#this semester has been....tough financially!

[lingwenboobs]

hi im uh, not doing so hot tbh! I had to take a lot of money out to cover food and expenses last week. I wasn't able to work because the college was closed too so that means no paycheck! I'll be working a lot these next two weeks to try and make up for it but in the meantime I really don't have the money to buy...anything really and I'm short around $800. If anyone feels up to sending some my way i have c.app, p.pal, and vnmo.

[bread-of-death]

Whelp. I just emailed the Dean.

[unabashegirl]

Different 13 — college hs

Harry's quiet, routine-driven life changes one weekend when he meets Y/N through a mutual friend at her party. She comes from a superficial, materialistic world with absent parents who believe money solves everything. Despite their differences, something clicks that night, and Y/N can't stop thinking about him.

Author's note: hello everyone,I hope you are all doing well! I wanted to thank everyone who has donated to my Ko-FI "help me pay for medical school". It has really touched me especially how kind everyone here can be. If you are able please please help me. I am desperate. I've run out of options.

If you don't know what I am talking about here is a brief summary: As many of you may know, I’m currently in medical school, only a year away from graduating. Unfortunately, I’m facing a financial hurdle that might prevent me from enrolling this January. My father’s passing due to cancer has left my family in a tough spot, and my mom has been working tirelessly to support me and cover my school expenses. The reason this is so urgent is that if I miss this semester, I’ll fall behind significantly due to changes in the school’s syllabus. The semesters after mine follow a completely different curriculum, meaning I wouldn’t just be delayed a semester—I’d be delayed by over a year and a half. I’ve been thinking long and hard about how I can keep moving forward, and I’ve decided to ask for your help. Any support, whether through donations, or simply spreading the word, would mean the world to me. I’m incredibly grateful to have this amazing community.

--> Ko-Fi link for donations. (You can even donate a $1)

--> Patreon

---> different masterlist <---

TRIGGER WARNING: mentions of rape, sexual abuse and physical abuse.

“I am done” Y/N frowned as she shut her book closed. “My brain is going to explode if I continue” Harry smiled as he caressed her back gently. “Can we go get some dinner or something?” She suggested to everyone.

“Keep talking,” Mitch said as he looked up from his laptop. “I am genuinely starving”.

“Can I go too?” Sarah asked, not wanting to interrupt the plans if it was a couples-only plan and she and Mitch had misinterpreted.

“Obviously” Y/N smiled, “I know this place where they sell tacos and burritos close to campus. Does that sound good?”

“So good” Mitch had already started packing, knowing that if he continued studying nothing would stick and he would just be burning neurons for fun.

“I left my car. is it all right if we walk there? Is not that far” They all nodded and started their journey to the food truck that Y/N had pumped up so much.

Y/N had texted James and Sebastian to meet them after their gym session, so she wasn’t surprised to run into them when they arrived.

“There you are” James smiled as he pulled her into a hug. “How was the library?”

“Good” She smiled and hugged him back.

It all happened so quickly that no one in the group had a chance to react. Y/N hadn’t even been able to introduce her lifelong friends to her boyfriend when Brian walked up with his jaw clenched and his eyebrows frowned.

“Look who is here” He smiled as he noticed Harry. Their hands were intertwined, and Harry carried both of their backpacks. “Why are you here, huh?”.

“Brian. Don’t” Y/N hissed she noticed James moving up front to face him. She was nervous about how everything was going to unfold. The last thing she wanted was for a fight to break out between her friends and boyfriend against Brian.

“So, this is what you are fucking, huh?” He poked Harry’s chest harshly, emphasizing on YOU. Harry didn’t say anything and remained quiet. He had no desire to fight. He was also very serene at alarming times.

“You are a fucking idiot” James chuckled as he stepped in front of Y/N and Harry. His body was tense, and he stood proudly with his head up. James had never been a fan of Brian. They were teammates, but Brian always ran his mouth in the locker room and spoke of whomever he was doing. Brian had obviously spoken about Y/N and had referred to her as easy.

“I wasn’t speaking to you. So, I suggest you shut your mouth and get out of my face” Brian commanded him only reminding him of that night. “Before I shut it for you”.

The comment that brought him back to that night. An image and a night that still haunted him. James had been downstairs enjoying a few drinks, celebrating a victory in beer pong. He had also been the first in the room and to think that he had gone to look for them because of a hunch.

--->FLASHBACK<----

People danced against one another to the rhythm of the loud music that made the house vibrate. Sebastian walked past James too intoxicated to even notice him. Earlier they had won a football game which coherently had been celebrated with a party, organized by a sorority. They had arrived with Y/N and like every other party she had disappeared with Brian. James yanked Sebastian by the back of his yellow shirt.

“Bro” Sebastian grind, realizing that it was his best friend. “There are so many hot girls” He breathed then leaned in, “Let’s go get some” he whispered and so his breath fanned James’s face. He could smell the alcohol on him from twenty miles away. Sebastian rarely partied as hard, but he had recently broken up with a girl, which had hurt him severely. James laughed and pushed him back lightly, trying to get his breath away from his face.

“You need a fucking mint. Not a girl, man” James joked as Sebastian threw his arm over his shoulders as they looked through the crowd of people. “Have you seen Y/N?” He asked over the loud music.

“Saw her a few hours ago. She was heading upstairs with Brian. Even she is getting some!” James frowned and couldn’t keep his mind from drifting to the stories that people talked of Brian.

“A few hours?” He asked again, but Sebastian was too distracted eyeing some random girl to answer him.

Something grew within James that night. Perhaps it was an instinct of protection. So, since he was far from shy, he started making his way through people and up the stairs to the second floor. He dodged people and pushed them around in hopes to find her. James looked for her one last time when he was at the top of the stairs but there were so people, and Y/N was tiny, that it was useless.

He eventually gave up and walked up the stairs and towards the master bedroom. He didn’t need to search the other bedrooms because he knew Brian was too self-absorbed to settle for less than the biggest room in the house.

James stood outside the door and thought about it multiple times, but something in his gut told him to get into the room. So, he quietly opened one of the doors and found them.

