I've seen your posts on veganism, and you being a biologist makes me feel ok to ask this! I am not vegan, but I've dealt with a lot of pressure and guilt to become one from them, and it never works for me at all. However, because I'm super passionate about conservation, especially stopping deforestation, i have had MORE pressure than usual to go vegan for the planet, under some guise that this was what would help. When reading about it, a lot said cattle farming causes a lot of deforestation, and making native species there go extinct. Obviously I'm against that, but I don't want to go vegan. I've tried. I cannot. But a lot of people say it isn't possible to be a conservationist and care for the planet and eat meat. I'm curious to hear a scientific reply to these claims and hopefully have an end put to it? Thanks.

I don't remember specifically making posts about veganism to be honest but it's a complete lie that sustainably raised livestock contribute to deforestation. I don't know where you live, but here in the US it is true that we have destructive conventional animal farms which pollute the environment, but you also aren't forced to buy your meat that way. There are tons of small-scale, regenerative farms in every state in the country. It's not hard to find good quality meat raised on farms that are acting as a net benefit to the environment. Properly-managed regenerative farms increase biodiversity, rebuild topsoil, reduce carbon emissions, and produce meat that is healthier to consume. Check out Joel Salatin, the owner of Polyface Farm. He has written several books on the subject (and is much more highly educated than myself).

Also, I find it ironic that vegans cry about deforestation when their diets consist entirely of foods such as corn, soy, wheat, rice, and other grains, all of which involve destruction of massive swathes of natural biomes to make way for thousands of acres of monocropping. Not to mention exploitation of workers in foreign countries and the MASSIVE carbon footprint left by shipping crops across the world (or even just across the US). Oh, and we can't forget that, on top of the animals wiped out during the destruction of their habitats to make way for the farmland itself, the machinery used to tend to the crops kills thousands upon thousands of small creatures such as mice, voles, frogs, etc. out in the field (which in turn affects predator populations). There is literally no such thing as a cruelty-free diet. It is simply not possible, and vegans who say they are cruelty-free are lying to themselves.

I can say with absolute certainty that the impact my own diet has on the environment is not only significantly less than that of ANY vegan, but my diet actually supports a net positive effect. I eat only beef from a local farm that raises their cattle entirely on grass, practices regenerative rotational grazing and slaughters locally. My meat travels less than 20 miles total. The topsoil on the farm is deep and lush, it doesn't smell or pollute the nearby waterways, and the animals are stress-free and healthy. (And I pay a lot less for it than grocery store meat.)

If veganism doesn't work for you, don't do it. And don't let anyone try to pressure you into eating in a way you know isn't right for you. You are not a slave to the demands of others. If you passionately want to reduce your impact on the environment, then buy local, in-season and organic wherever possible, and commit yourself to eliminating anything from your diet that does not fall into that category. This could be a massive undertaking depending on where you're starting from, and it has a learning curve to it. But if it really matters to you, you'll do it. If it doesn't really matter to you, then it's better to have that conversation with yourself sooner rather than later.

I'm so fascinated with the background posters in Vee tower.

(Didn't include the ones in Val's room. Those ones make me super uncomfortable! XD Plus I do not want "sexy" Val pictures saved onto my computer for even a moment!)

did I hear a DOUBLE DATE ???????

😭😭 art block has been kinda sucky not really lately so in attempts to fix it after LOOOOTS of talking and rambling w my good friend @nohrianhime I decided HEY. WHY NOT DRAW THE DOUBLE DATE WE’VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT??? <3 and look at how much fun they’re having fr

Doodlez woohoo

So uh. I might’ve found a pattern here.

From The Fellowship of the Ring, “Three Is Company”:

From The Two Towers, “The Uruk-Hai”:

From The Return of the King, “The Houses of Healing”:

Now I know Tolkien hated allegory. And I know LotR is not a copy-and-paste parable about WWII (which he didn’t fight in) or even WWI (which he did). But the man did see war, and so did people he loved, and he had a non-zero amount of trauma, and some of that is gonna make its way into his writing somehow.

And I think his soul might’ve had something to say about soldiers being forced to walk until they dropped from exhaustion.

