It's a conversation starter, it's for mental health, it's just so you.
By Melissa in the Blue5 years ago in Earth
I Binge Watched Twilight Like a TV Show and Here are My Thoughts
Before we begin, I have to say that I do not endorse Stephanie Meyer or her treatment of the Quileute tribe. Although better and more in-depth articles have been written about this topic, such as this one and this one, the basic summary is that Meyer appropriated real Quileute culture, bastardised it, and then profited from it heavily without giving a single cent to the Quileutes or even asking for permission. The film heavily relied on racist stereotypes about Indigenous people, such as aggression and abuse, and also heavily sexualised them throughout. BTW, the backlash here is not some 'woke 2020 hippies' making this a problem suddenly, but a problem that the Quileute tribe and others have been pointing out since the story's conception. If you want to support the tribe directly, check this link out.
By Melissa in the Blue5 years ago in Geeks
The Six Stages of Heartbreak
First the colours fade. The bright reds and blues turn to greys. The sunsets turn to just another time of day. The parks that you picnicked in turn cold and mock you with their happy couples. That bouquet of roses you bought for her is still sitting by the door, wilting. The deep reds and pinks turn to yellow and grey and crumble like ashes. The pictures you took start fading, her smile becomes less radiant. But you don’t look at your pictures, because then you start drowning in memories and the what-ifs. You avoid the pictures, but you can’t avoid the music.
By Melissa in the Blue5 years ago in Humans