Brian was holding her and not in the delicate matter that she deserved to be touched and handled. He held her by her hair and his fist was in the air, above her, ready to deliver the third blow to her face. Y/N was looking up at him, drowning in tears and blood. Her hands were trying to scratch her way out of his grip, but she was unsuccessful.

In a matter of seconds, James had gripped him by the back of his neck and had ripped him off her like a band-aid.

“What the fuck?” Brian slurred as he was thrown on the floor. James was finally able to get a better look at Y/N. He would never forget how scared and vulnerable she looked. His blood boiled and was quickly on Brian. James’s fist repeatedly met with his face and blood started splattering everywhere. Y/N cried and screamed as she tried pulling James off, Brian.

“SHIT” Sebastian's drunkenness evaporated in seconds as soon as he walked in. There was blood everywhere and not only from Brian and James but also Y/N’s. Her dress straps were down, and the bottom was riddled up to her waist. Her throat was red from the marks made by his tight grip on her. She had arrived in a tan bodycon dress, but now it had a huge strain covering the front and it had been overly stretched by Brian’s brutality.

Sebastian was finally able to get James off, Brian, but not without breaking a sweat.

“Enough” He yelled as he helped him off the floor. “Look at Y/N. She needs us more than ever” James looked up and noticed the crying mess that Y/N was and how broken she was.

“Is he breathing?” James asked as he approached Y/N slowly not wanting to startle her or scare her.

Sebastian kneeled down by Brian and checked that he was still breathing before nodding back at James, who was taking his jacket off just so he could take his shirt off too. He gathered it up and pressed it against her broken nose then pulled on the jacket to cover his naked torso.

“Fuck baby” he hissed as he watched her wince, “What has he done to you?” He whispered as his eyes watered, hoping that it hadn’t happened before. James and Sebastian didn’t expect an answer from her. They just helped her to pull her dress down and pull the straps of her dress up.

“Please take me home” She begged between hiccups. James nodded but stood back. He felt too dirty of his blood to be able to touch her. Sebastian wrapped an arm over Y/N’s shoulder and protected her body as they both escorted her out of the party. James also gave deadly stares to anyone that looked with the intention of asking what had happened.

“How could this happen?” James whispered to Sebastian after they had comfortably settled Y/N in the back of the car and made sure that she was able to lie down. Sebastian sighed and ran his hands through his air. Still very perplexed by the situation. “God only knows what he would’ve done to her if we hadn’t walked in” he mumbled as he started the car.

“I don’t even want to think about it” Sebastian shook his head, hating the evident pain that Brian had caused Y/N. They could tell that Y/N would never fully recover from it.

Sebastian picked her up and carried her upstairs after parking in her apartment. James made sure to prepare her a bath and they both helped her get her feet in the bath before leaving her to her own privacy. They all took their own independent showers and scrubbed their skin until it was red in the hopes that it would wash away the memories too.

“Hi,” James gave her a small smile as he stood by the doorframe. He had thrown on some pajamas that they kept in her house since freshman year.

Most of the lights were already off, except for the light that the TV emitted and her bedside lamp.

“How bad is it?” He asked just as Sebastian sat down by the feet of the bed. She wore a set of matching pajamas; her pair was wet and brushed back. Y/N was finally clean, but her nose worried her. The bruising had started forming and the blood on her lip had dried up.

“I think he broke my nose” Sebastian inhaled heavily, “It wasn’t good a noise anyway” she shrugged, knowing that her parents would probably pay for plastic surgery to get it fixed as soon as possible.

“I’ll call my dad tomorrow so he can check it out for you” Sebastian’s father was a very prestigious plastic surgeon that had applied multiple Botox injections to her mother.

“You need to get some rest.”

“Please stay with me” She was embarrassed, but she couldn’t sleep alone. Y/N made herself in the middle and cleared space for them.

James makes sure to turn off the TV and the lamp. All three lay in the darkness, but none of them said anything. However, none of them were able to catch sleep.

“Are you alright?” Sebastian asked as he grabbed Y/N’s hand.

“I don’t know” James responded and looked over at Y/N.

“You?” he asked as he ran his finger over his bruised knuckles. He knows her answer before she is able to say anything. James could tell that she wasn’t okay and that she was scared. She doesn’t respond to James but only allows the tears to stream down her cheeks. Y/N cried silently for a few minutes until a soft sob escaped her mouth.

So, James turned to his side and gathered her in his arms. None of them say anything or do anything. James just held her for hours until she cried herself to sleep from exhaustion.

Later, Sebastian woke up in the middle of the night and realized that nothing that they had lived that night had been a dream. So, he joined them and threw an arm over Y/N, hugging her and cuddling her from behind.

--> END OF FLASHBACK <---

“I thought I had made myself very clear when I told you to stay the fuck away from Y/N” James stepped up to Brian, “Were you too drunk that night to remember?”

“I could care less what you want me to do” Brian wasn’t going to walk away without causing a scene. People from the university had gathered around them and were closely listening in. Brian didn’t feel as confident to face James’s anger, but he couldn’t back down. People were watching and to Brian, his reputation mattered more.

“I swear to God that I won’t hesitate to break your fucking face in front of everyone” Their foreheads were almost touching, and Brian tried to stand tall, but James was too intimidating, “Step away and go home” he hissed.

Brian raised his eyebrow and tore his eyes from James’s stare. He noticed how many people were around them. He was considering leaving after he remembered how James had left him that night. Brian was actually lucky that James hadn’t killed him. So, he walked away, leaving them alone.

“What the hell was that?” Mitch asked completely taken back by Brian’s unfriendly behavior. “What a prick”. He laughed.

“Sorry” Y/N frowned as she finally looked up at Harry, who had released her hand midway through the altercation.

“I am James” He smiled and shook everyone’s hand, “I’ve known Y/N since birth” He added watching how uneasy Harry was. James could tell that Harry hadn’t liked something and it had been James’s closeness to Y/N. To be fair, James did have a crush on Y/N, but that was way back in high school. He now loved her, but only as a sister.

“And I am Sebastian” he smiled, “So who wants some tacos?”.

--> chapter 14

[ruddcatha]

So... I hate putting personal things out on social media because I am a very private person for things close to me, but I am at a point where I am scared... very scared... and am I guess throwing myself out there for support and positive thinking and any assistance.

