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[bg=#000000][dash=#404040]JULY:
Happy July, Iwaku! We've now seen the close of the Fantasy Festival, and what a long month it was! We learned some great new things about ways to run our genre festivals. We've even let the members vote on what is coming up in August. Can you say... PIRATES? Huzzah! This month will be the peak of the summer season with members coming out the wazoo. Eith heat and an active site sometimes we see tempers rising high. Make sure you are always talking to people with respect while interacting on the forums. Treat them with the same respect you want for yourself. Now lets gets this newsletter underway!
Forum Updates are Lame and Dumb and Often Buggy!
Sometimes forum updates DON'T go so smoothly and they are annoying and cause just as many problems as they fix. If you should find something that is broken, confusion, lost, etc, go to the Community Hub and post in the BUGS thread. Diana will try and get that fixed as soon as possible.
Our Goal this month is BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS!
Iwaku has gain so many awesome new members since the fall! So many new members, that many people feel lost and confused in the big and expanding crowd. Make an effort this month to go out and meet new people. New and old! Strike up conversations with members in their visitor messages. Greet our in coming newbies. Post replies in General Topics. Try about some new roleplay partners through Jump Ins or other means. Participate in community events. Do what you can to bridge the gap and make Iwaku more of a COMMUNITY by building new relationships with members!
Post your threads in the RIGHT forums, or else you may accidentally get ignored!
Not only do you need to post in the right forum for organization's sake... but the players you want to see your RP, won't see it if you post it in the wrong place! READ the forum descriptions in the forums you are about to post in. Each forum has on, and many of them even have instructions. It's not rocket science. 8D
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[bg=#000000][dash=#404040]FOCUS ON ROLEPLAY
[ Roleplay 101 | Signups & Plot Discussions | Roleplay Talk ]
Our Most Valuable Player this month is Lstorm; for working hard at being involved on the roleplay scene, and keeping to it! Roleplay of the Month is Embers Of A Shinobi Burn Brightly GMed by Silent Assassin!
JUMP IN ROLEPLAYS
<center><iframe src="http://www.iwakuroleplay.com/view.php?pg=nwsjumpin" name="newsjumpin" scrolling="auto" frameborder="no" align="center" height = "300px" width = "100%">
</iframe><br></center>
NEWEST IWAKU ROLEPLAYS
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</iframe><br></center>
Find many other kinds of roleplays in the OOC Forum.[/dash][/bg]
[bg=#000000][dash=#404040]GENERAL CHATTING
[ View the General Forum ]
Our Member of the Month is Mittens !; For being an all around great gal, showing her face in the General Chatting Forum, and showing the Academy some love! Good job being a positive member throughout this month!
[bg=#000000][dash=#404040]TALENT SHOWCASE
[ Browse Member Talent Museum ] [ Tackle Challenges ] [ Study at the Academy ] [ Get Creative in Groups ]
WRITING AND ART MUSEUM
Everyone showed off this month, with a wide variety of media! There's everything from art and graphics or poetry and prose to music and even tailoring in June's Talent Showcase.
New Showcases
New Content
CHALLENGES
Our top Challengers this month are Lstorm, Juku, and LuluRS.
Here's a look at our most popular Challenges for June:
Our June Creativity Theme Challenge was Warrior vs. Wizard.
ACADEMY WRITING EXERCISES
The Academy has upgraded from Group to subforum! Come check out the awesome Writing Exercises. This month's top hardworking students are Ms_Wrong and LuluRS, who have both been extremely active around the Academy with Exercises, Workshops, and getting Mentored!
This month in the Academy:
CREATIVE GROUP SPOTLIGHT
This month's most creative Group is The Character Creation Guild, maintained by OverCast. Love character creation? Want to show off your favorite characters? Need inspiration or tips? This is the Group for you!
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[bg=#000000][dash=#404040]BLOG SPOTLIGHT
[ View the Blogs ]
The blogs are all out there this month, ranging from love to every day life and vacations. It's so hard to make a generalization! Although I will say it looks like a lot of you are out vacationing for the summer. Good for you, go out and soak up the sun... While the rest of us tan in front of the computer light.
[bg=#000000][dash=#404040]GROUP GATHERING
[ Join and Visit the Iwaku Groups ]
What's New
What's Hot
[bg=#000000][dash=#404040]QUOTABLES AND NOTABLES
Each month, we take a selection of posts and quotes from the Quotables and Notables submissions. These will be featured here in the newsletter. If you have something to submit to next month's newsletter, please use the submission form.
