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— David Cronenberg, Consumed

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List: Queer creatives to spend your money on instead half-arsed pride merch from Target 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

We're all aware by now that when you buy pride merch from one of Those Companies, your money is just going to a CEO who half-heartedly told someone to slap a rainbow on it and call it a day. So why not use that money to support an actual queer person who’s working hard to make art?

I've collected a(n incomplete) list of queer creatives who would benefit from your support this Pride Month - this is fairly limited in scope, as it only includes creators who responded to my call for links (or whose links were sent by friends & fans). It is also, for that reason, fairly audio-drama-heavy, but not exclusively so! It includes sections for crowdfunds, online stores, ttrpgs, and ko-fis and patreons for creators of a variety of different art forms.

The list is long, but worth a look through. Have a browse, see if anything appeals, and if you'd like to add any links, please do! Share the list around, shout out your friends and peers, boost your favourite artist, and vitally, self-promo is strongly encouraged!

Crowdfund campaigns:

Starting off strong with Forged Bonds @forgedbondspod — A queer, myth-bending audio drama retelling of Aphrodite and Hephaestus's love story.

This one takes pride of place as the inspiration for this post. Pine is working SO hard to make sure their cast gets paid regardless of crowdfunding outcomes, even if that means paying out-of-pocket. Help them avoid having to do that by supporting a truly kind and wonderful creator. (Crowdfund ends in a little over two weeks!)

We've also got a tight time-sensitive crowdfund for Waiting For October @monkeymanproductions — an upcoming queer supernatural audio drama series from the creators of Moonbase Theta, Out.

At the time of posting, they only have 13 hours left on their crowdfund, but they're 93% there! Help them cross the threshold and tell what I'm sure will be another gorgeous and wild story.

And for the horror lovers, a new crowdfund from The Morbid Forest — a deep dive into all things grusesome!

They are hoping to fund their fifth season, and it's looking to be their biggest yet. A lot of what they're asking for will be used to pay guest authors they're bringing in for the new season, allowing platforms for up-and-coming writers. Help them make this a reality!

All three of these creators also have Patreons you can subscribe to instead of (or in addition to!) their crowdfund: Pine Tree Pods, Monkeyman Productions, Morbid Forest

Buy yourself a little treat:

Saph the Something creates ethically handmade clothes made with vintage materials by a non-binary queer individual, with an emphasis on non-default clothes for non-default people.

You can find Saph's physical goods on xaer ko-fi (including a GORGEOUS loose-knit subtle trans flag tee)! Or support xem on Patreon for early access to content, behind-the-scenes updates, and more

For prints and pins of some truly stunning art, visit Survival of the Artist's ko-fi!

If you love gorgeous, unsettling underwater horror, you're going to absolutely love these prints

Eeler's Choice @eelerschoice is offering their season 1 soundtrack on Bandcamp!

Eeler’s Choice is a maritime horror fantasy podcast that serves as a reminder that the ocean never gives back what it takes unchanged. The music is GORGEOUS and if you love sea shanties, folk music, and eerie ambient instrumentals, you'll love this album.

They also have merch on sale, the logo sweatshirt is one of the best things I own

Pyon is an afro-latino freelance artist, writer, designer, and indie game developer

He is currently working on a visual novel magical girl project, @magicalwarriordiamondheart and you can buy prints, plushies, apparrel, charms and more from their store (or support him on Ko-fi!)

Xan Larson is an Illustrator, Comic Artist and Content Creator with a specialty and marked enthusiasm for mythological creatures of all kinds and all cultures.

She offers a huge range of treats on her website, including art prints (& original paintings), resin art, and books

Dylan Birtolo is a writer, a gamer, and a professional sword-swinger

Dylan has a huge number of books on offer, primarily fantasy, including anthologies, novellas, and novels.

TTRPGs galore:

(these also fall under the little treat category, but there were so many that I felt they needed their own section)

Sunken Rust are a game company run by married couple Dave Eisinger and Jazz Eisinger, and they offer a range of absolutely delightful TTRPGs, ranging from a wholesome GBBO-inspired micro RPG, to a solo journaling game about exploring an abandoned mansion.

Tea Witch Games is run by Anna Landin, a queer Swedish illustrator, comic artist and game designer. She offers games that run the gamut from sweet and cozy to weird, sad and spooky.