My husband recently had a hospitalization which drained part of our finances, and then his computer hard drive completely crashed and cost us the rest of any savings we had to get his computer working again. Today I found us in a situation because of those expenses, as that took the $1,500 buffer that we had.

Now I have $100 to get us through to next Friday, Sept 27, including food and gas, and he has two doctors appointments during that period that will take $90 of that.

If i have been quiet lately, this is why. I have been struggling and budgeting and trying to find a way to make a dollar reach to have the power of five dollars, and it is terrifying me. I have been crying almost daily, struggling to keep positive and keep my husband from spiraling as well.

I hate being one of those people that goes and tries to ask for assistance, as I try my hardest to keep our finances in order, but due to a snafus with financial aid for my semester, I have found us having to stretch the money we do have longer and longer, and today I broke, and I am trying really hard not to let darkness overtake me given our financial situation.

I just don't know what to do. Unfortunately I have no anticipated date for when financial aid will correct itself and be applied, so I check every day, stress and pray, and try not to let myself fall deeper and deeper into a pit of just despair. I know we all have hard times, because Lord this year has been tough on everyone, so very tough. But any support anyone could provide would be appreciated.

www.ko-fi.com/ruddcatha

I thank you if you are still reading, because I am so scared right now.

[cicadaland]

Hey everyone, a friend of mine is struggling to pay for her first semester after her scholarship was taken. Reblogs and donations would really help. Thank you.

Hello everyone, My name is Sadia Ibnat, and I am a freshman at Bard College. I am reaching out to you today because I am facing an unexpected financial challenge that threatens to interrupt my education and dreams. As a first-year student, I have been navigating the challenges of balancing academics, work, and personal responsibilities. Unfortunately, I recently lost my Pell Grant, which has been a significant source of support for my education. Despite working three jobs, I find myself struggling to meet the financial demands of my room and board for the upcoming semester. As an immigrant and a person of color, I have worked tirelessly to pursue my education here at Bard. I started working in March in order to save up for my college and was able to pay for my fall semester. I was gonna continue funding my education through campus jobs but the loss of my Pell Grant caught me off guard. Although coming to Bard has meant many sacrifices, I was thrilled to start my educational journey here. However, after only one semester, I am facing the possibility of having to put my dreams on hold. I am reaching out to my community, friends, and anyone who believes in the power of education and dreams. I am asking for your support to help me cover the costs for the next semester. Your contribution will make a significant impact on my ability to continue my education and pursue my goals. I understand that times are tough for many, and any amount you can contribute will be immensely appreciated. Thank you for your time and I am grateful for any help you can provide. With gratitude, Sadia Ibnat

585 / 8,000

[thebunnednun]

Lots of news!! Update (06/10/2024) Please read <3

We have reached 80 followers!!! THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH!!!

(人*´∀｀)｡*ﾟ+ *(☆▽☆) * \(≧▽≦)/ (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*.✧ ✧◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧

Ya know what that means! I REQUESTED OUR COMMUNITY LINK!!

Also the master list is gonna get updated soon to be more organized.

Hello my loves!

I hope you're all doing well. I want to have a heart-to-heart with you, so I’ll be upfront. This semester has been tough, and I’ve been juggling a lot between school and work. To help ease some of the financial pressure, (and mental) I’m considering starting a tip account.

If you’re able to and feel inclined to support, it would mean the world to me. Every dollar helps and would allow me to publish my WIPs more promptly and fulfill your requests without the constant worry of tuition and other expenses.

Plus I could take commissions for really in depth fics!! ( ╹▽╹ )/

Please, don’t feel obligated to donate – this is entirely optional. Your support, whether it’s through donations or simply being here, means so much to me. I’m looking into Ko-Fi, Patreon, and Buy Me a Coffee, and I’m leaning towards Ko-Fi. If you have any advice or preferences about these platforms, I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Thank you all for reading and for being such a wonderful community. Your support, in any form, helps more than you know.

Okay, the ninja's need me again. See you all in the next fic!!~

Much love, (◠���・)—☆

Bunnednun (Angie)

[wolfnlamb]

Big brother!aki who notices how your dresses start to get shorter now that you’re in college. How your pj’s seemed to have gotten tighter. Mornings are tough for him, as you saunter out of bedroom, puffy faced and groggy, looking for caffeine. He’s already dressed for class, has his backpack ready and is wide awake. He can’t seem to hide the blush on his face when he sees you’re braless. He wants to chastise you, but holds back. You should be dressed already, he thinks.

You’d been in school for a couple of semesters now and academic-wise, was doing very well. But financial-wise, you struggled. Opting for an apartment with your friends had been a bad choice, and you fell behind on rent. With no other support in your life except your big brother, you guiltily called Aki asking for advice. Aki of course didn’t hesitate to offer you his extra room. He was always the responsible one when it came to money and had saved up a lot before leaving the family home. He found the exact apartment he wanted, with enough room in case he ever needed a roommate. Unbeknownst to you, he purposefully chose a location not far from your campus.

Aki can’t stand when you answer the door in one of your loose fitted shirts, without a bra. He picks up a habit of rushing to the door before you do; he can’t allow some weirdo delivery guy feeling you up with their eyes. One unfortunate incident of him racing to the door before you ended with him accidentally touching your chest as he pushed you away. You punched him in return. But the rest of the night he couldn’t shake the thought of the way your tits jiggled against his arm.

Aki who’s stomach churns at the idea of some loser dating his smart, pretty, sweet sister . He can feel his heart rate pick up at the thought of some fool driving you around in their shitty, poor excuse of a car. He imagines the worst jerk-off on campus asking you out after a study session; the sleazy grin they’d give you while nasty thoughts swirl in their mind.

Aki grips the steering wheel so hard his knuckles turn white. He’s about to pick you up from class, and his emotions are on the fritz. He sees you running up to the car, nose scrunched from the sun beaming down, waving happily at him. They can’t have you, he thinks. You’re too special for them.

