#toastposting

hurricane helene hit me HARD. as in, my city is in shambles. my partner and i were able to evacuate by some miracle, as were most of our friends, we're just waiting to hear back from one more to make sure he's okay. we're on our way to the other side of the state where my partner's family lives to stay with his mom until things are back to normal.

obviously writing's going stagnant for a bit while i focus on evacuating, but i'm safe, my partner's safe, and most importantly my beloved ball python, loki, is safe. we're picking up my partner's family friend and taking the three (four including the snake) of us to our final destination. we've got a long drive ahead of us but we're past the worst of it.

check on your loved ones in western north carolina if you have any. things are really bad over there, easily worse than any storm we've ever gotten. i grew up in south florida and even i haven't seen anything this bad. our city alone has 15 deaths so far. i'm scared for my friend who i haven't heard back from. i'm really praying for the best, my thinking is he stayed in our city with his dad which would mean he doesn't have any service right now.

so first off, the semester is coming to a close, and i have a lot of finals n stuff to work on. i'm back home now after over a month away due to the hurricane, and my city's boil water advisory was lifted yesterday, so things are slowly going back to normal over here. but god damn am i busy rn lmao

second of all, my partner and i chose to end our relationship yesterday. after over two years together we decided that it was the best choice for both of us. i'd like to keep the reasons we split private, but rest assured we're still good friends, and i wish her the best of luck in all her future endeavors. she actually starts a new job in december, and im super happy and excited for her. i can't wait to see her flourish and thrive now that she'll be working somewhere she truly loves. i couldn't be more proud of her. as much as i know this was the best decision for both of us, breaking up hurts no matter what the circumstances are. it's definitely bittersweet for me but i don't regret my decision. i just don't know how we're gonna tell our friends about it.

the third and final thing is i've had awful writers block. as a creative writing student this is alarming, as finals are coming up, but luckily i have enough material already written that i can submit for my assignments. but my luck kinda runs out there-- i love the fic im writing right now, and i fully intend on finishing it, but i think that until i get my shit together i might have to take a break from writing it. i know im basically already taking a break but until i finish out this semester, im not even gonna think about it unless i end up with some free time. balancing writing for school and writing for ao3 is extremely difficult for me.

it has come to my attention that ao3 is unfortunately modded by zionists. as an anti zionist jew this is not only disheartening but appalling. i've been using the site for years both to read and publish fanfic, and seeing this news is very disturbing to me.

HOWEVER. ao3 is a nonprofit website. by simply using it, you aren't giving them any money. so what do we do from here?

well it's simple. just don't give them money. don't donate to them. use an adblocker or vpn if you really want to be sure. just visiting and using the site as normal does not benefit them monetarily at all. all of my fics are accessible regardless of if you have an account, and many writers are the same. so if you haven't already, don't make an account.

in the near future, i will be looking for alternative websites to post my work. i will not be using wattpad, as i have my own issues with it. all of my work on ao3 will remain up, and i will continue to post my work there for the time being, however once i find an alternative place to post my work i will be posting it there alongside posting on ao3 (in that case, please hit me up with any recommendations).

remember-- protesting works. boycotting works. but when the thing you're boycotting doesn't make any money in the first place, it's all performance. this is an issue that is very personal to me, and i've been doing a lot of work behind the scenes to make my voice heard. i encourage all of you to do the same. go to a protest. call your representatives. boycott where it matters.