#they go into it in a lot more detail on the links in their linktree

[karinyosa]

columbia u is doing a tuition strike to get all columbia university schools to divest from zionist supporting companies. the admin of the columbia ydsa ig account (@columbiaydsa) offered to help my school organize our own strike if campus groups were interested when i asked if the strike was exclusive to columbia u schools (it is), so if anyone else is wants to do something similar, give them a shout. it sounds like they'd be happy to help + columbia has a history of tuition strikes so will probably be more informative than most

[usagii-bun]

𝐇𝐈𝐑𝐀𝐄𝐓𝐇 ( NAMOR X READER ) PT.2

in which you find a child floating in the water and you save them only for your acts of kindness to get misinterpreted by the father who is also the king of an underwater civilization.

PLEASE READ THIS FIRST : this is a story i am writing on wattpad but my wattpad version is more in detail, slightly different and has an oc ( alora ). It has 6 chapters thus far and still work in progress if you want you can check it out with the link below or use the linktree link in my bio to access wattpad but if you feel more comfortable with x reader I'll try and get all the chapters I have currently published over here in a few hours or in a day!

hiraeth ( namor ) wattpad | oc version!

also thank you so much for all the love ! I really appreciate it <3

PART 1, PART 2 , PART 3

TAG LIST :

@f1uveryys @xxmilli @ethereal-athalia @cyberficlya @complete-randomness-2 @bobateaae @lunamoonbby

✧ : - ⭒ - : ✧ : - ⭒ - : ✧

IT HAS BEEN NEARLY a week since you had found the child, in three days you were able to gain his trust. You had also learnt his name to be Huracan- the name of the Storm God.

With the help of a translator, you was able to have basic communication with him and finding out that he came from deep within the ocean.

You noticed that Huracan's wounds had slightly healed up, it was much better then what they were a few days ago- he was healing much faster then a human but you also noticed that his skin started to look even more dry even while he was in the water so you decided on taking him to the tidal pool that was close by to your house.

The boy enjoyed spending the whole day sub merged in a surrounding he was used to while you stayed close by and made sure he was safe and that his wounds won't open up, you noticed that his wounds were healing much faster in the sea water and maybe in a days time they would be completely healed.

Huracan for his age was also very curious, on the third day while he stayed in the bath tub, his gaze would fall on the tap and he would play with it causing the bath tub to over fill , the other day he had reached out for your toothpaste and had splattered it all across his hands and then pressed his tooth paste covered hands against your bathroom walls and when you came back into the bathroom, he just gave you a toothy grin at the mess he made.

You did notice that Huracan was bored laying in the bath tub so you gave him a small house tour which lead to him touching everything and being curious, what grabbed his attention the most was a stuffed whale plushie- it was a gift from your sister but when you saw Huracan hugging it close to him and seemed to relax with it in his grasp, you allowed him to take it.

Today, the two of you left the house early to go to the tidal pool- you thought that if you let Huracan to stay in the water for a bit longer today, his wounds would heal faster , you was also afraid to release him back into the ocean as he could still feel a lot of pain in his torso and you still needed to change his bandages and check on his stitches.

Gently balancing him on your side, the two of you walked down the steps that lead to the sand on the beach- you was glad this area was isolated from tourists and locals - as you help the boy walk towards the tidal pool.

The rocks form a unfinished circle, where on the inside- water from the ocean settled in. You gently places the boy inside the pool, a large smile stretched ear to ear when his feet touch the ocean water as he slowly sinks into the water, his skin turning into a warm milky brown as he floats in it.

You smiles as you watch Huracan splashing about in the water, submerging in it as you sat on one of the rocks just watching and keeping an eye on the boy , just in case if his stitches tear open.

Huracan dives into the water for a longer time, it's been more then ten minutes but you was used to it as you just waits for the boy to come back.

The surface ripples and the boy comes back up, a grin on his face as he extends his hand up to show you something.

"Il tin beetaj le ba'ax tin beetaj!" Huracan says in a cheerful tone, your brows knit together as you understood the word 'made' and 'look'.

The boy swims towards you and then shows you a bracelet he made out of seaweed , a pink sea shell knotted in the middle. It was hastily made but the effort put in it made your smile grow even bigger.

Huracan came closer to you, the smile on his face growing wider as he hands you the seaweed bracelet.

"In tia'al ? " you ask, her pronunciation a bit off but the boy understood as he nods his head vigorously taking the bracelet from your hand to tie it around your right wrist.

You extends your hand up , the sun gently glistening against the pretty sea shell he had found- your heart swelling lightly and a warm feeling spreading through out your as you looks back to see the boy once again splashing about in the water.

In these few days you spent with the youngster, you had felt calm. You didn't know much about him due to the language barrier but from the little you did knew, he was still just a kid - who was just from a different world from yours, he was just a kid that made your days feel a bit more brighter but then the nagging feeling that you will have to let him go back from where he came from constantly reminded you.

After spending some time in the water, you decided it was best to go back inside as you could feel a storm was starting to brew and you also needed to change Huracan's bandages, you reaches a hand out for the boy and he takes it without any hesitation, you noticed that his movements are much more fluid and that he may be healed by tomorrow.

You was about to carry the boy but he stops you by walking on his own-perfectly as he now insists to hold onto your hand.

The two of you walked along the shore, Huracan still holding on to your hand as you had placed a large hat and a towel around him to try and conceal as much of his blue skin just in case someone tries to come onto this part of the beach.

"Paakat!" the boy suddenly says, letting go of your hand and runs towards one of the rocks that were close to the ocean. This alarms you as you run after him and found him looking down at an octopus that seemed to be slowly drying up and it's skin a pale white and what looks like a six pack plastic ring stuck on one of its arm.

"Oh no, it must have washed up way too far from the water and this plastic on it making it worse." You say without hesitation you gently pull the ringed plastic off of it and lift the octopus in your hands, it's tenticles trying to curl around your wrists in any type of defense but it was too weak as you walked towards the ocean, your feet getting submerged in the cool ocean water as you gently placed the octopus in the water.

You watched for a few seconds as the octopus just sat on the sand but after a minute it's tentacles started moving, it's reddish color coming back to its skin as it grew bigger and suddenly just swam into the ocean without looking back causing you to laugh.

"Well it is good now" you state but still wary at the fact that it might get tangled in some plastic again. You turn to Huracan- to find that he was frowning and staring into the ocean, a look of sadness and longing- this causes a wave of guilt to wash over you as the boy might be missing his home and his family.

The salty sea breeze harshly blows against you, the clouds slowly turning a dark grey as rain gently drizzle from above.