This month's first notable post is from the RP Thinia's Lament and was posted by Shavynel. The post was nominated due to an amazing ability to add detail and life to the scene and story without pushing boundaries too far.
The actual Talisman was, well, someone knew their ships. Armored, but not to the point of sacrificing grace. It was hard to tell without actually jumping in the ship, but Ce had a hunch that it would handle just fine. It wouldn't take muscle and guts to get this ship going where she wanted, just a gentle nudge here or there. The boarding plank came down then, but Ce ignored it. Instead, she walked up to the ship, checking it out from a closer distance. The ship vaguley reminded her of the original Darkphantom, but that had been years ago. The original had had more armor and though it also had a sleek, streamlined look, had handled relatively poorly. But she hated to judge a ship before she got to fly it.
The rest of the post can be found here.
This month's second notable post can be read in it's entirety here. It is by LadyHarpy from the roleplay Rebirth for Salrtban. Nominated for a bit of humor and a situation many people can relate to.
Rrakkt gave a wince of his own at the alien continued to get louder and louder in its anger. Obviously nothing was going to make the winged creature happy. Sighing a little, he looked down at his friend and shook his head a bit. Though they could, this was nothing like slavery. This was the service industry.
"Not unless they want their shop to be ruined by word of mouth. The only thing they can really do is try to make him happy so that he doesn't leave with a bad feeling about their shop. The customer is always right in the service industry, even if they are wrong." He explained softly to her so only she would hear. " We'll just have to wait until he either flys off mad or they finally give him whatever he wants. But honestly, we're in no major rush...and everyone is only going to think him annoying later."
Remember, every month you can nominate new people for the Quotable and Notable section, so if you see an excellent post or snippet, please submit it at the link above!
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[bg=#000000][dash=#404040]IWAKU HOROSCOPES
July 2012
[size=+1]The Herald[/size]
January 2 - February 14
Inspiration can often show itself from sources that one might not expect, which you are likely well-aware of, and this month will be no different. Expect to find more in common with someone that might not seem much like yourself on the surface and to find great ideas in places where you would not have even thought would provide any material for you.
[size=+1]The Soulmate[/size]
February 15 - April 1
It is not easy to get answers to the questions that you have right now and no matter how hard you try, they will likely remain as elusive as possible. Problems that you seek to find the solution to will not willingly untangle and you might feel confused about your current life and your place in the world. Do not allow yourself too much anxiety and try to focus your mind elsewhere.
[size=+1]The Guardian[/size]
April 2 - May 15
Strive for balance this month and be certain to be self-aware. Too much of a good thing will be a problem for you this month if you do not pay attention to your own habits and known when it is indeed becoming too much. This goes for habits as well, it might be tempting to work too hard or to play too much right now, with more free time than you expected to have, but don't allow this to rule you.
[size=+1]The Mentor[/size]
May 16 - July 1
Be certain that you make yourself known this month and realize that attention will not merely fall into your lap, even if you deserve it. People will have a tendency to take you and the things that you do for granted and if you want that recognition, speak up about it and it will be freely given. Your efforts will be greatly appreciated if you make them known to others and this should be a rewarding month for you.
[size=+1]The Trickster[/size]
July 2 - August 15
Ordinarily, you are a memorable friend amongst those that you know and people tend to pay attention to you, whether positive or negative, for your sometimes unusual mannerisms. Instead of being the center of attention, however, things will be more harmonious than you could have hoped between you and those whom you call friends. More than one of them will feel strangely in sync with you, depending on which aspect you choose to focus on at a time.
[size=+1]The Ally[/size]
August 16 - October 1
Do not retreat into the obscurity, especially when an embarrassing situation arises, as you might be wont to do. Instead, work hard to turn the embarrassing context into something positive or simply work to laugh at your own mistakes and shortcomings. Either way, if you do what you can to improve this, you might be surprised at how positive the event will turn out to be.
[size=+1]The Shadow[/size]
October 2 - November 15
Those around you might seem a bit more inattentive or preoccupied than they normally do and it's tempting to take it personally and be offended by this, but it has less to do with you than what it going on in their lives at the moment. Some understanding might be warranted in the case of those who are normally more invested, interested, or sympathetic. Don't feel bad pointing this behavior out if it becomes too habitual, however.