[dangerously-human]

For Reasons of some variety, it's been on my mind quite frequently lately that I'll be hitting 30 soon, in a single-as-a-trait-not-state fashion. Which usually doesn't bother me much - after all, that's partly been by my choice, so I can't exactly complain, and mostly it's just an "it is what is" scenario that I don't see much point in considering overmuch - but sometimes, especially when other people bring it up, there's a little twinge of wistfulness to be had. Which I suppose is also normal. But I've also been thinking lately of what a gift my singleness has been in this season in terms of the opportunities I have to be Jesus's hands and feet. I'm not responsible to anyone else and I have more resources than I need for just me, so I get to serve with a crisis care ministry, where I've had the joy of loving families in tough spots and babysitting their kids when they're going through it. (And soon, I'll be able to host kids myself, too - I committed to coming back to that after the semester was over.) I get to teach preteens at church, and rejoice over their growth as they ask questions about their faith and their place in God's grand design. I get to hold babies and mentor current and past students as we serve side-by-side with the littles. I get to drop in to help a friend adjust to a new evening routine with a toddler and a newborn after her husband returns to working night shift, so she doesn't have to wrestle two little ones into the bath alone. I get to be the mom friend and a source of wisdom for the younger crop of young adults at church, learning and doing life together, with the easy ability to agree to spontaneity. I have the financial flexibility to support the Kingdom in bigger ways than I easily could with a family. And on, and on.

The thing is, from the time I was little, I was more interested in motherhood than marriage, even. I still want both of those things, and sometimes I'm a bit disappointed that's not the direction my life has gone - whether yet or at all, only the Lord knows - but mostly, I can honestly say I'm content in where I am in this season. I used to hate the way the church talks about Mother's Day, that even the non-moms in the church contribute to raising up the next generation. I still think there's a lot of nonsense in the stereotypical Mother's Day sermon, I'll not lie, but for me at least, maybe there's a nugget of truth in that. I get to help parents who are doing the hard work of raising little people, and I get to support my friends in bigger ways, because I don't have those responsibilities of my own, and that's what I'm called to right now. It might not match up to what a younger me pictured for my life at this stage, but there's a beautiful joy in it and I'm grateful.

[matmarrash]

My 2023 in Review: Grants, Public Art, and Teaching

With 2024 right around the corner, now’s the perfect time to reflect on 2023 and share a bit more about what I’ve been up to. In terms of making pictures, 2023 is currently in my Top 3 worst years for creating photographic work. This doesn’t mean that everything else I was working on wasn’t photography related, it just wasn’t work for myself. Looking back, this year was all about strengthening my arts connections locally by sharing photography with the community. In no particular order, here’s what I’ve been up to for the past twelve months.

After-school Arts

Since the Fall Semester of 2022, my good friend Tariq Tarey and I have been working closely with a local charter school to develop an after-school photography program. For our first year, we were able to get interchangeable lens mirrorless cameras into the hands of fourteen eager 7th and 8th graders. Each week, we would take an hour to introduce the kids to a different aspect of photography. Throughout the year we managed to guide them out of Auto Mode on their cameras and start “seeing” their photos instead of simply “point and shoot”. By the end of year one students had: photographed a body of work, critiqued and edited their pictures, printed, framed, and entered their photographs into a local art show.

It’s been a long time since I’d worked with middle school aged kids, and to say I was nervous about working with younger students is an understatement. From years of teaching privately via Midwest Photo and One-on-One workshops, teenagers haven’t been my typical clientele. Many of them had no experience with a camera outside of a smartphone, and the idea of a dedicated device for picture taking was completely foreign. To the surprise of Tariq and myself, they picked up the basics at lightning pace. The mechanics took a bit more practice than anticipated, but their grasp of the language of photography was impressive and helped guide their vision. Overall I’m incredibly proud of what our students were able to accomplish in our short time together, and I’m looking forward to 2024 where we’ll be back for a new class of creatives!

Hilltop Cyanotype Day

Each year, the Greater Columbus Arts Council (GCAC) offers financial support to individual artists and arts organizations in the Columbus, OH area in the form of grants. These can range from one-time stipends for artist’s supplies to sustaining grants for arts nonprofits in the area. I’ve been participating in GCAC Individual Artist grants since 2015 and looking through the 2023 opportunities list, there was a new program that piqued my interest. The Neighborhood Arts Connection (NAC) grants are a way for artists residing in a particular Columbus neighborhood to receive funding to elevate and engage the community. And one of the two neighborhoods on the list for early 2023 was the Hilltop, where I’ve been for the last four years. There were two levels of the NAC grant available, $5k and $10k for a neighborhood based art program, so I decided to swing for the fences. I pitched a one-day public workshop where ANYONE would be able to attend free of charge to make a cyanotype print. To my complete surprise, the grant was approved; this was going to be my biggest undertaking of the year by far!

Even as I talk about it in past tense, $10k is a lot of money to spend on any one thing. I’m incredibly grateful that Columbus has an arts organization that’s able to support artists and their communities with grants like this. All of that being said, $10k for a public art event can be tough when accounting for everything that goes into the day. Breaking it down into three core categories, here’s what the budget looked like on my grant application versus what it actually came out to:

Material Resources - $4360 planned, $3878.81 actual

Includes art supplies, consumable goods, first aid supplies, and miscellaneous goods purchased for the event.

Human Resources - $4400 planned, $4682.50 actual

Includes pay for event host (me), eight assistants, and security all at a fair wage.

Event Planning - $1240 planned, $1693.11 actual

Includes space rental, permits, insurance, and event marketing.

So how far did that $10k go? I’m a little biased here, but I think it was enough to make an impact on my neighborhood. On Sunday October 1st, 2023 at Westgate Park, I along with eight other local artists hosted a hands-on workshop where all attendees were able to make their own cyanotype prints, free of charge. No photography experience? No problem! There were 200+ pieces of pre-coated light sensitive materials on-site, with dozens of different stencils and objects to make a unique photogram.

Throughout the course of the day, we had over 130 members of the public join us in making nearly 200 cyanotype prints on: watercolor paper, t-shirts, tote bags, napkins, and a few giant cotton murals! We had folks of all ages in attendance from age 4 - 72, many of which stayed to make extra prints. There were a few photographers that showed up, but a vast majority were Hilltop and Westgate locals that were interested in making something by hand. Any leftover arts and craft supplies that were used from the day made it into the hands of Hilltop art teachers, and two of the giant “snow angel” murals were donated to Hilltop local establishments. Most importantly, no attendees left the event empty handed, and everyone remained safe while having fun experiencing the joy of photography!