"Don't worry, Huracan. Tomorrow definitely, I'll get you back into the ocean." You state, placing a gentle hand on the boy's back as the two of you both walk back towards the house.

PART 3

˚✩ | AUTHOR'S NOTE ; Sorry for the lack of Namor/K'uk'ulkan, I just wanted to show the small bond that is developing between you and Huracan ♡

if you do enjoy, please do like, reblog and comment <3

[musicofthenightphantomoftheopera]

ATTENTION PLZ READ: Serious Post & Call To Action

I almost never get serious on here, but this is an emergency that effects ALL of us. This is gonna b a long post, but there's a lot of info so plz bear with me.

If you're not on tiktok, you probably haven't heard abt this cuz I've heard and seen NO ONE outside of tiktok talking about this and that's scary.

We have a major mass internet censorship bill that Facists- I mean "Conservatives" are trying to get through congress that was co-signed by Dove (yes, the soap company) & LIZZO of all people back in April of this year.

This bill is called the "Kids Online Safety Act" or KOSA for short.

Under the guise of "protecting children" it is the worst mass internet censorship bill to date and if it passes, it will give state senators and the government the power to censor and destroy anything they don't like off the face of the internet. And by that I mean in a recent video interview of Senator Marsha Blackburn (one of the senators that introduced the bill) said the quiet part out loud and detailed EXACTLY what we knew they were gonna do.

If they pass it, they're going to use it to wipe any LGBTQIA+ content & info off the face of the internet, but ESPECIALLY anything to do with Transgender people and being Trans. And they intend on targeting Transgender children especially.

Due to the purposefully vague wording of the bill giving the gov. the power to destroy anything they deem "a danger to kids" you know that's what they're gonna use it for instead of censoring anything that's an actual danger to kids. They said it themselves.

But it gets SO MUCH WORSE than that. This bill would also give th4em the power to control EVERYTHING you do and EVERYWHERE yo go on the internet and no. A VPN won't help you.

This goes way beyond just lgbtqia info and fandom content/culture being in danger. This also means our right to free speech, access to accurate and factual information, and ability to communicate & organize with each other is also up on the chopping block. They're trying to make it harder for us to fight back against what they're doing.

And even if you don't live in the US, this will also effect you too. Access to any US based content creators and US based media as well as your ability to communicate with your US friends & Family as well as access to info on what's happening in the US will also be in danger as well.

If you're on tiktok and want more info, I reccomend looking up omarsbigsister who has an entire playlist on the bill as well as info and petition links in her bio and a call script to read off for contacting your senators. but I will also be providing those same links at the end of this post.

So what can we do to stop it?

Sign petitions

COntact your senators and reps. Call them, email them, send physical letters,

but most importantly,

SPREAD THE WORD.

share and repost this because the fact that no one oustide of tiktok is talking about this even though it will effect ALL OF US and could spell the end of the internet as we know it is SCARY

This bill is text book fascism and we need to kill it in its crib.

Here are all the links:

Resources for learning about KOSA

Sign this petition and call your senators! (this one includes a call script for you to read from

Sign the open letter against KOSA

Stop KOSA movement's linktree with even more petitons and resources to help

[uroboros-if]

Update Post - September 9th, 2023

Hi guys,

Sorry for my inactivity lately! My fever has passed and so has a lot of projects, but I always have many more to do. Nevertheless, I'm trying to improve my work ethic and schedule so I can stay on top of everything and finally steal more time to write.

Just a quick update post to let you guys know I'm still alive and kicking 💕 I know there's not much content to go off on, but if you want to poke me and see if I'm alive, feel free to check out the Uroboros discord server or even DM me directly.

As a small aside, I've also updated my page on my boundaries as far as referencing or using my work (using my macros, etc.) — nothing dramatic! I've just forgotten to add a section about attribution as far as using the macros I made and whatnot. In short, if you use anything from me, I'd be happy if you include a very small detail like "credit to Misty"! The link is also in my Linktree.

If you see this, I hope you have a good day 💕💕

[mitsurichan3s-art-corner]

Mitsurichan3 commissions information & Terms of Services

Contact:

Means of contact:

Tumblr DMS

Email: Mitsurichan3commissions@gmail.com

(please subject it as COMMISSION REQUEST - details).

Payment methods

Paypal - through invoices sent via email

Ko-fi commissions page

Payment is done in US dollars, through paypal or Ko-fi. I am flexible in terms of payment, with 100% of the commission amount paid upfront, 50% upfront-50% once completed, or discuss multiple payment plans on a case by case basis. I am unable to provide refunds at this current time, so please keep this in mind.

General information:

Thank you so much for taking time to read through my TOS and commission information. I am Diana, aged 25, and am currently unemployed. I am open to answer questions, discuss details and talk about pricing so feel free to reach out!

I am opening commissions in order to pay my monthly bills

Please do not ask for updates every few hours, I also have a personal life and things pop up last minute.

Later this fall I will be going back to university, so commissions will stay open to help pay the costs of graduate school as well.

Commission price will also have tax applied to the final cost.

By commissioning me in any kind of way, you are agreeing to the terms of service above and below:

Detailed information:

Can draw:

Humans

Ocs / canon Characters

Ship Art

Nekomimi / Usamimi

Suggestive outfits

Please send me references, they are super helpful! Even a simple stick figure and a lot of written descriptions will go a long way!

Cannot/wont draw:

Hate art

Gore

NSFW

Mecha

Feral/anthro

Furry

Animals

Terms of Service:

Once the commission is paid for, I cannot do any refunds

I’ll only accept upfront Paypal payments through Paypal invoices, or my Ko-fi commissions page. Do NOT send me money independently. After receiving payment I will start on your commission

I reserve the rights to use/display your commission on a portfolio, artist website, and social media. However, if you wish to keep your commission private, please let me know ahead of time.

Turn around times vary between 3 weeks to 2 months, depending on complexity of the artwork requested.

I will give periodical updates at each step of the process (sketch, line art, flat colors, full rendered and email finished piece).

Sketching usually takes a week once payment has been received. I will contact you to approve the initial sketch. Clients can make 1 major change at this stage, before being charged an additional $5 per change afterwards. This will be added to the total price.

I will send the finished product through an email address of your choice.

I reserve the right to decline any commission I am not comfortable working on, for any reason.

My Art cannot be used to train AI or make NFTs.

You may NOT claim my work as your own, trace, recolor/redraw, or redistribute my work for profit.

You may NOT use or repost someone else’s commission piece without my and the buyer’s permission. If you receive permission, you must use/post with credit

Your commission piece is NOT for commercial use. This is for personal use only.

