The database part was surprisingly easy to figure out, and I technically can already go live and start posting, albeit without images yet. I suppose it is called database-as-a-service for a reason.
Now, something I am scared of is trying to implement is the RSS/Atom feed. As in, I have no idea if it is possible for me at all, let alone feasible to do before October 1st. The feed is clearly necessary if I still hope that the site will be of any use for anybody, but you know you are up for a good time when you are trying to learn about a web standard, and the top results are .gov and look like they haven't been updated in 15 years.
I will try to go live before 25th and gradually build this thing up into a reasonably nice-looking and usable website, but it might be way too optimistic of a promise.