fix your hearts or die

19-year-old Khalil Al Habil's liver and kidneys are failing. Shrapnel damage from the bombardment that killed his baby brother Omar has gone mostly untreated due to a lack of funds and resources. The ill effects of this damage have progressed to the point that the organs are losing their ability to function. Khalil urgently needs 3 rounds of treatment to combat the effects of his deteriorating liver and kidneys.

We've paid off the first two rounds of treatments but Khalil has one treatment that he still needs. The second costs about $1,250 usd, but we haven’t made much progress in more than a month and his condition is getting progressively worse. We need to meet this second goal ASAP!!! Please check the reblogs for updates!!

Khalil still has not received his third round of treatment. Unfortunately, one of his legs has deteriorated so severely that an urgent operation to prevent amputation is now the priority. The nerve and tissue damage done by IOF shrapnel have caused substantial atrophy of the leg’s functioning, limiting the circulation of blood. If he does not receive this operation soon, he will lose his leg.

My heart breaks as I type this, because I this is so disheartening for Khalil. But it is a necessity if Khalil has any hope of keeping his leg. The cost of the operation is $3,000 usd.

Current: 12,225 out of 15,225 usd

The Carpet Merchant of Konstantiniyya Volume 1 rerun Book Two Update 8 of ??? (READ the Latest Update, starting from this page)

I am back from the convention rush... with TWO devastating scenes: Zeynel's bargain with God, and his failed attempt to leave Ayse.

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If you can believe it, the very first draft of TCM ended at the point where Zeynel successfully leaves. This was before I committed to expanding Book 1, and then suddenly, his departure no longer made sense. It became obvious that Zeynel would struggle to leave, despite his self-sacrificial nature, because of his overwhelming love to Ayse. That was an interesting psychological conundrum to me to explore. So it was to be, even if it meant a hundred more pages.

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The other outcome of following the "maybe Zeynel doesn't leave successfully the first time" narrative is the opportunity to follow Ayse's reaction to the reality of her husband's murder and his becoming a potentially dangerous revenant.

I really liked the idea of exploring the POV of the loved one who has to comprehend the return/transformation of their beloved in a human-but-inhuman form (The Summer Hikaru Died, which I haven't read but should, comes to mind as an example).

With Zeynel specifically, the entirety of his personhood persists, it's just that he's no longer of human blood or flesh - but a shadow capable of annihilation.

Is your husband of 25 years a shadow....or is that a shadow posing as your husband of 25 years?

Ayse has the same sort of affliction as Zeynel where she'd struggle to leave him behind… the difference is that she's hard-headed, and that will be both Zeynel's saving grace and point of conflict.

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It's the Royal Academy of Art Young Artist's Summer Show. One of my favourite exhibitions of the year. Like. Not only are the older kids insanely talented, the younger ones' artist statements will just punch you right in the face.

Jeffrey is my cat and he feels like my heart