Brain Dump 2026: July

How has it been 3 months since my last brain dump? That's insane!

What have you all been up to?

This one may not be as long as my previous dumps, considering my brain is a pile of mush, but onwards we prevail!

Writing Projects

I don't even know what I'm working on anymore!

Life has been busy, as it usually is. Instead of working on projects, I've been immersing myself more in poetry! I've been part of a FANTASTIC writing group, hosted by the lovely Juliana (@sol_poetria on IG) called Poetry as Movement, and it has been an incredible experience. I've always had difficulty writing longer poems, and for whatever reason, this has cured me! Technically, this is helping future projects because I now have a couple of poems to edit for my next book! I don't have any concrete plans for a next poetry book, but I know it will differ from anything I've done before.

Otherwise, I'm working on two other stories that have a lot of potential! Looking back, both are technically arranged marriages, but the core of them is still fantasy and slow-burn romance.

Video Games

I've still been buying video games . . . let me live!

Let's start off with our usual list of shame (aka all the games I've bought since April that I'm NOT supposed to be):

Kingdom Hearts 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5

Sea of Stars

Untitled Goose Game

Disco Elysium

Speakeasy

Best Served Cold

Enshrined

Bloom

Sweet Valentine Chocolatier

Boyfriend Dungeon

Again, that looks like a lot now that I'm looking at it in list form. But! I am proud to say that I have finished two of these games, so technically, I'm putting effort into finishing games! So don't boo too loudly!

Anyway, onto the games I am currently playing:

Dave the Diver: This game is like Stardew Valley, but underwater. A cozy game where you are a diver who helps run a sushi restaurant. You meet different people along the way, and it is so cute. The cutscenes are my absolute favorite in this game! They're very Gen Z coded and I live for that. I don't know how close I am to the end, but I'm enjoying every moment!

Baldur's Gate 3: This game gives me anxiety, I swear, but I absolutely adore it. A Dungeons and Dragons game with a TON of story, choices, and fights. The fights are sometimes so difficult; I dream about the strategies I can use next time. It's insane and definitely not kid-friendly, but it's amazing.

The Cosmic Wheel of Sisterhood: I've only just started this game, so I don't know too much about the gameplay, but so far I think it's about making a deck similar to tarot cards. It's very witchy already, and it really lets you customize the cards you make! I love that element, and I'm hoping to meet more ethereal creatures and make more cards!

Currently Reading / Recently Read

You guys, I finished my reading goal! Everyone clap! As of typing this, I have read 43 out of 40 books.

Again, I give a lot of credit to audiobooks because I've been listening to them at work, while doing dishes, and everywhere else I can squeeze it in.

Somewhere between last year and this year, I've made a hard shift in genres. I usually would read a lot of romance fantasy books, but they just don't hit anymore. Maybe it's my logical brain saying it's not achievable. Maybe it's something else. Either way, I'm gravitating more towards horror, mystery, and contemporary fiction.

Here is the list of books I'm currently reading:

Tales From the Gas Station, Vol. 1 (4%) : I just started this last night, and in the best way possible, this is so Gen Z coded. Imagine a tired, down - on - his - luck guy working the night shift in a gas station, and he has to deal with all the weird people who come by. I mean, at 4% that's all I've got!

Fabulous Bodies by Chuck Tingle (60%) : I actually won a copy of this through Storygraph, and am listening to the audiobook! So far, it's incredibly quirky. I still haven't really processed all the hidden motifs yet, but so far I'm enjoying it! Definitely a specific style of writing, so it may not be for everyone, but I think it's pretty fun.

A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin (5%) : This one is going to be a slow read for me, as I'm reading with my best friend! We're aiming for a chapter a week, but will see how it goes. I've never seen the show, so this is my first time taking everything in, and I hope it doesn't upset anyone to say Jon Snow is currently my favorite character. Super self-aware for a kid, and I just feel like he's going to be important.

Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky (23%) : I've had this book on pause for a few months, but hope to get back into it. So far, so good! It's definitely a more tedious read. The paragraphs are incredibly long, and most of it is just the main character observing other people talk, but I still find it fascinating! I hope it gets progressively crazier.

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Thank you all for reading if you've made it this far! Happy Saturday! <3

Until next time!