If you are the buyer, you may post the finished commission whenever you want but please credit properly, or share it from my social media accounts.

If the commission is a gift for someone else, you are allowed to share the piece with the receiving party. (PST! Let me know what they think too!)

I can accept requests if you don’t have the adequate visual reference of your/the character that you want me to draw. Do your best to communicate effectively and I will meet you halfway. I will ask a lot of questions to better understand your request.

Picrew/ Character creator images (for ocs) are accepted, as long as you have another actual reference to pair it with: i.e. using the picrew to outline an outfit you want, or a change in hair/eye color. I will accept a Picrew/Character creator image if it's exactly what you want.

Thank you so much for reading! And thank you for considering me for a commission!

[astraeasilvers]

I'm a hobby-author currently posting fics on AO3. I have a story ongoing on Wattpad as well, but have been struggling with writing that one, so only the prologue and first chapter are up.

I mostly write Eyeshield 21 HiruSena ship fics. I hope you all enjoy! Thank you for sticking with me!

Currently working on:

Silver Phoenix - Wattpad

Lightspeed Heartbeat - AO3

Arpeggio 21: The Devil’s Chorus - AO3

Beyond the Veil and into the Dark - AO3

In Your Company - AO3

Coded - AO3

The Guardian from Hell - AO3

What Lurks in the Heart - AO3

The Details in the Devil - AO3 | Wattpad

Maybe This Time - AO3

Wind Beneath My Feet - AO3

Completed:

Sidetracked - AO3

Lipstick Stains - AO3

Maid a Bet - AO3

I've started uploading Music Compilation/Playlist Videos onto my YouTube! Feel free to check them out!

Check out my Linktree for more fun stuff!

YouTube:

Masterlist Link

Spotify:

Masterlist Link

Tags:

Masterlist

I try to be active on updating you guys here, but I've got the memory of a goldfish, soooo...

A Little About Me:

I go by they/them or he/him pronouns. I'm Genderfluid. Specifically Demiboy/Agender.

I'm also Ace/Aro! If that isn't already obvious by how I write certain scenes... (take that as you will)

I have two cats! Well, technically four five, if you count my sister's, and now my late oma's cat

I have major ADHD and forget to be active on social media, so when I am, its in spurts of chaotic energy.

I'm autistic. So I do not handle social cues well at all. So keep that in mind if you interact with me LOL

I intend to write a lot of fics, but I try to keep myself limited. Yeah, well that doesn't always work, seeing as I'm now at four eight (plus the unposted ones), and promised myself only one.

[sodalitea]

Hello, Sodalitea's here! Welcome to my little art lab. In summary, I'm an ancient nocturnal creature who likes exploring their creative abilities.

On my blog I'm posting mostly traditionally made illustrations, but I'm also into writing and making handcrafted accessories. Soda Rambles is my side blog solely for sharing inspiring content from other creators. Outside Tumblr I'm more or less active in quite a few places listed on my LINKTREE.

Status of my art commissions: OPEN (for more details scroll down to the MARKETPLACE section of this post)

Don't repost my artworks without permission. If you like my art, reblog it instead.

Don't claim my works as yours.

Don't trace my art. The same applies to editing it, erasing watermarks or feeding AI with my artworks.

Yes, you can use my art as a wallpaper if you like it a lot.

Act decently in the comment section. That's simple.

This is mainly SFW blog, but at times there may appear suggestive content here (especially in writings if you encouner fiction written or reblogged by me) - read tags and don't view/read it if you're concerned for any reason. Read and respect tags/warnings attached to anything I create or reblog, that's all. You are responsible for your own conscious media consumption.

If you want to leave me a message, please keep it creative projects related and use the mailbox. I'll respond to your question on my profile.

🖌️ Commission Guide

If you'd like to get fully personalized illustration from me, you can buy a commission. Linked commission guide explainins my terms and prices.

🎨 Prints

If you'd like to get a physical copy of my artworks in artist friendly, supportive way, check my INPRNT SHOP. You can order professional prints of my artworks here. Besides simple paper prints the website offers you other cool options like framed prints, canva prints, phone cases and more!

☕ Ko-Fi

You can get me a symbolic coffee here! Even the smallest support is a big gesture for me (I won't sugarcoat that much, art tools aren't immortal and they cost a bit, funds are always appreciated)! I'm going to post some bonus content here.

🎁 Soda Workshop

On this Instagram profile you can find complete portfolio of my handcrafted works currently available for sale. I'm updating it also on @sodaworkshop If you want to buy something, DM me on Instagram. I'm shipping from Poland.

✩ Art masterlists sorted by fandoms

Genshin Impact

Pierro

Father of the Harbingers - The Jester (fanart)

Dottore

Shoujo Love Interest Dottore (fanart)

The Silliest Friendship (fanart + platonic DottoBina headcanons)

Insomniac Genius and Curious Angel (fanart)

Webttore in Red (digital doodle)

Sabzeruz Festival Celebration (dottolone fanart)

Under the fake sky (Genderbend Dottore)

Carefree evenings (fanart)

One Eyed Crows (handmade Il Dottore keychain plushies)

Dottomonster jumping between dimensions [new year fanart]

The Horrors Of Self [Genshin Impact Fanart]

The Horseman of Plague (Il Dottore Fanart)

Guilt [Zandik x Sohreh fanart collaboration with clavd_]

Dottomon paper doll [Fatuicon 2024 freebie]

Winter Wedding [DottoLone Commission]

Sealed [Il Dottore fanart]

Mess [collab with @clavdere]

Trick or Treat With Columbina! [draw this in your style]

The Creator [Il Dottore from Genshin Impact fanart]

Dream Present [Il Dottore from Genshin Impact fanart]

Virtual Pet Il Dottore [Genshin Impact fanart]

Pantalone

Carefree evenings (fanart)

Winter Wedding [DottoLone Commission]

Capitano

Horseman of the Apocalypse (fanart + isekai trope headcanons)

Flip-floptano [Il Capitano fanart]

Columbina

The Silliest Friendship (fanart + platonic DottoBina headcanons)

Insomniac Genius and Curious Angel (fanart)

Colombina [Genshin Impact Fanart}

Trick or Treat With Columbina! [draw this in your style]

Scaramouche

Wanderer [Genshin Impact Fanart]

Arlecchino

Father [Genshin Impact Arlecchino Fanart]

La Signora

The Moth and the Flame (La Signora Genshin Impact Fanart)

Pulcinella

Pulcinella [Genshin Impact Fanart]

Tartaglia

Winter Reunion (ChiLumi fanart)