There were plenty of hurdles and a lot of lessons learned during the planning and execution of this event. Once I have that all of my thoughts and feelings compiled into an explainer video, I’ll be sure to append this blog post accordingly. For now, here are a couple of galleries of photographs taken on Cyanotype Day by photographers Shiann Banks (below) and Gracie Becker (above), thank you both SO MUCH for your help!

Research & Residency

Working as a freelance photographer is still not something I’m 100% used to yet, but in this second year of not having a 9-to-5 job I’ve started to look at opportunities that were previously out of reach. In previous years I’d see a handful of amazing location workshops and artist in residence (AiR) programs that I couldn’t participate in due to lack of paid time off days. One of my big goals for 2023 was to change this by applying to upcoming AiR programs and explore new grants. The Hilltop Cyanotype Day was one such opportunity afforded by a generous GCAC grant, but I’m happy to report there are a couple more.

Starting in January in 2024, I’ll be taking part in the Winter Residency program at the Penland School of Craft. Penland is an amazing craft school nestled into the Blue Ridge mountains of North Carolina. Each year they host over a thousand students in residencies and workshops of various lengths and disciplines. During those few Winter weeks I’ll be in charge of the photo studio and darkroom spaces at Penland in exchange for some much needed time and access to work on my alternative process photography.

Alongside the Winter Residency at Penland, I’m equally excited to announce that I’ve received a generous grant award from the Ohio Arts Council (OAC) to help fund additional materials and research related to alternative process photography. Combined with my upcoming time at Penland, my aim to is come back to Columbus and spend more time making fine prints throughout 2024. With any luck I’ll be attempting several new-to-me alt processes and be reporting back to you all here on the blog and the YouTube channel.

In retrospect, 2023 was another year defined by photography, just not my own. I wasn’t out making pictures with big sheets of film through an “old timey” as much as usual, but I still had a blast. Thanks to everyone that helped make this past year a meaningful one, and an especially big thanks to the Greater Columbus Arts Council and Ohio Arts Council for helping support my continued photographic projects. Have a safe and Happy New Year, and I hope to share more photography with you all very soon!

[ralumairy]

hi!!

idk if u still check/answer asks since the last one is from over a year ago but i was wondering what you thought of sheridan animation so far? I got in for fall 2023 but since it’s more expensive than most of the animation schools closest to me (france lol) i’m debating whether or not to go & would really appreciate your insight!!!

you are so lucky i checked the email that tumblr sent me HAHA i am typically very dead but i would love to answer your ask!! first of all, congrats!! that is so huge :) this program just keeps getting harder and harder to get into over the years haha so honestly, without even delving into whether sheridan has been a positive experience, if you're debating turning it down for the financial part of it, ask yourself if school is something you value a lot! if you got into a program that you believe is not as strong but is more affordable, there is no harm or shame in pursuing it :) education can only get you so far as an animator, the rest is you and your own effort to be honest, i have really been enjoying sheridan!! the program itself is just so strong and i have been enjoying all my classes and my profs -- the issues i have with it are just things related to admin and scheduling structure, stuff that is not exactly specific to the program and are just issues you would face from going to any school haha -- for example, they have some classes that are literally back to back or even overlapping each other??? like what... i feel really confident that i have improved since the beginning of last year -- definitely, one of the best parts is the active critique and support we get to improve on our work, it feels like the profs are really attentive and care about helping us get some strong pieces! i will be just very upfront, however, and say that people consider the workload to be very heavy -- in my personal opinion, i find it's not much more than my workload was in high school, and with good time management, it's pretty easy to get the assignments done early (as long as you don't go too overboard) so if you struggle with focus and time management, it might be a tough few semesters for you haha not to mention the people you will meet in your year will probably make your time there that much more worth it :,)!!! for me, school is something that needs to be in-person/a social environment, and everyone in sheridan is just so passionate to share their work and to improve it as well! we all help and inspire each other, and it's just such a positive and supportive space! i hope that helped! i'd be happy to answer any other specific questions you have, just DM me on discord or instagram, if possible :)

[jimmyneutronrevival]

JIMMY NEUTRON REVIVAL PROJECT: UPDATE 33

Hi folks.

I wanted to take some serious time to discuss the events from December in this blog so that everyone, cast included, can better understand my situation and my circumstances. L.A. COMIC CON AND MY 2022 LIFE

Before I get to the L.A. Comic-Con itself, let me discuss my 2022 in a nutshell.

In April of 2022, I developed a weird tiredness feeling that I have had for many months. I had been in and out of doctor’s offices trying to figure out what it is and was put on a waiting list for an Endocrinologist who will see me on March 9th. I also suffer from depression which has plagued my personal life for many years. I have been seeking help through a talk therapist and a medication therapist who, try as they might, haven’t been able to do too much. But I am now on a medication (Wellbutrin 300mg) that has given me a little bit of my energy back which is something. However, the amount of money I have had to fork over for these visits has been anything but cheap. My insurance covers a lot of it, but the rest of the cost is up to me.

Additionally, I had been mulling over the prospect of returning to school. My current degree wasn’t helping me as far as my career prospects were concerned and I wanted to work on a business degree to improve my chances of landing a fulfilling career. As I was a gig worker and part-time online test scorer, I didn’t have a lot of money. And at the time, I had made zero plans to make any trips for the year or do anything else that would set me back financially. So, I made the decision to take the plunge and I applied to college. I was accepted and began my studies online in the fall of 2022. I spent close to $7000 on my first semester and the spring semester so far has been roughly the same, give or take a few hundred dollars.

Now, let’s go back in time to the Jimmy Neutron panel at L.A. Comic-Con which had been formally announced on October 28th. This gave me barely a month to prepare. I was scrambling to find low-cost airfare, a reasonably-priced hotel, and transportation. I did my due diligence and researched every site I could, including popular sites like Orbitz and Expedia. The airfare was going to set me back almost $500 ($400 + fees). I was able to find a hotel on the L.A. Comic-Con website, but it would have been about $700-$800 plus a large hospitality tax. The one good thing about it is that it was on the same street as the convention center and within walking distance. Then came the dilemma of finding a cab or an Uber/Lyft to get me from the airport to the hotel and the hotel back to the airport, which would have been at least $50-$75 both ways. Add food, money for souvenirs, the actual cost of two badges for the show plus fees since I would have attended 2 out of the 3 days, plus autographs and it was going to cost me close to $2000.