A page 2 of this, because I can;

And a bonus drawing too:

"Zira" "Azi" "Az" SIGHHHHHH

is anybody else irritated at the widespread fandom nicknaming of Aziraphale and fucking nobody else? is that just me? because it really feels like a "oooh [wince-hisses through teeth], no, that's too long and weird. that's too hard. i'm gonna call you This instead" situation, and i do not care for it. it pissed me off when i was writing good omens fanfic thirteen years ago and it pisses me off now. you care enough about everyone else to get their names right, all the unusual demon and angel monikers, but oh no, Aziraphale, oh that's ten whole letters, that's way too long. oh you're not gonna bother to type all that, no, his name is just Zira now.

and like, he's not real, so this super duper does not matter and isn't deeply and incredibly shitty the way it is when it's directed at real people. but it still rubs me the wrong way every time i see it. that's not his name! why is his name not good enough for you to take the time to type out the way you do for everyone else! ugh.

Cellbit who holds his shit together, pieces together the clues, and solves the issue while walking on a tightrope, where if he cannot correct for the mistakes made, the fallout would be catastrophic. He cannot fail to solve the case, he cannot fail to cure his friends, it isn’t an option in how desperate the situation has gotten.

He’s relied upon by everyone as the leader of the order, shoulders heavy with the burden. He is intense when he needs to be, gentle when a soft touch is required, and keeps his head when the situation is so intense the others are speechless.

He gets through Forevers stubbornness, reassures Pac in his sorrow and indecisiveness. It’s a fucked up scene and he handles it well because he has no other choice.

He doesn’t cry until it’s all over. Just for a second, when the moment is over, and he can take a breath of air. And even then he leads the rest of them through clean up. He makes sure Pac gets home, gets Forever to a proper place to rest, ensures the rest of the group is okay after what they just witnessed.

Then the moment he leaves the others, he finds another critical clue that he can’t just ignore or put to the back burner.

Another mystery, another crisis, another billion clues he’ll have to organize and follow up on and solve, because he’s the investigation guy, the leader of the order, and the island is counting on him. The kids are counting on him. He doesn’t get a chance to truly breathe. To fully sit down and let himself crumble, let someone, anyone, else be the strong foundation, because if he can’t solve this, who will?

Even with his family returning to him, it’s no wonder he feels so alone. Out of the frying pan and into the fire, I guess.

fellow hatecrimes md friends,

where does one get their hands on the ds game?? i've been trying for ages to find it but it's either sold out or in french (??) and I NEED IT FOR MY SOUL. need to at least commit digital medical malpractice if i can't do it at work :(

back to thinking about that worst timeline princess AU concept where luz and hunter end up with camila in the human realm when camila hasn't met vee and doesn't know about the isles. & so camila thinks that the two of them have just been held captive together for years.

i'm mainly thinking about my 100% certainty that luz would develop a Crippling case of agoraphobia for..... very obvious reasons. double-checked the definition just now because i was like "i'm pretty sure it's no longer referred to as a fear of being outside??" and yeah -- it's a fear of being in environments where you'll be helpless or unable to escape if something goes wrong. which. well. you guys know what she's gone thru.

that combined with the general confusion and sensory overload of the human world.... i think luz would get Very Very Very Upset if she was forced to leave the house. and going anywhere without hunter especially is a non-starter. like one of u guys said a few days ago, the sheer LEVELS that her separation anxiety would ratchet up to.... she's basically following him to the bathroom whenever he gets up and sitting outside the door like a lonely cat. i don't even want to CONSIDER the kind of breakdown she'd have if she was made to go out with camila to, like, a completely normal therapy appointment.

day 26

someday if i can figure out how the hell people get these things made i would like to do some little destiny & malice acrylic charms. i think those are so fun. and while i mostly want them for Myself i figure that if i DID figure out the process, i should maybe open up the option to anyone else that might want them, soooo...

informal poll: if i figure out how all that works, would any of y'all be into that, and approximately how many of you?

Well I've tried writing this three times now.

People of Tumblr over 30-- any advice on how to be Ok with the knowledge that life will never turn out the way you try and plan for and not Demotivated because of said knowledge?

Okay! I thiiiiiink I can have a fic up by week’s end! If I don’t follow through this time y’all are permitted to excommunicate me.

It’s hard to put on a bright face, in spite of everything (Patreon)

Do yall like, know how to enjoy something w/o constantly criticizing it? don't you want to enjoy something-- anything for what it is? if it gives you joy and makes you happy, you dont have to be critical and pick a part about it to be a 'real' fan of the thing, or to show you're aware of the whatever problems it has.

just liking and enjoying it is enough.