Lumine

Winter Reunion (ChiLumi fanart)

Sohreh

Guilt [Zandik x Sohreh fanart collaboration with clavd_]

Baldur's Gate 3

Golden Hour (Astarion from Baldur's Gate fanart)

Creature Of the Night (Astarion Bookmark Scanned Version)

finished physical version

Batstarion [handmade Baldur's Gate 3 Astarion inspired plushie keychain WIP]

Honkai Star Rail

Wicked Game [Gallagher x Sunday commission]

Random Art

Luminous Jellyfish [acrylic painting]

✩ Fanfiction masterlists sorted by fandoms:

Genshin Impact

Miracles Of The White Nights - Il Dottore x OC/reader (AO3 link)

Zandie's Spooky Adventure (Spooktober 2024 - platonic)

Others

✩ The reality of being Dottore fan - survey results (2024): GOOGLE DRIVE LINK

[fagdykemuppet]

ok i havent done it Yet but i plan on compiling a bunch of ben pics and loading them all in the queue to be a once a day thing. but until then id like to make a little introduction to our dear ben christo/the face behind our beloved ifrit ghoul! mainly because i already wrote something up somewhere else and i'd figure it'd be easy to just translate it all to one big tumblr post instead of doing school work. (update: it was fucking not) note: i have not listened to everything that he's ever done (and actually not a lot of this stuff) and i will miss some stuff but it's a start. if anyone wants to give stuff to put on this post i'd be more than happy to include it + i may update it as i learn more. ok cut incoming. warning for talk about unmasked ghouls if that's not your thing i guess. but also why are you here if its not.

okay so as we all know, ben christo is the face behind our beloved ifrit ghoul! but for those that don't: he played the touring lead guitarist for the band ghost in 2017! but this is all fairly surface level stuff, and i will not be going into much detail, if you want to look into it more just look at ritual footage from 2017. and if you're somehow not here from the ghost side of things hi. i'm sorry this is probably confusing, just ignore it. or dont and get into ghost bc ben played a ghoul in 2017. your choice

but with that out of the way, onto the real reason im making this post!

to get them out of the way, here are some links. (website, insta, twitter, facebook, linktree, youtube, spotify playlist, spotify profile, apple music)

so for some basic info that everyone that knows anything about ben will know: he is the guitarist for sisters of mercy. i don't personally listen to this band, but i do know that another one of the ghouls, the face behind aether, chris catalyst, was also a guitarist for the band. ben has been the guitarist since 2006, and also i think backing vocals. (links: spotify, facebook, twitter, website, (this thing is so fucking outdated but im putting it here for comprehensiveness), apple music, amazon music)

diamond black: this one is a band i do listen to, he is one of the founding members, the lead vocalist and guitarist! used to just be on guitar, but the lead singer (jaakko turunen) recently stepped down and now ben is fronting it. this band also includes another ghoul! jan-vincent velazco (aka vinnie) was the earth right before mountain/hayden scott, and is the drummer for diamond black! they've been around since 2017. and, fun fact, at the time of writing this post they're going on tour in a month with esprit d'air (which vinnie is also the touring drummer for. doing double time). go get tickets if youre in the uk area!! gogogo!!! theyre cheap, only ~£25!!! (links: spotify, website, insta, facebook, twitter, apple music, youtube, buy on amazon music)

speaking of esprit d'air: did you know ben did a collab with them? yep! dead zone off of oceans! (other links: lyric video, buy digitally, buy on bandcamp, buy on amazon music, listen on apple music)

next up is his work on raymond watt's PIG. from 2018-2019 he was a member of the band, going on tour (along side vinnie who was on drums) and even doing some riffs on the album risen (and the ep prey & obey). i haven't listened to these in particular, but i do like some of raymond's other work. (prey & obey: spotify bandcamp amazon apple, risen: spotify, buy it on bandcamp, buy it from metropolis records, buy on amazon, listen on apple music)

AKO (pronounced A-K-O. dont make the mistake i did and pronounce it as a word): i listen to this one. i don't know a lot about it, though. from what i've read it was formed in 1998 and disbanded 2005, reuniting briefly in 2010. (links: spotify, bandcamp, listen on apple music x, buy on amazon music x)

night by night: i know nothing about this band other than what i've read. it was founded by ben in 2008 and he plays lead guitar and does backing vocals! also i think vinnie mentioned being in the band at some point but i honestly cannot remember. (links: spotify, twitter, apple music, amazon, facebook, youtube. they used to have a website but i cannot for the life of me find if its still up bc all the links im finding are dead)

last thing ill be mentioning here is his work on lord of the lost's 2021 album judas. he contributed lyrics, guitar, music and vocals for argent (lyrics and co-wrote music) and still life to die for (lyrics, melody, vocals and guitar). (links: spotify x, amazon music, apple music, youtube x, bandcamp x)

there's obviously a lot more stuff he's been in, i just lost steam after working on this for a few days + even then i don't think i could cover everything he's been in i feel like im learning new things everyday. i'd suggest doing your own research + if theres anything you'd like me to add to this post just let me know!

[francies-fold]

DONATIONS NEEDED FOR VET CARE FOR SICK STRAY!!!

I am reaching out to the community in hopes of securing funds for further treatment for a sick foster. I first saw this sweet boy, now named Elias, in a Facebook post roughly one week ago. He was in critical condition, so when we couldn’t find a rescue or foster near him, transporters worked with us to relocate Elias from a busy grocery store parking lot in Miami, FL to our home in Hastings, FL.

On the last leg of his journey, I took him to a vet, who revealed a lot about his condition - he is a senior with a heart murmur, missing all but one of his teeth (which is broken) and the roots are still in his gums, ulcers on his gums and tongue, inflamed and swollen privates, painful constipation, severe dehydration and malnutrition, and we may learn he is suffering even more after further testing. He was given IV fluids, antibiotics, painkillers, and an appetite stimulant and treated physically for his injuries, then sent home with more medications. Elias is as comfortable as he can be for now and is taking his medicine like a champ.

The next steps for his treatment are detailed in the estimate included - as you can see, we need to collect $900+ in donations before his next visit to the vet. Amazingly, we have already raised over $300 but still have a long way to go.

PLEASE consider DONATING to Elias’s vet care - the sooner we reach our goal, the sooner he can be seen again!!! Please also consider SHARING and COMMENTING on this post to boost its reach and engagement.

I want to give a massive thank you from the bottom of my heart to all of the trappers, transporters, and donors who have made saving Elias possible. I also want to give a big thank you to Dr Kaitlin Westberry and vet tech Ford at the Veterinary Emergency Center of East Volusia for their amazing service and compassionate treatment. Words cannot expressed my gratitude!!