By the time I had the knowledge that a reunion panel was happening, $7000 was already gone due to school. I did not have enough discretionary funds I could use as far as taking any kind of a trip was concerned.

I am in the lower-income bracket along with so many other millennials. Some of us got lucky and found good careers while others like myself have had to struggle. There are probably more articles on the Internet about the struggles many of us millennials have went through than I can count. For people like me, life has been tough.

Because I am in the low-income bracket, I have to budget a lot of the things that I do. School was a major cost factor as far as my budget for 2022 was concerned, and I knew that any little bit of money I did have left would have to go to the other bills and responsibilities I must pay for each month.

In the end, after crunching the numbers, I did not have the $2000 I would need to make the journey out to the convention, and I had to make the difficult decision of informing all of my followers that I would not be able to attend. This broke my heart more than anyone could possibly realize. I was extremely upset and sad about it.

I decided to take the initiative to finish the petition so that it could be displayed at the show if the cast wished. I spent several weeks in about 3-4 settings working 3 hours at a time to edit the fake names and duplicate signatures out of the petition as well as the odd comments and duplicate comments on the petition comment page. On November 27th, at midnight, I finished everything and sent it off to the organizer of the panel and that was that.

There were a couple of people who thought that I was going to attend which caused quite a bit of confusion. I did my best to try to clear up any misunderstandings. Even though I did explain that I wasn’t coming on my socials, I know not everyone sees these posts which I totally understand.

The weekend of the show was extremely difficult. It got to a point where I had to shut my notifications off on social media so that the pictures and other notifications bombarding me about the show wouldn’t send me spiraling into a deeper state of depression. Unfortunately, I fell apart. I had been able to keep it together for so long, but the weekend of the show, I was no longer able to remain that stoic person I always try to be. I broke down several times and felt absolutely awful. I have had many days of sleepless nights and still feel absolutely guilty. I felt like I had let people down and it hurt like hell.

While I hope this is not a one-time deal, if it ends up being that way and I missed out, all I can say is I am sorry. I am sorry that the funds were not there for me to attend. This was something that I wanted to do and had I had more advance notice I would have moved mountains to try to get the money. I wish I was one of those people who could drop everything to do something like this. But unfortunately, I am not.

In order for me to attend anything like this in the future, should that happen, I would need advance notice that is more than a month, so I have the time to prepare. Otherwise, it will be hard for me to get a plan together along with the proper funding.

Also, I will try to set aside a savings account for trips so I can be a little better prepared in this way.

I hope that this explanation is helpful to my followers, the cast, or anyone else who may be reading this.

Thank you all for your understanding.

[middlechildanxiety]

Advice to college students, and anyone going into or thinking about going to college:

Talk to your advisor. Bigger colleges assign one to you when you declare a major, but even at a small place or in the general track there are advisors for you.

If the one you see first or are assigned isn't working or messes something up, you can and should get a new one. They're like therapists, but I haven't had to pay for them

If you have issues with a professor, email your advisor. Multiple people telling them the same thing about a professor gets attention, and they can usually pull a couple strings for you in a tough spot

If you eat at the cafeteria or dining center on campus, make friends with the people who work there and leave a good impression. They control your food, but they also have the coach of your team on speed dial to come chew you out if you cause problems. For some reason, they also get along with everyone in the financial aid office

Don't be afraid to change your major. I know there a lot of reasons to feel locked in, and I know a lot of them are valid. But if what you had picked doesn't feel right, if it keeps not feeling right, if your plans or just you change too much, don't feel embarrassed or guilty. My dad changed his major 5 times before his college told him he'd had to actually graduate. For most of my life, he's been doing things unrelated to the major he graduated in but it looks good on the resume

None of this is universal, but pay attention to the atmosphere for the coaches of all the sports teams. Both places I've been, if you complain to a professor about a classmate and the professor then tells the coach, shit can happen

Don't room with friends you have not already been living with if you can help it. It's easier to set living boundaries with someone that you don't have a relationship with before because you can feel guilty or shy about it. This is especially true in a traditional dorm with little privacy

I might be an ass kisser, but living in dorms is better if your RA likes you and has a reason to trust you. Give them one, and most of the time they don't need another

If you notice problems in a class but it's too late or your schedule can't deal with dropping it or you decide that you can stick it out, whatever, have a document of complaints and problems. Nuke the professor in the end of semester review

Remember that you can wear pretty much anything, and you won't be the first or last person that your professor or classmates see wearing it. Name brand, full makeup, rainbows, flag as a cape, Indiana Jones hat, wolf hat, pajamas; relax. Anyone who cares or is shitty hasn't emotionally left high school yet so you don't have to care what they think. One exception is business majors. Learn the standards before you push them but that's mostly later on in the track

History professors tend to be kinda wacky so if you need an extra couple credits or are doing gen ed classes I will always suggest a history class

Even professors with bad ratings or who are known for being a hard ass have a soft spot. Rate my professor and sites like that are still great but again, I'm an ass kisser and have been for years so my methods may not work for everyone. I have just found that sometimes it's a lot easier to get people to like you than you expect.

Lie when you need to. This is general life advice, but it's cool if you don't want to tell someone something, or if you know a professor won't accept a mental health day even if most of them should. Lying is an art though, never use something too dramatic when a migraine will do

College is a place that a lot of people find their spot. You don't have to and it's nothing bad against you if you don't, but if you want to find a spot or a group, you fucking won't if you don't act like yourself. College is known as a time of self discovery for a reason

College is also a time to drop things. If a person or thing doesn't spark joy, it's okay to admit that and move on, not everything can fit in the dorm room anyway

You can and will make mistakes at any point in your life. College? It's known for having some of the worst, funniest, biggest, and stupidest mistakes in people's lives. Make some, and find people who will tell you about theirs to make you feel better

You will also, inevitably, be an asshole at various points in your life. You might not want to admit it, you might make it your personality, you might realize it and immediately think you're the worst person who's ever lived. You aren't, but remember that it will happen and it will pass so long as you make an effort to be better

My experience is of course limited, but these are things I've either been told that helped, wish I'd been told, or have told my friends at college. This is also really pointed towards being on campus, but I hope it means something to someone

[unabashegirl]

Hello everyone, this is a bit weird to expose myself and my face like this BUT I AM DESPERATE!