[size=+1]The Rebirth[/size]
November 16 - January 1
When things become hectic, do your best to keep a clear and level head. Stress may seem as though it is everywhere, but there is no reason to fret about it overmuch. Others will be feeling the effects of the stress too and empathy for their situation might defuse a bit of your own anxiety when you realize that others are having a hard time of it as well. As strong an appeal as it might have, do not give in to the urge to let your commitments fall by the wayside.
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[bg=#000000][dash=#404040]CURTAIN CALL
With that, we now bring your July newsletter to a close. When you're out there running wild and free in the forums, take some time to post! There are so many awesome topics, challenges, workshops, and entertaining things you can dip your hands in to. Even for you lurking lurkers. We know you're there, so take a moment to prove you're still alive. May the muse be with you, Iwaku!
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This Newsletter is brought to you By:
Diana: Editor
October Knight: Groups Highlight
Kitti: Iwaku Horoscopes
Ossochanter: Talent Showcase & Challenges
Revision: Quotable and Notables
Iliana: General Highlights
Zen: Blog Spotlight
Diana: Editor
October Knight: Groups Highlight
Kitti: Iwaku Horoscopes
Ossochanter: Talent Showcase & Challenges
Revision: Quotable and Notables
Iliana: General Highlights
Zen: Blog Spotlight
[bg=#000000][dash=#404040]JULY:
Happy July, Iwaku! We've now seen the close of the Fantasy Festival, and what a long month it was! We learned some great new things about ways to run our genre festivals. We've even let the members vote on what is coming up in August. Can you say... PIRATES? Huzzah! This month will be the peak of the summer season with members coming out the wazoo. Eith heat and an active site sometimes we see tempers rising high. Make sure you are always talking to people with respect while interacting on the forums. Treat them with the same respect you want for yourself. Now lets gets this newsletter underway!
Forum Updates are Lame and Dumb and Often Buggy!
Sometimes forum updates DON'T go so smoothly and they are annoying and cause just as many problems as they fix. If you should find something that is broken, confusion, lost, etc, go to the Community Hub and post in the BUGS thread. Diana will try and get that fixed as soon as possible.
Our Goal this month is BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS!
Iwaku has gain so many awesome new members since the fall! So many new members, that many people feel lost and confused in the big and expanding crowd. Make an effort this month to go out and meet new people. New and old! Strike up conversations with members in their visitor messages. Greet our in coming newbies. Post replies in General Topics. Try about some new roleplay partners through Jump Ins or other means. Participate in community events. Do what you can to bridge the gap and make Iwaku more of a COMMUNITY by building new relationships with members!
Post your threads in the RIGHT forums, or else you may accidentally get ignored!
Not only do you need to post in the right forum for organization's sake... but the players you want to see your RP, won't see it if you post it in the wrong place! READ the forum descriptions in the forums you are about to post in. Each forum has on, and many of them even have instructions. It's not rocket science. 8D
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[bg=#000000][dash=#404040]FOCUS ON ROLEPLAY
[ Roleplay 101 | Signups & Plot Discussions | Roleplay Talk ]
Our Most Valuable Player this month is Lstorm; for working hard at being involved on the roleplay scene, and keeping to it! Roleplay of the Month is Embers Of A Shinobi Burn Brightly GMed by Silent Assassin!
JUMP IN ROLEPLAYS
<center><iframe src="http://www.iwakuroleplay.com/view.php?pg=nwsjumpin" name="newsjumpin" scrolling="auto" frameborder="no" align="center" height = "300px" width = "100%">
</iframe><br></center>
NEWEST IWAKU ROLEPLAYS
<center><iframe src="http://www.iwakuroleplay.com/view.php?pg=nwsooc" name="nwsooc" scrolling="auto" frameborder="no" align="center" height = "300px" width = "100%">
</iframe><br></center>
Find many other kinds of roleplays in the OOC Forum.[/dash][/bg]
[bg=#000000][dash=#404040]GENERAL CHATTING
[ View the General Forum ]
Our Member of the Month is Mittens !; For being an all around great gal, showing her face in the General Chatting Forum, and showing the Academy some love! Good job being a positive member throughout this month!
- You are what you drink. Yes you are. This Red Wine Dress proves it. >:[
- Your favorite Fantasy Movie and how it inspires your muse! Go!
- Ocha tells us what the Top 5 Cbox topics are, and it's so legit.
- Now, give us your favorite Fantasy Book! :D
- Come, all ye members! Old and new! Post some stuff about yourself that Iwaku should know!
- Diana demands to know what genres you blend into your Fantasy! TELL HER.