More updates and pictures of Elias coming soon!!

[xuenstrugglestoblog]

Did somebody say blogs R DEAD??

Since the pandemic, we've all been watching TikTok's short videos to cure our boredom, but it's 2024 now and there's Reels on Instagram and Facebook, YouTube now has Shorts. Well we can safely say that our attention span is now shorter than the time it takes for the stock market to crash.

This got a question that some of the older generation (anything before Gen Z) wondering : Is blogging still relevant in the age of TikTok and Instagram? SPOILER ALERT : Yes. Most definitely is and let me break it down for you.

Hehe kidding, hope you like to see Mario break dancing, but in all seriousness, here's why blogging will survive like the rats who live under Paris' sewers : 1. The Long-Form Content King

I mentioned earlier that people these days have peanuts for their attention span (sorry not sorry, I'm one of them anyways). This is all thanks to TikToks, IG Reels, YouTube Shorts for feeding us these short, less than a minute videos that are used for quick consumption. Quick consumption means surface level engagement and that can be translated to : the videos provide very little information and it tends to go over your head so you'll forget it in a couple of days. However, blogs allow brands to explore topics in detail, provide in-depth opinions and value that can't be conveyed through short videos. Blogging is more intimate where it provides in-depth, authoritative content that builds a connection with the readers. Space (2024) shared that blogs offer an unmatched resource when it comes to sharing expertise and comprehensive response to questions that users might not get from just a TikTok. Even with Instagram posts, there is a word limit and we'll most probably be directed to the Linktree in their bio "for more information". Thus, blogs can explore a topic in full detail, breakdown complex ideas and even provide sources to strengthen claims. This is a lot of information to just fit into a video. This is why blogging will strengthen a brand's authority and provide a lasting value for readers.

2. Blogging and SEO : One True Pair

Blogging's relevance in 2024 continues on with its power to drive organic traffic through Search Engine Optimization (SEO). TikTok and IG are mostly dependent on in-app searches and those sneaky algorithms that cater to your viewing feed, but blogs play the long game by being indexed on search engines. Lyon (2024) has stressed that blogs are critical for boosting visibility through organic search. Why? Simple enough : search engines will prioritize websites that consistently publish quality content (keyword here is quality). Blogs, in this case, will regularly update with new, relevant information; and not to mention, a well-written blog with the optimized keywords will land a spot in the first few suggestions of Google's search results, driving traffic to a brand's website for years to come. Unlike IG captions or TikTok descriptions, blogs definitely offer more opportunities for relevant keywords, which adds metadata and links to other relevant pages - all the essentials ingredients for a recipe to improve a website's SEO. Last bit of information : blogs enable content to be repurposed across multiple platforms, such as extracting tips from a long, boring article to create a series of TikTok videos or IG posts to make things brief-er and more interesting.

3. Establishing Authority and Building Trust <3

The current 2024 digital landscape is getting increasingly competitive, so trust and authority will go hand-in-hand to become key differentiators for brands and content creators. Blogging allows for a more personal, more transparent... just... more DETAILED exploration of ideas that readers can rely on for accuracy and depth. According to Yvette, blogging in 2024 is more important than ever because brands can leverage blogs to establish thought leadership and build trust with the consumers. Yes, TikTok and IG are excellent at creating buzz and getting direct, immediate, interactions, but do they foster the same level of trust as a well-researched, well-written blog post like this one? Well, I don't think so. Blogging allows businesses to answer those specific questions, address issues and share their expertise in a way that consumers may revisit over time. Plus, blogs serve as an evergreen resource, providing that value readers love long after the initial publication date.

4. Blogging and Social Media are #BFFs4lyfe

You heard that right, blogging and social media will forever complement each other in powerful ways. First, you see this video on TikTok or Instagram. It grabs your attention. You go "huh.. that's pretty interesting..." You want more information. Where do you go? That's right. You head over to a blog to read more about whatever that just snagged your attention. Short-form content acts as an excellent hook to grab attention and generate interest, but the blogs take over for the deeper dive into the topic. Lyon (2024) further suggests that bloggers who incorporate video content, social media links, and multimedia within their posts will create a more engaging experience that can satisfy both types of content consumers. Additionally, blogs can be shared on social media platforms to drive the traffic back to a website, going back to the point where it helps to foster that relationship between a brand and audience #betterthanyourrelationship

Don't hate me for that, I'm just as single. Going back on topic though, businesses can maximize that reach and engagement of their content while delivering the in-depth information that the audience craves. So yes, social media trends fluctuate and change ever so frequently, but a well-maintained blog remains a stable, reliable foundation for long-term brand growth. #blogswillcontinueonforever #bloggingliveson

It's 2024, the world is dominated by Instagram and TikTok. Blogging may seem like this relic from a different time period, but hey. I hope this blog post changed your mind about it. Blogging clearly still holds immense value, especially when it comes down to provide deep, contextual, content, improving SEO and establishing authority. As Space (2024) and Yvette (2024) suggests, blogging serves a different, BUT complementary purpose, to short-form content. The balance of both snappy social media posts and detailed blog articles can help a brand cater to the diverse needs of their audience.

So NO, BLOGGING ISN'T DEAD (I'm blogging as you read this) and it is still as relevant as ever. It can, however, continue to evolve but there will still be a place for long-form, thoughtful writing.

References

Lyon, C. (2024). Is blogging dead? No, and here’s why. Lyon Content Agency. Retrieved from https://lyoncontentagency.com/is-blogging-dead-no-and-heres-why/

Yvette. (2024). Why blogging in 2024 is more important than ever. Lemonade Design Co. Retrieved from https://lemonadedesign.co/why-blogging-in-2024-is-more-important-than-ever/

Li, Y. (2022). Identity construction in social media: A study on blogging continuance. Behaviour & Information Technology, 41(8), 1671–1688. https://doi.org/10.1080/0144929X.2021.1895319

Space, M. (2024). Why blogging still matters. Manson Space. Retrieved from https://manson.space/blog/why-blogging-still-matters/

[thecascadesystem]

Life Updates - Financial Struggles, Emergency Commissions, and System Mishaps

Hi everyone! It's been a while since we checked into this account, because a lot has changed in our life. If you don't know us, please stick around to read this post anyway.

TL;DR: life took a turn for the worst, and now we need help. There'll be more information below the cut if you're interested in learning more, or which to support us in any way.

Otherwise, please just share the links in our Linktree - we have some emergency commissions available on our Ko-Fi, and a Throne Wishlist for donations.