"Hello everyone, I’m the writer behind @unabashegirl on Tumblr, where I’ve been sharing my fanfics and one-shots with you all. Today, I’m reaching out for a more personal reason, hoping you’ll understand and, if possible, support me during a challenging time. As many of you may know, I’m currently in medical school, only a year away from graduating. Unfortunately, I’m facing a financial hurdle that might prevent me from enrolling this January. My father’s passing due to cancer has left my family in a tough spot, and my mom has been working tirelessly to support me and cover my school expenses. The reason this is so urgent is that if I miss this semester, I’ll fall behind significantly due to changes in the school’s syllabus. The semesters after mine follow a completely different curriculum, meaning I wouldn’t just be delayed a semester—I’d be delayed by over a year and a half. I’ve been thinking long and hard about how I can keep moving forward, and I’ve decided to ask for your help. Any support, whether through donations, or simply spreading the word, would mean the world to me. I’m incredibly grateful to have this amazing community."

I hope you are all doing well. I thought about recording this video explaining everything that has been happening lately. The reason why I've been a little distant and stressed. Please watch the video. Thank you for all the support! Thank you for any donations! I am incredibly thankful for EACH ONE OF YOU!

here is the link to the Ko-Fi (please don't feel obligated. I understand if you can't. thank you for listening) --> https://ko-fi.com/mariabernal8706

[coccyodynia]

things:

i went home the other weekend and didn’t steal any pills, as much as i thought about it, so thats kind of cool i guess

i got a very fun and cool tattoo yesterday, its a woman swinging an axe with that line i wrote a few years ago - “i swing and i dont miss”

i am seeing a The Plot In You tonight with justin

we’re planning on hanging out before the show too but the weather is gonna be shitty so who knows, he’ll probably flake out at this point

we’re also planning on going to chicago in a month but im concerned i wont be able to afford it idk. i just stashed away $250 for it but i wouldn’t be surprised if i had to dip into that before then

we’re on okay terms right now. its been a huge rollercoaster as usual but he still wants to keep me around in some type of way i guess bc he’ll respond or say shit like ‘i’m always here for you’

ive been dissociating a lot still but im practicing the skills to get a handle on it

ive officially stopped caring about anything at my job, i just dont give a fuck at all anymore

if i start caring again it will probably kill me, at least considering the rate we were going before 

i had a friend OD twice in the last week or so and im literally just bracing myself to lose another person to fent

its been almost a year without michael now and im still really heartbroken about

i can tell ive started letting my apartment/kitchen get bad again and it’s upsetting me but i feel paralyzed about it

one of my best friends is having a really tough time too and we keep messaging each other little check-ins even though neither of us have the capacity to really support or help the other person in any meaningful way

ive just been way too tapped out lately, and it has been affecting my health for quite awhile

my weight seems to be stable now or at least kinda, i lost 50 lbs and last week for the first time in awhile it didn’t go down when i got on the scale

my parents and grandma all made comments about how they can tell ive lost a lot of weight since i saw them last (6 weeks or so ago?)

my mom has been telling me “youre not eating enough calories” which i think gave me whiplash considering up until now my entire life shes been insistent that i eat too much

my financial situation is really about to get fucked up since im not teaching this summer, so i will lose that income for a few months ($800/month)

im pretty nervous they wont ask me back to teach in the fall bc the head of the department doesnt really like me

i got great evaluations from my students tho! at the end of the semester, two of my students asked if i would be comfortable with giving them a hug and i got emotional

i helped one of my students get into their first gallery show in NY and im just so fucking proud and excited for them

another student had made me a little embroidered camera patch for my bag 

im still very much thinking about applying to graduate/phd programs in the fall

there’s about 5 programs im interested in, but none of them are local so i’d have to move pretty far if i were accepted

im going to re-apply to university of denver for the MA emergent digital practices program

i applied to there in 2021 and was accepted but i wasn’t offered enough financial aid since i applied after the priority deadline so i’ll try it this fall and see what happens

im still dreaming about going to Brown for their digital writing/cross-disciplinary writing and art MFA but it's such a pipe dream

i also found a fascinating phd program at duke but they're not accepting applications this year?

i want to write and photograph more but by the end of the day i am so incredibly burnt out that it seems more like a chore than an outlet

i really wish there was a way for me to just quit my job and take some time off before going into another job

anyway therapy is back to once a week and sometimes 2x a week just depending on how well i handle things

my mom is still being the worst person ive ever met and im really trying to disconnect from her/the family as much as i can

she just spent $500 on a plane ticket so she can go spend a week with the guy she was engaged to in college

she sucks so much and i hate her 

anyway that’s all

[marianoellaposas]

"Senior High Camaraderie"

An appreciation post with the following people who brought happiness and endless memories in my life. I would like to acknowledge our former HUMSS 11 Adviser Ms. Mary Ann D. Abellanosa without her guidance we will not be this far. This journey gives me a lot of comfort with the people around me. They were once my home, my crying shoulder, every time I felt like I did not have the idea to fight for life anymore. Indeed, they saved me from all the circumstances that I've faced in this what we call life. Establishing all their efforts was priceless. They do not only deserve the world but also the universe. Miss Ann, thank you for your guidance and support throughout our grade 11 journey. You will be loved and remembered. Honestly, I've idolized you for what you have become. You are such a model in my life. One of my inspirations is to do better in life. My Grade 11 buddies individually fight for their upcoming future. This smile has different untold stories. Realizing that even though life was tough they still encouraged their selves to always put a smile on their faces. I am silently clapping for their victories and praying that they will get their burning desire. Ain't just my buddies but my sort of young warriors in life. Apparently, despite all of the hardships that we've been through, they are still looking forward and striving for success. 