- We know you all are secretly hiding a book somewhere. WE KNOW. So, don't be shy! Tell us whatcha readin!
- Change for a dollar! *Sobs* You just gotta watch this video and give us your gushiness!
- Take this quiz to find out which Fantasy race you are!
- Seiji shows us some Japanese Men Fashion. Shows a liiiiiiiitle too much.
- Pretty Fantasy wallpaper pictures! POST 'EM!
- What did you dream about last night?
- What was your favorite moment in history? Take the Poll or post what it is!
- The birthdays of Myrndon, Revision, Dawn, and Silencedot! If you haven't already, tell them Happy Birthday!
- Rory shares this German video. It makes people lol.
[bg=#000000][dash=#404040]TALENT SHOWCASE
[ Browse Member Talent Museum ] [ Tackle Challenges ] [ Study at the Academy ] [ Get Creative in Groups ]
WRITING AND ART MUSEUM
Everyone showed off this month, with a wide variety of media! There's everything from art and graphics or poetry and prose to music and even tailoring in June's Talent Showcase.
New Showcases
- Another King: Paorou wrote something fairytale-like!
- Grumpy Does Yet More Cyberpunk: Grumpy should really keep doing cyberpunk.
- Poems: Aira kicked off her new Showcase with three poems.
- ChouCho's collection: ChouCho also has a boatload of poems to share.
- Quick RP sample not my best work: David might not consider this his best work, but he still wants to show off this sample post!
- My First Memory; Live Preview: EquinoxSol wants people to check out the first chapter of her story from FictionPress.
- Emantuohtiweno's Showcase: Emantuohtiweno posted some really awesome artwork, mostly fantasy art, and a link to his deviantArt gallery.
- Electronic Abstraction Part One: Acquariana is showing off some song lyrics(?), one of which is in Spanish (with English translation for anyone not versed in Español).
- Mitten's Drawings: Mitten colored and shaded a drawing and wants tips!
- some of my works! Enjoy :3: Angelo linked to his awesome offsite portfolio.
- Kami doodles (Updated 06.12.2012): Kami has some really cool sketches and banners for your eye candy needs.
- Air is Fire: Tiger dares you to interpret this poem.
- Sil's Work New & Old: Sil proves herself a Photoshop wizard.
- Musicka: Des will be sharing some of his original music created in Fruity Loops. Coming soon!
- Just Some Writing: Fëadúr is looking for feedback on his short stories and poem.
- For The Record: Elyd wrote a poem so good it needs its own thread.
- Paorou's some-kind-of-a-project thing: Paorou is doing weird things again! Someone stop him.
New Content
- The storyteller speaks: Des is bringing us Chapter 2 this month: Return of the King.
- Catscratch: Kitti took the June Theme Challenge and drew a wizard!
- Inside Iliana: Iliana is drawing herself palling around with some Iwaku guys.
- BOOPITY BOP: And there goes Toria's mind: Toria brings us art of one of her Cbox personas.
- Examples of my work: Zen was super active this month with comic panels and other spiffy art.
- Digitally drawn, an art thread!: ReptileSkin took time out from digital art to do a bit of costuming.
- Angelic_Devil's Showcase: Angelic_Devil drew some new fan art.
- Revision's Artwork: Revision posted everything from naughty poetry to spectacular prose to shiny art!
- Chants of the Bone Singer: Ozzie wrote more poetry.
- Sticks and Stones: Ozzie drew more things.
CHALLENGES
Our top Challengers this month are Lstorm, Juku, and LuluRS.
Here's a look at our most popular Challenges for June:
- Quotable Quote Challenge
- Poetry Challenge #36 -- Clerihew
- Create a Character Challenge #25
- Poetry Challenge -- Fantasy Edition
- Create a Character Challenge #22
Our June Creativity Theme Challenge was Warrior vs. Wizard.
ACADEMY WRITING EXERCISES
The Academy has upgraded from Group to subforum! Come check out the awesome Writing Exercises. This month's top hardworking students are Ms_Wrong and LuluRS, who have both been extremely active around the Academy with Exercises, Workshops, and getting Mentored!
This month in the Academy:
- :icon10: Writing Exercise: Villains!: Featuring Ms_Wrong, Stilf, Liro Tractatori, roboblu, Rokku, Acquariana, Vendetta, LuluRS, and Tetsuri.
- Writing Exercise: One Line of Inspiration.: Featuring Ms_Wrong, LuluRS, nacht1220, Liro Tractatori, Kami, KallenDraconis, and Juku.
