The Kingmaker Histories

Miners and mining machinery in the coal mines of the Artois region of northern France

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Girls' boarding school in the former Château du Petit-Val in Sucy-en-Brie, Brie region of France

Namaygoosisagagun First Nation/Collins has burned to the ground. The entire community is nothing but ashes after being quickly consumed by wildfires. They did not have any support from emergency services, and no one offered aid. The community saved themselves by escaping into boats because no one came.

Mishkeegogamang and Cat Lake have lost power. Families are ending up in shelters with nothing. Armstrong, Lac La Croix, Whitesand, Gull Bay, Lac des Mille Lacs are currently in the fires path and all members are being evacuated.

All this loss, all this devastation, and it was entirely preventable.

After steadily underfunding wildland firefighting and purposefully excluding Indigenous wildland firefighters and Indigenous wildfire organizations from wildfire operations, firefighter training, decisionmaking, and resource exchanges, in 2025, Doug Ford slashed the forest firefighting budget.

It's hard to ignore his decision to cut funding and leave us out of adequate fire training (even though we've lived with forest fires for thousands of years—far longer than settlers have been in Canada—and made sure fires like the ones we're all seeing today were prevented through kinisitotēn) when, despite making up less than 5% of the population, we account for 42% percent of all wildfire evacuations in Canada.

And when we are successfully evacuated, we face discrimination and racism—like Kashechewan—because it's always been easier to blame us than it is to blame the true culprit: denialism, corportate greed, and colonization.

The people of Collins and every other impacted community deserve better.

Right now, the AFN is currently accepting donations to help Collins First Nation. If you're able to, please consider donating.

ONWA (Ontario Native Women's Association) is another great place to donate to. They have outreach vans going to motels and inns and offering food, water, resources, and cultural support to those impacted by the wildfires.

Other places to consider donating to are Mikinakoos Emergency Fund, Red Cross, True North Aid, Indigenous Climate Action. You can also send donations directly to Whitesand First Nation via e-transfer ([email protected]) and they request that you add your full name in the e-transfer comment section to receive a tax receipt.

*Before sending money, verify that the appeal appears on an official First Nation, Tribal Council or registered charity channel.

If you can't offer financial support, please consider donating items of need. Moontime Connections is currently accepting drop-off donations. If you live in the Thunder Bay area, Namaygoosisagagun Health Office is also taking in donations! They can also bemailed to Superior Inn Hotel & Conference Centre at 555 West Arthur Street, Thunder Bay, ON, P7E 5P8.

items needed are: food, diapers, medical masks, men’s and women’s joggers (all sizes), children’s clothing (newborn to size 14), children’s shoes, summer clothing, men’s clothing, toiletries (lotion, Vaseline, toothpaste, toothbrushes, shampoo, conditioner, soap, deodorant, etc.), strollers, adult depends-all sizes, dog & cat food

Antiquities in the "Au Bon Marché" luxury department store in Paris

Life in Gaza is really tough. We are living in very difficult conditions, and every day feels like a struggle just to get through it.

My father is still very sick, and seeing him like this is breaking me. I wish I could do more for him, but I can’t.

I’m trying to stay strong for my family, but honestly I feel lost and tired.

Please, don’t leave us alone. Donate and share our story… it might help save my dad.

📌📌Fundraiser vetted (#167 by el-shab-hussein & nabulsi), But we created a new GoFundMe page because GoFundMe suspended the beneficiary’s account on the platform, which put us in a very difficult situation.

IN: A MODERN MASTERPIECE | OUT: A BLANK CANVAS

♡ invest in an experienced graphic designer or artist

i once wrote an article about the importance of presentation when it comes to podcasts and i think it still holds true that visuals, even in the world of audio entertainment, can hold a lot of sway over who might be drawn to your show.

not only can consistent artwork give your show a unique aesthetic and identity, but it can also help people associate certain colors, symbols, and imagery with your show that will leave a lasting impression.

try to remember the basics for good cover art: a solid color scheme, good cropping (i love a solid 500x500), high resolution, a readable font—think to yourself, "if i saw these images, would i be tempted to check out this show?"

so i'd highly advise setting aside some budgeting to have a talented artist or graphic designer, or maybe even both, cook up some accompanying images that can go towards advertisements, promotions, individual episode art, or, if you really want to, official character designs.

do you already know how to do those things? then put those skills to good use and make your painting worth a thousand downloads!

IN: PATIENCE | OUT: FALSE PROMISES

♡ have a script before you have a cast

now this one is especially important. as eager as you might be to start an audio drama and want to get the ball rolling as soon as possible, it is imperative that you have some words on paper before you even think about recruiting actors.

and i know this sounds obvious at first, but trust me, i've run into several ambitious newcomers who started their casting calls long before they even had a rough draft to their name.

while beginning the recruitment process is tempting, bear in mind that these people you've hired—and yes, you are hiring them—are now on indefinite standby until you've gotten something for them to read.

at worse, you might end up with a project that never gets off the ground with a group of people who thought they were going to get their big debut in voice acting, or have another amazing role under their belt, left out to dry.

even worse than that, if you ever do get that script finished, there's no telling what word of mouth can do to your reputation as a showrunner, making your options even more slim.