#KUMBATI HUMSS 12

JANUARY 2023 Sugbu Awit 3rd placer with the song entitled "Pandemya". It is a song dedicated to all of the Filipinos who are trying hard to fight and survive for life. The song in the line "Tungod nimo covid nusab ang tanan naapektuhan ang katawhan ug kinabuhi sa tanan" shows that there are millions of people are suffering due to lack of needs and financial because of not being able to work outside since the virus was slowly spreading. In addition, the virus was very harmful and the results show that millions of Filipinos are dying. I want to introduce my co-members to this song. Almera Bonjoc and Alwena Bonjoc as the backup dancers. Kirvy Delan as the singer and Myself as the compositor. Lastly, John Aaron Dagaraga is the one who leads the instrument. The people mention above are known as the "Noella's Minions". There are a lot of difficulties while making this song since we are not professional compositors and singers. To accomplish this we go through brainstorming and sharing our suggestions so that we will easily construct our original song. Delan suggest "PANDEMYA" as the title of our song. On the other hand, the Bonjoc sisters suggest that "NOELLA'S MINIONS' will be the name of our group. I start to compose the lyrics in the first verse until the end. Additionally, dagaraga is the one that borrows the instrument from Cyrus Judillia a TVL 12 student. Sacrifices are already intertwined with success. The result of determination and dedication.

FEBRUARY 2023 Second semester, here we go. Honestly, I'm not expecting to becoming this far. I always have pressure, stress, and sadness while thinking about how to pass. I keep on setting strategies and goals to avoid disappointments to myself and trying to focus on my positive thoughts for me to proceed to another chapter. A big hug for myself for always doing great despite all the judgments that I've faced. I pray, I stand and I believe that I can then I would.

MARCH 2023 Advocacy champion HUMSS 11, despite all the hardships while shooting this video we still do it on top. Even though we have a lot of misunderstandings we still choose to be united because teamwork makes the dream work. The stress that we consume leads us to achieve our desire to get the trophy that we aim for. We all deserve this success after the sacrifices that we've been through. You all have a space in my heart. Special thanks to our very own SSLG President who is also our director Alexa Melika Shams O. Ramos. Additionally, to all of the committees thank you, without your cooperation this would not be possible. To my classmates, you all did well by devoting yourselves and divulging your efforts just to ensure that this task well flow in good terms. Special mention to ma'am Ruby Josephine Louise V. Jabilles our subject teacher for giving us this task and believing us that we will make it. This challenge helped us learn to know about Gender Equality. Thank you, ma'am.

JANUARY 2024 With our very own subject teacher, Sir Chai. No words can explain how happy we are to have you as our entrepreneurship teacher. Farewell Sir Chai, our memories will not be forgotten and they will be forever cherished. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

MARCH 2024 From HUMSS 11 to HUMSS 12. literally how fast the time changes. I would like to acknowledge our very own HUMSS 12 adviser Ms. Geoferleen B. Flores. For her unwavering support and guidance with us. Your presence will always be appreciated. Your HUMSS 12 students sincerely love you despite all of our mistakes you still treat us with all of the good in your heart. Thank you for the free pizza, Miss Geo.  Additionally, we also have our pictorial at the GSK building, I can't put my thoughts into words all I can say is "THANK YOU" for being with me since day 1 in this journey.

SENIOR HIGH STUDENTS IN JAGOBIAO NATIONAL HIGHSCHOOL

This voyage helped me to realize to live well in life because life is too short to focus on the obstacles. Realized happiness is where you are, that's why I am choosing this people. I found my home with all of you. I know that we are almost at the end of this journey, I hope that you all get your BURNING DESIRE.

WISH YOU ALL THE BEST! Thank you, thank you, thank you.

#SOAR HIGH SENIOR HIGH!

[jijimtw2023]

Final Reflective Essay. 

Njideka Maduakor 

April 27 2023

ENGW-009

Tech writing has given me a new lens on how to construct essay writing. When I started this class, my least favorite part about writing essays was overcoming the grammatical mistakes I make. I think of myself as a writer, mostly doing fiction works and casual writing. I have been in other ENG courses at Howard but I am far from an academic writer. So when I entered technical writing I was nervous that the work we did in this class would be higher level than what I was prepared for.

Throughout the course, we worked on four essay projects. My biggest takeaway from the tech writing course is to consider the assignment carefully. Susan Mockler is very clear about what she wants from our work and provides many good writing tips over several days before the assignment is due. My writing was at its worst when I didn’t address the prompt of the assignment, and my best work was when I covered everything that the assignment asked for. 

To discuss the essays in order. The first assignment was to write a rhetorical analysis of a website. There was so much I missed in that one. I struggle with conveying my thoughts on paper clearly. For this assignment, I picked a website I was personally knowledgeable about. This led to my analysis of the website being biased, the usage of terminology that the average person would not understand. Still, I received a passing grade on the assignment, but not an A like I had wanted. 

So I pulled up my bootstraps and hauled myself over to the writing center as we started on our second assignment; A Proposal to Woodlawn Plantation. This assignment was a tough one. We were being asked to propose a solution to a financial problem. The topic was also particularly sensitive, as it involved whether or not plantation weddings should be held. Working in the writing center was a breath of fresh air for me. Not every teacher has all the time in the world to look over your work. One representative dedicating 45 minutes to helping you produce something more meaningful made me rethink my writing altogether. Thus the essay that I was originally hitting my head against the wall for, became so much easier to compose. 

The third essay was a bit of a break for me, we were tasked to make a job application package. I had already been applying to jobs over the course of winter break. I practically had a resume and several cover letters already composed. So this project allowed me to refine the writing I had already done. Which was likely for the better as it left me with a much better resume to continue job applications with. I enjoyed this assignment quite a bit as it was the most relevant one to me at the moment. 

Finally, we worked on an internet resource guide. I broke the rules on this assignment a little bit, instead of doing my exact major I had done something I was personally interested in. This assignment was my best, both reflected in my grade and my personal feelings about how I presented it. I worked with great care to follow the guidelines for the assignment. I also had a very insightful peer review session for this assignment. 

Tech Writing has probably been the most challenging, thought-provoking, and useful writing course I have ever taken. Many of the skills I learned through this course have been able to apply to other areas of my life. The teacher was very understanding, professional, and patient. I am also personally proud of the growth I have had throughout the semester.