- Writing Exercise: Death and Killing!: Featuring Vendetta, MohawkMan, Juku, Rokku, LuluRS, and Lstorm.
- Writing Exercise: History!: Featuring Wolfxfox22, roboblu, MissSmaragd, Kami, and Liro Tractatori.
- :icon4: Writing Exercise: MAGIC!: Featuring Acquariana, Kami, and char99.
- :icon10: Writing Exercise: Taking Exception - Female-Centric Fiction: Featuring Ms_Wrong, Revision, and Sakura.
- Character Exercise: Fantasy: Featuring Sakura and Tenchi.
- :icon13: Writing Exercise - Crushing!: Featuring Stilf.
- Writing Exercise: Insanity!: Featuring Ms_Wrong.
- :icon8: Writing Exercise: Attitude!: Featuring Ms_Wrong.
CREATIVE GROUP SPOTLIGHT
This month's most creative Group is The Character Creation Guild, maintained by OverCast. Love character creation? Want to show off your favorite characters? Need inspiration or tips? This is the Group for you!
[bg=#000000][dash=#404040]BLOG SPOTLIGHT
[ View the Blogs ]
The blogs are all out there this month, ranging from love to every day life and vacations. It's so hard to make a generalization! Although I will say it looks like a lot of you are out vacationing for the summer. Good for you, go out and soak up the sun... While the rest of us tan in front of the computer light.
- Jinx gives us advice on how to stand up for yourself
- Diana brings us the 'old age' dilemma of age restrictions.
- Revision speaks of love and how it can be used to add a little bit of spice to your roleplays.
- Take a glance at Ask Pirogeth, as he discusses what it means to multi-type your villains.
- Listen to Redblood sing!
- A very creepy but beautifully composed poem by Stilexce
- An opinion piece by Spammy on the topic of Sword and Sorcery
- Aira describes what it's like to stay in a French villa.
- A poem by Jumi titled Uncertainty
- A convert, Drew has fallen for Coke Zero!
[bg=#000000][dash=#404040]GROUP GATHERING
[ Join and Visit the Iwaku Groups ]
What's New
- Book Club - Love reading books? Read all the time? Join the book club and talk about your favorite books or ones you hate to let others know what's good to read!
- The Music Box - We have a metal group, we have a J-pop group, now we have a General music group! Here, any type of music can be discussed! Share your favorite genre or learn about something totally new!
- Katy Perry Fans - Do you have a raging love for Katy Perry? I know I do! Not only is she talented, she is like a 12 outta 10..on her worst day! JOIN TODAY!
- Country Fans - For all things Country from Jason Aldean to Willie Nelson. Like Country? This is the club for you! Join now.
- Romance Roleplays - One thing that is apparent when you browse whats new at Iwaku are the stagering number of romance based RPs. If you love making people get all hot and bothered IC, then look no further! Here is a group for you, romance RP lover!
What's Hot
- Delicious delicacies - Food. All day, everyday. it's all we talk about here. So if you don't eat this probably isn't the group for you : )
- Iwaku Streaming Radio - Do you ever find yourself listening to the radio, whether it be in the car, on the train, or even at home, and saying to yourself "If I were programming director, I wouldn't have played that song"? Well, here's your chance to shine!
- Iwaku Stereo - This is a group for catelogging good music, stuff that can be used in future posts and to put out there some awesome notes.
- Graceful Creatures - Basically a group to rp as forbidden creatures or creatures that you love to rp as. Anything else is up to you.
- Yaoi fangirls and fan boys UNITE! - Hm. Yaoi deliciousness. Nough said. This is a mature group, so only mature souls please. 16 and up would be most appreciated.
[bg=#000000][dash=#404040]QUOTABLES AND NOTABLES
Each month, we take a selection of posts and quotes from the Quotables and Notables submissions. These will be featured here in the newsletter. If you have something to submit to next month's newsletter, please use the submission form.
This month's first notable post is from the RP Thinia's Lament and was posted by Shavynel. The post was nominated due to an amazing ability to add detail and life to the scene and story without pushing boundaries too far.
The actual Talisman was, well, someone knew their ships. Armored, but not to the point of sacrificing grace. It was hard to tell without actually jumping in the ship, but Ce had a hunch that it would handle just fine. It wouldn't take muscle and guts to get this ship going where she wanted, just a gentle nudge here or there. The boarding plank came down then, but Ce ignored it. Instead, she walked up to the ship, checking it out from a closer distance. The ship vaguley reminded her of the original Darkphantom, but that had been years ago. The original had had more armor and though it also had a sleek, streamlined look, had handled relatively poorly. But she hated to judge a ship before she got to fly it.