Part One: Financial Struggles

I'm getting this out of the way because it's the most important part, I believe. In late July, this system became homeless after a number of issues made us spiral into a mental health crisis.

Despite reaching out for help with all of support networks that we were guided, nobody wanted to take our case seriously. The mental health crisis teams told us that we needed a doctor's referral to access their services, but our doctor at the time had no idea what to do and referred us back to the crisis team. The homelessness charities told us that we needed referrals from our local councils, but none of the councils wanted to refer us because we haven't stayed as a resident in any local area for more than 6 months and had no family connections due to being estranged. We were being led on a wild goose chase for two weeks, having to stay in hostels and airbnbs in order to avoid sleeping on the streets, all whilst nobody could give us a straightforward answer and didn't seem to care about our struggles.

Eventually, we were accepted into an apartment that is close enough for us to continue caring for our disabled fiancé, but this would sadly lead to more issues that we could not have predicted. The Housing Support fund that we were supposed to receive in our monthly benefits was rejected, due to a mix-up with the documents that we provided. We're still waiting for this issue to be resolved, but we won't receive any money to pay towards our rent, bills and groceries until the 28th of September. In applying for this apartment, we prepared for these benefits to help us pay the rent each month, and now without the financial support we are left struggling to balance our remaining funds. There is a very high chance that we will go into debt if we cannot make some extra money to pay for essentials.

That's why we're asking for help. Our Throne Wishlist has a bunch of donations goals set, from money that would go towards our living costs to household items that we otherwise can't afford to buy on our own. Our Ko-Fi page has commission slots available, too - the next section will describe the commissions in more detail.

-

Part Two: Emergency Commissions

Doctor Who has been a major comfort media for all of us in this system, especially over the past few weeks where life has been so unpredictable. We took to learning Sherman's Circular Gallifreyan as an idle way to de-stress, and it quickly became a passion that we would love to develop further!

On our Ko-Fi page, you can order just about any word or phrase for us to translate into Circular Gallifreyan, starting at £5 with a rate of +£1 per additional word. By ordering this service, you'll not only be helping us to develop our skills with this conlang, but you'll also be helping us to stay fed and pay our utility bills. There's even a Google Form for you to fill out upon purchase, which will help to customise the final image to your expectations.

(Oh, and we have fursona commissions open too, but that's unrelated to Doctor Who so I didn't know how to mention it. We had a lot of fun drawing the silly doodles above, though!)

So, if you're in the market for either of those services, please check our Ko-Fi out from the Linktree at the top of this post! You'd be supporting a queer, disabled and mentally ill 'starving artist'.

-

Part Three: System Mishaps

Now for the bit that isn't so important, but I feel is still necessary to mention. For those who have followed this blog for a while now, you might remember us as the 'Cuddle System', not the 'Cascade System'. That previous name was used primarily by our host at the time, Teddy, who has since lost that role within our system and no longer fronts as often as he once did. Our mental health crisis kind of caused a big disturbance in the way that we function, and it required an entirely new change of pace in order to cope - this includes a whole new set of hosts and frequent fronters that can truly deal with the situations at hand, helping to keep the system safe as a whole.

It only felt fitting that our online presence changed to match our current outlook, as a sign of 'moving on' and breaking away from our old habits of living in the past. You'll see the aesthetics of this blog change to match the new hosts' preferences, and our tagging system may even be adjusted to match whatever new theme that we choose. I hope that you can all understand this situation, and I apologise if you become disappointed by the way that this blog will be managed going forwards. Internal developments like this are difficult to put into words.

-

If you got this far ito the post, I really cannot thank you enough for reading! If you're unable to donate or support us financially, then please just share this post instead - every reblog would help to get our commissions seen.

I also hope that you're having a good day whenever you see this :)

– Theta

[ja0-s-blank-canvas-fic]

Part 3 - Chapter 44 - Kamino: Knock Out

Blank Canvas Part 3

AO3 - here

Fanfiction.net - here

And we're back! Just got of work and came home to a tasty meal of artichokes! Boil 'em and nom on the leaves (petals?) in melted butter mixed with garlic. MmMmm! Delicious. Alrighty, let us continue on the journey through the Kamino fight. Stay strong, All Might! Big baddy All For One wants to kick your butt.

Warning for a lot of mentions of blood but I do not at all go into any actual gore other than that. Not the biggest fan of going super realistic and detailed with it comes to that part of violence.

Linktree to all the things!

End notes for the chapter are under the line.

All Might has prevailed! :D But of course he would. Can't let All For One have his way now could we? Though I gotta say I had a lot of fun writing All For One's dialogue in this chapter. He's just so manipulative and evil.

A little more interaction with Izuku and Gran Torino! Gotta check in with the green bean. I know, he's still stuck there but the fight is over now so he's safe. And again, reasons to be revealed in the future.

So All For One said it. Izuku is his son. Oof. How will All Might react to that in the aftermath? We'll see! Btw, going through this part in canon, with All For One listing off the quirks he used, all I could think of was DBZ abridged. The part where Goku is fighting Vegeta.

Goku: Kaioken...! Vegeta: No. Goku: ...times... Vegeta: No, no, no. Goku: ...FOUR! Vegeta: FUUUUUUUUUUUck! -blown away-

(If you haven't seen DBZ abridged, please do. Still hilarious. XD For me without having watched it and even more so after I watched the whole show.)

Fun Facts About Japan:

There are many ways to say goodbye in Japanese. With All Might saying goodbye to All For One I thought we'd talk about it now. And to show we haven't said goodbye to this section. :P Nope! No sayonara to FFAJ as it exists in my notes. XD

Speaking of sayonara (さよ��ら), it isn't actually the standard way to say goodbye to someone. Reason being is it doesn't just mean goodbye but more goodbye forever or an extended period of time. Kind of like 'I don't know when I will see you again' feel. Kids will use it growing up but adults typically don't preferring to use ones not so formal.

So how else can you say goodbye? At the work, I would greet the teachers with an osaki ni shitsurei shimasu ( おさきにしつれいします , お先に失礼します ) which essentially means pardon me/forgive me for leaving before you'. In Japan, they are very work focused and the teachers put a lot of extra hours in past when school let's out. Then the reciprocated response is otsukaresama deshita ( おつかれさまでした , お疲れ様でした ) which is them thanking you for all your hard work for the day. It doesn't have a direct translation into English though. It uses the verb tsukareru ( つかれる , 疲れる ) which means 'to be tired' and is used in a way to say 'you look tired from working so hard'. A show of appreciation for your efforts essentially.

