Hello, my name is Niara. My interests are: psychology, biology, toxicology, fashion, history, art, and music. I'm on Tumblr because I want to document my stories, share my interests, and build a gallery of text and images. I'm also really bored. Final words: I hope you enjoy what you'll see here, and if you lke what post and follow my account, I'll follow you back. (I love making mutuals.)
If you're: a proshipper, trump-supporter, ed, sh, or nsfw account, and are over the age of 25, please DNI.
I'm also atheist, and aroace, plus I support the LGBTQIA, so if you're a homophobe or don't respect atheism, please DNI too.
once again needing to remind some people that mispronouncing foreign words isn't just about not knowing how to say it; if your language doesn't have that sound, in many cases you can't hear it properly. You won't be able to hear yourself say it wrong because you probably can't distinguish between the sounds a native speaker can. It will sound right to you and you will be wrong.
Most languages use relatively similar sound inventories overall, but make distinctions others don't. And the way the our language centers work is they group these sounds together, allowing us to recognize that things within a given range constitute a recognizable phoneme. If your languages groups together sounds another language makes a distinction between, your brain cannot tell.
So everyone on those posts congratulating themselves for looking up pronunciation and saying "It's Not That Hard?" Surprise, you might have still got it wrong and can't even tell. You can look up the IPA chart and still flub it completely because what sounds right to your brain and what a native speaker will understand are totally different things!
"I might have butchered that, please let me know" is sometimes an excuse for lack of research, but it is, unfortunately, also a much more accurate self-assessment than confidently fucking it up after mouthing along to a wav file a few times.
This is one of the reasons that, historically, many people would take on or be granted new names if they stayed any length of time in another culture; it's very common for the names from one language to simply not map to the sounds of another!
example for anglophones to understand: my first language (Polish) doesn't have phonemes for english "th": /ð/ (as in this) or /θ/ (as in thing). I was taught how to correctly pronounce those at school (idk when exactly, buy age 7+) and i can make this sound, but it's not intuitive for me and requires conscious effort, so when i actually speak in english and concentrate on getting the point across, i just Do Not Bother with those sounds, either th-fronting or th-stopping instead.
Yes, I am aware of the irony of the fact that i literally cant pronounce my pronouns.
one time in high school my friends were talking about a 3rd friend having a hickey but they did not use the word, so since i dgaf about ppl's sex lives and they were speaking as if it was so scandalous i thought the person was experiencing relationship violence and said "she got punched in the side of the neck?!"
Hey, y'all, in light of the AWS outage today I wanna scream from the rooftops again:
Stop using Amazon.
Purchase directly from websites.
Shop locally.
Barter and trade where applicable.
Donate and go to places where stuff is located.
Obviously, not everyone can completely drop Amazon for various reasons, but it is easier than you think. Start small.
Alright, you know I won't post something like this without resources. Here are some sites to check out. Most of these are not going to gut your wallet, since you'd be paying similar prices on Amazon.
Btw I don't make any commission off of this (who would sponsor a barely active tumblr account?)
Home + Health
Earth Hero - Good for home goods, tech accessories, baby care, beauty, office supplies, and more.
Public Goods - Home decor, skin and body care, cleaning, dining, etc.
Grove Collaborative - Home and cleaning goods, but they have items for body + skin + hair care and miscellaneous items as well.
Simple Switch - Offers clothing, home goods, cleaning supplies, and even pet + plant stuff.
Blk + Grn - Black artisan-focused site that offers skin, hair, and body care, as well as some home goods.
Kitchen + Pantry
Misfit Market - Offers cheaper options for food items cuz they're a lil ugly but still fresh. Better than pretty and gross. Just be mindful of auto shipments (I can be forgetful)
Imperfect Foods - Basically the same thing as Misfit Market, but may offer other options depending on your location, so check both out.
Thrive Market - Shop smarter and sustainably. Purchasing groceries online can also help you avoid impulse purchases (of which I am personally guilty). It does require a membership which is frustrating but overall an ok deal if you're using it.
Hive - Snacks and pantry goods, with a few home goods sprinkled in.
Good.Store - The Green brothers have a store where 100% of proceeds go to charity. Currently, the offers are coffee, tea, soaps, socks, and cleaning supplies. You can suggest things to them, though (I suggested candles).
Entertainment
Bookshop.org - Books! Buy them online new or used or EBOOKS!
Your local library - see what services they have. Mine has three different ebook apps that you can use FOR FREE. Movie and shows are also offered through an app or through physical media.
Libby - Find ebooks and audiobooks for free (often found through a library)
Tech
Backmarket - New tech is expensive anyway, want a barely used or refurbished device? Check out backmarket. They have an app, too. They even have appliances!!
Ebay - Also an ok place for tech, but be wary of who you're buying from. Good for lots of second hand stuff. Just use your critical thinking skills.
Clothing
Ok, there are a LOT of sustainable clothing sites that cost a lot of money, so keep this in mind, but some cheaper options are:
ThredUp - Secondhand clothing.
Poshmark - Secondhand shopping
Urbankised - Slow fashion, handmade items, and unique styles. Can be a bit pricey but you're purchasing quality, and most items seem to be similar to what you'd pay at any basic clothing store.
Ethical Trading Co. - Quality clothing and accessories at ok prices, could be easier on the wallet but you're purchasing things that are built to last. They also sell food and home goods.
Allbirds - Shoes, so it isn't cheap, but they are high quality and sustainable. They even have a second hand store (ReRun)where you can get shoes at a resale cost!
Misc
Uncommon Goods - A little pricier, but you're paying real people for items made by hand. Great for unique gifts.
Ten Thousand Villages - supports artists and craftspeople from small communities in need by selling their hand-made items. Prices ranges from affordable to a little pricey, but again, you're paying real people.
Chewy - Great for pet supplies! Notoriously fantastic customer service.
UpRoot Design Studio - Perfect for gifts and greeting cards.
Want more?
Good. Here are a few more resources for you to find what you're looking for.
100+ Socially Responsible Brands You Should Know by The Honest Consumer
How to Be an Ethical Shopper by The Honest Consumer
The Honest Consumer's Ethical Brand Directory
Top 200 Ethical Businesses by The Good Shopping Guide (you can also search for brands on their site)
