Melissa Au
hold my hand and we can jump straight into the cold unloving sea
A Dog named Doggo
This is the fourth instalment in a series of five about my five pets. This is preceded by Dear Chocolate, Lady of the House, and The Cat Who Wished He Was a Dog and succeeded by Tales of a Tasmanian Devil.
Melissa AuPublished 3 months ago in Petlife
Tales of a Tasmanian Devil
This is the last instalment of a five part series about my five pets. It is preceded by: Dear Chocolate, Lady of the House, The Cat Who Wished He Was a Dog, and A Dog Named Doggo. Note: the other pets and stories ARE referenced here, it may be of use to read the other instalments first!
Melissa AuPublished 3 months ago in Petlife
Lady of the House
Although this is the second instalment in a series of five, it references two dogs from later—Doggo and Tazzy. This is preceded by Dear Chocolate and succeeded by The Cat Who Wished He Was a Dog, A Dog Named Doggo, and Tales of a Tasmanian Devil.
Melissa AuPublished 3 months ago in Petlife
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.
Melissa AuPublished 4 months ago in Geeks
3 Ways You Can Be a Better Ally for Autistic People
April is Autism Awareness Month. Whilst in years passed, I saw many people support Autism Speaks, or puzzle pieces, or other misguided attempts to be allies, I have seen an increasing amount of autistic people and allies speak up for what autistic people really think about this kind of support. Many people now know that Autism Speaks is considered to be a hate group by many autistic people due to the harm they have done towards autistics and that many autistic people prefer identity first language (i.e. autistic person instead of person with autism).
Melissa AuPublished 4 months ago in Longevity
These Boots Were Made For Walking
What can I say, I'm a chaotic bi with a penchant for sword fights. Needless to say, a nice pair of boots are necessary to fulfil the truly confident bisexual I wish to be. Alas, I did I fell into my bi reckoning during my no-buy year (read about it here). Determined to stick to my rules, I decided to do the next best thing: thrift them.
Melissa AuPublished 4 months ago in Styled
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.
Melissa AuPublished 4 months ago in Humans
Sunrise over the Thames
Of all the great capitals in the world, London is not for lovers. It doesn't have that Parisian charm, the never-sleeping qualities of New York, or the Lover's Bridge of Seoul. Even compared to the rest of United Kingdom, it doesn't have the old world charm of Edinburgh or the sweeping hills of fairytales found in the Midlands. And yet, my favourite love story begins in London, over the dingy Thames.
Melissa AuPublished 4 months ago in Humans