Then with family and good friends you can use jyaa/jyaa ne ( じゃあ/じゃあね) or mata/mata ne ( また/またね ) which are both short for jyaa, mata ne ( じゃあまたね ). The more formal version is sore dewa mata ne ( それでわまたね ) meaning 'see you later then' and jyaa is just a casual sound between close friends and those younger than you. Essentially saying jyaa ne serves as 'bye-bye'.

There's a bunch more ways so if you're interested you can check these links out if you're interested. :) About sayonara and goodbye greetings in general then otsukaresama deshita and jyaa ne specifically. Enjoy!

There ya have it! The Kamino fight has come to an end but we're not done yet. Come on, it's me! :P The fight may have been won but now there's the aftermath to deal with. Oof. Lots to unpack after all this. ;) We'll see what's up with that next time. じゃあね！

[kikiskjaldmaer]

The Year Of The Witching ~ by Alexis Henderson

Here is another long overdue review: The Year Of The Witching.

As always, this review is spoiler-free, so I’ll only provide basic details.

Plot: Emmanuelle Moore is a sixteen-year-old living in the fictional Bethel, home to a puritanical society where women’s rights are disregarded and the only law is the sacred and absolute word of the Prophet. Life for Emmanuelle has never been easy, as she is the result of her mother’s love for an outsider, and consequently, the reason her whole family is forced to live in the shadow of their collective shame. Bethel’s memory of her mother’s mistake lingers, despite the passing of years, much like the Darkwoods, whispered to be haunted by four witches, call to Emmanuelle each day. Emmanuelle Moore understands the importance of not succumbing to the desire to go into the forest. In the eyes of society, her very existence is blasphemous, and she must repent for both herself and her family for the rest of her life. Nevertheless, the Deadwoods will continue their beckoning, and the truth will eventually be revealed, forcing Emmanuelle to confront unexpected revelations and make crucial choices that will change everything.

My opinion: 

When I think about this book, three words always come to mind: hauntingly beautiful prose. The writer’s voice had a lyrical and atmospheric quality, like a whispered story in the dark. I noticed numerous reviews, even the positive ones, and felt as though this story could have gone further and deeper. I agree that a lot more could have been done with it, but this is still only the first book in the “Bethel” series, and I know there is at least one more planned to be released. That would leave space for more world-building, more lore, more of everything. So I, for one, will choose to be patient, and see what Handerson will deliver in the future. Some other reviews also pointed out the simplicity of the society, and while I understand their perspective, I found it sufficient for Emmanuelle’s story. Other reviews lamented about bad character development, and with those I wholeheartedly disagree. I loved all the characters (of course the Prophet can go die in a hole somewhere, but he was a very good villain). Emmanuelle, Ezra (the love interest), and any other secondary character were masterfully brought to life. Emmanuelle and Ezra’s relationship is an enjoyable slow-burn romance, very tender and sincere. I found myself rooting for them and caring about them. The horror element and atmosphere were certainly there and were very well done. I thought the atmosphere was loosely similar to the TV show “Midnight Mass.” 

In conclusion, I loved this YA witchy story, and I highly recommend it! 

For me, it was a full 5☆☆☆☆☆ read l!

FIND MY CONTENT:

[pudgewudginprints]

Finally had some time to start working on the final DTIYS prize for @citrus.poppy ☺️

It’s a goose surrounded by daisies ❤️ I’m really excited to add more detail to this and start doing the line art. I’m probably going to color it too~ Have a happy Thursday everyone!!!

All likes, shares, comments, and saves help a lot! Also, if you’re looking to help support me, visit my Linktree (link in my bio) and leave a $ tip on my Kofi page ❤️

[svvedishgod]

PLEASE STOP SCROLLING, TAKE A MOMENT TO READ

My name is Quincy, my friend Noah and I require assistance in reaching our goals on GoFundMe. Neither of our families will fund us. I'll go into some detail, but please read the campaigns linked at the bottom

Noah needs the money for top surgery because his insurance doesn't cover it and his parents aren't looking to help him. Getting top surgery would improve his mental health and quality of life by a lot.

I need the money to move out because my mother is abusive and is negatively affecting my mental health to a very severe point. Obviously she isn't looking to help me with this.

It would mean the world to me if you helped us reach our goals so we can both live well. Even if you don't donate, please repost this and share it with your family and friends so that someone can.

Both campaigns are listed in my Linktree.

Thank you in advance❤

[amadeusgame]

August Devlog: Re-Orienting Toward a Full Game

It's the end of the month - here is an update on the ongoing development to turn Amadeus from a demo into Episode 1 of a full 5-part game.

Before getting to the details, here are some important news items:

The linktree now (as of TODAY!) has a link to a community Discord server!

The server is currently quite small and has dedicated spaces for art sharing, in addition to regular updates on Amadeus. If you prefer more interactive communication feel free to join.

(There are also channels dedicated to speedrunning, as that is how the server was born, once upon a time... mute away as you like.)

I'm going to PAX West, and planning to attend both the adjacent Media Indie Exchange and the Seattle Indies Expo. See you there??

And now, for this month's updates!

TL;DR highlights:

Game Progress: Created new sprites/assets, plus a new dev tool to make testing the dialogue system much smoother

Next major benchmark: plan to release updated demo with revamped UI/controls this winter

Project Management: what I learned about making an updated Game Design Document that will keep me on track for the full Episode 1 release next summer. (Hint: if writing a narrative game, start with the narrative...)

Recreation: a list of media I consumed for fun that also helped inspire me and identify my own goals for this project.

Details below for those interested.

Game Progress: New Assets & Dev Tool for Sprites

I said I created new sprites and assets. Of note, a particular very important character now has a finalized design and a portrait. This character was mentioned often in the demo, but has yet to make an appearance...

That's right, it's time for the Solea Portrait Reveal!!!

I'm really happy with her design (including the full body portrait, which I'll save for later). I think it conveys a lot about her character. I want to give a HUGE thank-you to my girl Lecy for answering a ton of my questions about Black haircare while I worked on this design, because I wanted Solea to feel grounded and real, even though the world is fantasy and she's a witch. There reaches a point where drawing from my lived experience as A White Person has its limits, and talking to other people became very important to help me tell an authentic story.

Making this portrait also helped me begin to build and test a new dev tool, because I can now envision a conversation between Amadeus and Solea. Building dev tools is one of those things that I cannot overstate enough how important they are. This tool is going to help IMMENSELY with creating dialogue scenes, helping me choose just the right expression to match each dialogue line.