K. Petker offers games from wonderfully unique perspecitves including heroines of the princess council, children facing the apocalypse, and cats protecting their humans from the supernatural.

Christine Prevas is a writer, designer, PhD student & erstwhile librarian offering TTRPGs that range from two-player steamy horror to theatrical tragedy, and more.

Unseeliejess is a game designer and social worker, and my personal favourites from her offerings include Oops! All Draculas! and multiple sapphic-focused TTRPGs

Thoughty is run by Beau Jágr Sheldon, including innovative TTRPGs in a range of formats, as well as some games that break away from the table entirely.

Riverhouse Games includes a ton of fun concepts, including a micro-game about cleaning your kitchen and a game about telling your hot gay (dragon) boyfriend you love him. They also offer a guide to writing your own RPG!

E. Chris Garrison is the proprietor of Chris's Compendium of Free RPGs, one of the oldest game repositories on the web. They are also the designer of Saving People / Hunting Things, a TTRPG inspired by monster-of-the-week style television shows such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, and Supernatural. They also have a ton of fantasy, supernatural, and sci-fi books on offer

Handsofblue offers a campy horror game about awful people and a serial killer, and a solo knitting game

Drazillion is an award-winning narrative designer, writer, and artist, offering a huge portfolio of games with a strong focus on queer narratives and themes. You can also support her on Patreon

Patreons & Ko-Fis:

Finally we have some ways to directly support the creators you love or their ongoing projects!

Soul Operator @souloperatorpod is a multi-genre fiction podcast, created to highlight solo ttrpgs.

If you haven't listened yet, you absolutely should - this show will rip out your heart and you'll be grateful for it. Support them for behind-the-scenes content, exclusive short stories, and more

Divine Rodentia Studios @divinerodentiastudios is releasing a new fiction anthology audio drama, Sixth Door to the Left

This is some truly intriguing and wonderful storytelling, and you can support them through the development of their upcoming project, The Loser's Game.

YamiKakyuu @yamikakyuu is a writer, photographer, amateur digital artist, and horror podcast enthusiast.

Supporting them will help an up-and-coming voice actor invest in decent equipment (a huge barrier to so many incredibly talented VAs breaking into the industry!)

Daisy McNamara is an *incredibly prolific* podcaster, the co-creator of Eeler's Choice and Waterlogged, and has contributed his talents to so many more

Daisy has made such a huge contribution to the audio drama world, so if you've listened to any podcasts to speak of, you've probably enjoyed some of her work. Your support can help him make ends meet and continue creating!

And finally (because I fave a few pals who'd kill me dead if I didn't do a bit of self-promo), I'm Leanne Egan, the creator of Tell No Tales, an audio drama about ghosts and the people who refuse to hunt them. While there is currently no way to support the show financially, my debut novel, Lover Birds, releases soon!

As a bonus, if you're in the UK, you can pre-order it from a North-West-based queer indie bookshop too!

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Weirdo Wednesday

This week on weirdo Wednesday we have…

The mimic octopus: Thaumoctopus mimicus

The king of copycats, the mimic octopus can be found in the warm waters of the Indian Ocean at river mouths and estuaries. They are very small (females are only 2ft, and males are smaller) and only live for 3-5 years! Their short lifespan is due to the fact that they die shortly after mating. males die almost immediately and females will follow once she has laid and protected her eggs. Like all octopuses, they have cells called chromatophores on their body that allows them to change the pigment of their skin. This weirdo also has 3 hearts, 9 brains, and blue blood! And they can have 80 babies!!

This weirdo is highly intelligent, not a completely unusual trait for an octopus. What makes the mimic octopus stand out is along with its ability to change color and texture, they change their behavior too!! Why do they do this? It is probably the most effective form of camouflage for this tiny octopus who is preyed upon by sharks and large boney fish. They feed on small crustaceans in daylight, leaving them exposed to predation. They have been known to have a passing resemblance to lionfish, flatfish, snails, sea snakes, tube worms, sting rays, anemones, and crinoids, but they probably have much more up their sleeves. They have been seen inking if these tricks don’t works, and are surprisingly fast in quick bursts. If none of these forms are are suitable and the mimic octopus needs to hide for a spell, they have been observed burying themselves in the sand!