The rest of the post can be found here.
This month's second notable post can be read in it's entirety here. It is by LadyHarpy from the roleplay Rebirth for Salrtban. Nominated for a bit of humor and a situation many people can relate to.
Rrakkt gave a wince of his own at the alien continued to get louder and louder in its anger. Obviously nothing was going to make the winged creature happy. Sighing a little, he looked down at his friend and shook his head a bit. Though they could, this was nothing like slavery. This was the service industry.
"Not unless they want their shop to be ruined by word of mouth. The only thing they can really do is try to make him happy so that he doesn't leave with a bad feeling about their shop. The customer is always right in the service industry, even if they are wrong." He explained softly to her so only she would hear. " We'll just have to wait until he either flys off mad or they finally give him whatever he wants. But honestly, we're in no major rush...and everyone is only going to think him annoying later."
Remember, every month you can nominate new people for the Quotable and Notable section, so if you see an excellent post or snippet, please submit it at the link above!
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[bg=#000000][dash=#404040]IWAKU HOROSCOPES
July 2012
[size=+1]The Herald[/size]
January 2 - February 14
Inspiration can often show itself from sources that one might not expect, which you are likely well-aware of, and this month will be no different. Expect to find more in common with someone that might not seem much like yourself on the surface and to find great ideas in places where you would not have even thought would provide any material for you.
[size=+1]The Soulmate[/size]
February 15 - April 1
It is not easy to get answers to the questions that you have right now and no matter how hard you try, they will likely remain as elusive as possible. Problems that you seek to find the solution to will not willingly untangle and you might feel confused about your current life and your place in the world. Do not allow yourself too much anxiety and try to focus your mind elsewhere.
[size=+1]The Guardian[/size]
April 2 - May 15
Strive for balance this month and be certain to be self-aware. Too much of a good thing will be a problem for you this month if you do not pay attention to your own habits and known when it is indeed becoming too much. This goes for habits as well, it might be tempting to work too hard or to play too much right now, with more free time than you expected to have, but don't allow this to rule you.
[size=+1]The Mentor[/size]
May 16 - July 1
Be certain that you make yourself known this month and realize that attention will not merely fall into your lap, even if you deserve it. People will have a tendency to take you and the things that you do for granted and if you want that recognition, speak up about it and it will be freely given. Your efforts will be greatly appreciated if you make them known to others and this should be a rewarding month for you.
[size=+1]The Trickster[/size]
July 2 - August 15
Ordinarily, you are a memorable friend amongst those that you know and people tend to pay attention to you, whether positive or negative, for your sometimes unusual mannerisms. Instead of being the center of attention, however, things will be more harmonious than you could have hoped between you and those whom you call friends. More than one of them will feel strangely in sync with you, depending on which aspect you choose to focus on at a time.
[size=+1]The Ally[/size]
August 16 - October 1
Do not retreat into the obscurity, especially when an embarrassing situation arises, as you might be wont to do. Instead, work hard to turn the embarrassing context into something positive or simply work to laugh at your own mistakes and shortcomings. Either way, if you do what you can to improve this, you might be surprised at how positive the event will turn out to be.
[size=+1]The Shadow[/size]
October 2 - November 15
Those around you might seem a bit more inattentive or preoccupied than they normally do and it's tempting to take it personally and be offended by this, but it has less to do with you than what it going on in their lives at the moment. Some understanding might be warranted in the case of those who are normally more invested, interested, or sympathetic. Don't feel bad pointing this behavior out if it becomes too habitual, however.
[size=+1]The Rebirth[/size]
November 16 - January 1
When things become hectic, do your best to keep a clear and level head. Stress may seem as though it is everywhere, but there is no reason to fret about it overmuch. Others will be feeling the effects of the stress too and empathy for their situation might defuse a bit of your own anxiety when you realize that others are having a hard time of it as well. As strong an appeal as it might have, do not give in to the urge to let your commitments fall by the wayside.
[bg=#000000][dash=#404040]CURTAIN CALL
With that, we now bring your July newsletter to a close. When you're out there running wild and free in the forums, take some time to post! There are so many awesome topics, challenges, workshops, and entertaining things you can dip your hands in to. Even for you lurking lurkers. We know you're there, so take a moment to prove you're still alive. May the muse be with you, Iwaku!
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