Using this tool, I can change the values for the left and right sprites and then type L/R to have the game live update to that sprite, so I can swap them around live without having to manually activate/de-activate the sprites. In visual novels, especially those without voice acting, the expression sprites are TREMENDOUSLY important in setting the tone of written dialogue. The same line can feel markedly different with a different expression. In addition, some of my sprites have animations, so being able to test how those animations flow between different sprites is really easy now. I built it to be relatively future-proof, so that if I add other functions (like shaking and sprite barks), with a few tweaks this will help me test those too.

Making this tool took me less than an hour, and is going to save orders of magnitude more time and effort in the long run when I'm writing scenes and matching dialogue to expressions.

Next Major Benchmark: New Demo This Winter

To avoid getting hopes up: my current plan for this is to have effectively the same demo in terms of narrative, but with improved mechanics that will be the norm for the full game. There is a lot more narrative that is going to be in the full Episode 1 release than there is in the demo, but it does not make sense to start building the scenes for the rest of the narrative until I go back and thoroughly fix/implement all of the gameplay changes I want for the complete game. My hope is that anyone playing it will feel that, even though the narrative is the same, the game itself will feel much more polished and cohesive. This demo will be my proof to myself, and to you, that the full game is coming, and it will feel good.

(Famous last words: "if I have time," I hope to add a little extra content too, to entice those of you who already played the demo. I just want to be clear that the focus will be fixing and adding mechanics, including a Settings menu and better controls, first and foremost.)

Do you have thoughts for what you would like to see added/improved for this demo? The askbox on the Amadeus Game tumblr blog, as well as the Discord server, are both great places to provide feedback if you'd like to see any changes implemented in the full game. Check the linktree for links to those resources. I do already have a to-do list, from playtester feedback as well as my own experience/preference; but I am always seeking additional feedback!

Project Management: Making a New GDD to Actually Ship The Full Game

Making a Game Design Document (GDD) in class for the prototype that would eventually become Amadeus was simultaneously the hardest and most important thing I ever did for it. I struggle with breaking down tasks, but it is specifically because I struggle with it that forcing myself to do it is invaluable. Once I broke down the task of "make an entire game prototype" into all of its discrete pieces, and organized them into a calendar of deadlines (complicated ones first!), I could visualize how much work it was and prioritize, downsize, and get to work.

It also really helps fight against the part of me that constantly wants to add new shiny things. "Oh it won't be that hard if I just add this here and that there" - this is the Devil speaking. Once I can see a massive list of Everything That Needs to Be Done from breaking it down, it becomes clear that I don't even have enough time for the current vision, let alone one with extra bells and whistles! And then the question becomes "how do I prioritize just the essentials, and set new expectations for something achievable?" Start there. Always start there.

Unfortunately, when it came time to do one of the tasks I set myself for this month ("update the GDD"), I realized that task in itself needed to be broken down. I have an old GDD for a demo that was about 5-10 minutes long , has working but janky mechanics, and a laundry list of "will get to this later" items.  Transforming THAT into a GDD that would keep me on task to ship a complete Episode 1 is, let's face it, basically making a new one from scratch. The time I allotted to this task was not proportionate to how important and time-consuming it was going to be.

What I DID do, is sit down and make a plan to actually make this happen.

First of all, I need to make new paper prototypes, and get feedback on them. I am planning major enough changes to gameplay/UI that I need to prototype them on paper, see what makes the most sense, and use that to build the changes. I can't update the part of my document that talks about new mechanics to implement until I decide, concretely, what those mechanics should look like! I have some thumbnails I sketched already, which is a start. Next is to "build" and test them.

I also found that the biggest roadblock is that I had still not finalized the full narrative arc for Episode 1. I cannot make a list of needed assets until I have a total number of scenes/locations in mind, which I cannot have until I know exactly where Episode 1 begins, goes, and ends. I have a lot of overall ideas, and I know some basic major plot beats for each episode, but I was putting off more specific narrative work until later... because, well, it's hard work! And, like the GDD, the fact that it's hard means that is exactly why it needs to happen first. It's absolutely critical to the entire form of the game, and how I must direct my time and energy during development.

Now that I understand this - that I need to start over with paper prototypes, sit down and FULLY outline my Episode 1 narrative, and use that to create a new GDD that truly tracks every step between now and release - I have a game plan.

So, next month is going to be critical. This past month was a lot of me figuring things out and identifying what wasn't working. This doesn't really sound like an accomplishment, but it is one. Now, I know how to actually approach this, and I can get to work. I hope that, this same time next month, I'll be writing a devlog that inspires confidence that this game is really and truly going to launch. Because I'll have finished the hardest part of the whole process: planning it, breaking it down, and organizing it.

Recreation: Cool Media That Inspired Me This Month

Seriously, rest and recreation are so important! It's important to take breaks, it's important to have fun, and it's important to engage with other media when creating media yourself. This month was really full of inspiration for me. I....

Played The House in Fata Morgana, an absolutely incredible gothic horror visual novel. It was SO inspiring for me, in terms of mechanics, narrative, and aesthetics. In fact there were several ideas developed in this story that I had already planned on engaging with in Amadeus, so seeing another interpretation of those ideas was a fascinating reference. Unfortunately, as with most visual novels, I cannot elaborate further without spoiling the entirety of both narratives. You should play it though.

Watched a lot of werewolf movies. Even though Amadeus belongs more to the mystery and fantasy genres than the "werewolf" genre, the fact that the main character is a werewolf is a kind of extremely important driving force in the story. And I felt like I should do my due diligence and engage with a lot of werewolf stories before writing my own, because no one wants to be that guy who writes a story on very well-trodden ground and thinks they're doing it Special and like No One Else Ever Has. ...Also, full disclosure: I just wanted to watch a bunch of werewolf movies. So I checked out:

(Rewatch) American Werewolf in London

(Rewatch) Silver Bullet

(Rewatch) Bad Moon

(First Time) Ginger Snaps

(First Time) Wer

I filled up about 2 pages of scribbled notes on different ideas, topics, images, conflicts, and themes that I want to engage with from each of these. I found that some of them asked questions that I am also asking in Amadeus, and gave me inspiration for how I might answer them. Since I know that narrative is the first thing I need to iron out, having a few brainstorming sessions while watching werewolf movies helped me get a more concrete idea of what, specifically, I want to say and do in my narrative.

If you haven't seen any of the movies on that list, by the way, I very strongly recommend American Werewolf in London, Silver Bullet, and Ginger Snaps.

That's all for this month! There should be another devlog at the end of September - look forward to that one. In the meantime, you can always bookmark the Linktree and check back for new resources.