The mimic octopus is not considered endangered, but they are suffering from habitat loss. Estuaries and river mouths historically are habitats that suffer from pollution and being filled in. Studying them is not easy either because of how reclusive and tricky they are, so it is entirely possible we don’t have an accurate count. They unfortunately were considered a commodity in the pet trade because of how hard they are to find and catch, but they don’t do well at all in captivity. SCUBA divers enjoy looking for them to watch their performances, which is my opinion is the best way to see these weirdos.

Check out this video and watch the Mimic octopus perform!!

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[Image description: a tweet by Twitter user “Kai Heron” (@KaiHeron) that says: "Strengthen Indigenous land rights because they're good stewards of nature" has become a refrain among Western environmentalists. Land Back is vital for Indigenous self-determination and liberation, not because Indigenous peoples do the West a service by conserving nature. /end ID]

Tweet link

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https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20220610-how-to-turn-your-garden-into-a-carbon-sink

If every one of the UK's 30 million gardeners planted one medium-sized tree and let it grow to maturity, they would store the same amount of carbon as is produced by driving 284 billion miles (457 billion km), 11 million times around the planet, research by the RHS shows. If every gardener produced 190kg of compost each year, they would save the amount of carbon produced by heating half a million homes for a year.

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Ocean Ramsey & Juan Oliphant on IG

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The world’s second largest reef, the Belize Barrier Reef is celebrating its 10,000th birthday this year. This historic occasion will be commemorated at a week-long nationwide event that will culminate on June 8, 2022.

The reef, now a UNESCO World Heritage site, was removed from the United Nations’ endangered places list after almost a decade due to multiple preservation efforts. These efforts include banning off-shore drilling, designating no-take marine protected areas, establishing the “Fish Right, Eat Right” program, and phasing out single-use plastic.

Belize has made considerable progress in enhancing its sustainability programs in recent years and is currently regarded as one of the most ecologically conscientious destinations in the Caribbean and Central America.

As part of Belize’s coral restoration program, after Hurricane Iris in 2001, the Belize Fisheries Department partnered with a non-profit organization to transplant by hand, fragments of destroyed coral. This led to an increase in the coral cover of the sea floor from six percent to 50 percent over a seven-year period.

The 10,000th birthday of the reef serves as a tremendous endorsement of Belize’s ongoing marine conservation initiatives, establishing the country as a global leader in safeguarding the ocean and its valuable ecosystem.

continue reading

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February in review

February goals

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Influential youtube/bloggers

youtube

instagram

bloggers

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Movies and books

To get hyped over!

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Budget/Save money

Budget Breakdown:

Yearly:

Monthly:

  Budget Goals:

Emergency Fund:

Moving Fund:

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Living That Healthy Lifestyle

Living That Healthy Lifestyle

My only form of exercise is chasing my son around the house after he has escaped the bath and is naked before he pees on everything. Yup! Great workout routine…

But I’m in search of something more solid. Something that actually gives me results.

I’ve struggled with my weight my whole life… not really had an unhealthy relationship with food I just really enjoy it but I’m also a pretty lazy person…

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Routines: Do they really work?

Routines: Do they really work?

Monthly

Budget

Weekly

Mon

School

Teus

words

wed

words

thur

words

fri

words

sat

words

sun

Plan for the week

Daily

5-530 wake up

545-645 some kind of exercise

645-7 shower

7-730 make breakfast

730-8 feed and dress son

8-530 work

6-7 make dinner

7-730 eat

730-8 get son ready for bed

8-9 son down to sleep

9-10 clean

10-12 school, work, chill

12-1 bed

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Returning to School at 29: Is it too late?

Returning to School at 29: Is it too late?

This question kept me up many a night over the last year.

Am I too old to go back to school?

Am I too old to get a masters?

Should I settle for what I have or strive for more?

These might seem like simple answers but for someone who is the main income for a family of three, it has been a difficult decision to make let alone keep going. My boy turns 3 this year which means we have to start getting…

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Monthly Goals: Janurary

Set up Monthly Goals

Quarterly Goals:

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Goal Setting & Planning

Goal Setting & Planning

What are my goals?

Continue with school

stay on my routines

save money

stick to my budget

lose weight and be healthy

How am I going to achieve these goals?

Make lists

Step by step breakdowns

set rewards

set time frames

Goals:

Continue with School – I have always wanted to work in a lab, or with marine animals but I fell into the eat-sleep-repeat routine of life quite some time ago and never…