#within TWO days of preorder opening

[lilithrebellion]

Ok, first of all.

"Because I always want to be by your side." Princess collection featuring 7 enchanting looks for the cute and beautiful heroine, Yui Komori.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!?!?!?!!?!?!!??

I'm going to scream again, this is going to give me a heart attack, I still can't believe it's real.😭😭😭😭😭😭

[drchucktingle]

queer horror memory lane

i know this screenshot above is just way of some algorithm but seeing these books together i am so honored youve allowed me to open my heart and trot out my art in this unique way. having two well received queer horror books (and third on way) is amazing given where i started my trot. thank you

easy to talk on 'death of unique art' these days but if you look at my story it is powerful example that buckaroos have a taste for challenging or untraditional figures in art. this is NOT to my credit, this is to YOUR credit. YOU have supported queer autistic art. i am so moved

i am already a pretty optimistic bud but still BLOWN AWAY by way my trot has been embraced over time. i recognize my perspective is 'strange' to many but to see the way this unique way was once treated with irony and now sincerity has bloomed in its place. it brings tears of joy

as i trot down my QUEER HORROR memory lane i am going to repost TRAILER for each book just because i have been basking in these memories and recalling the slow embrace of this timeline around me. thank you for allowing me this space i am so humbled and honored. LOVE IS REAL

STRAIGHT

When a strange tear in the cosmos appears within Earth’s annual path, the consequences are disastrous. For one night a year, the vast majority of humans now undergo a frightening mental change, transforming into hateful, rage-fueled zombies who will stop at nothing to satiate their desire for brutality.

While not much is understood about this horrific mass hysteria, the demographic it effects is very specific: cisgender straight people. 

A few years after the first of these tragic events, four friends from across the queer spectrum look for safety in solitude, hunkering down in a remote desert cabin for what is now known as Saturation Day. With a vaccine available for straight people to curb their violent episodes, some predict the worst is over. Others aren’t so sure.

As night falls, it becomes clear that survival isn’t guaranteed this Saturation Day.

GET STRAIGHT HERE

CAMP DAMASCUS

From beloved internet icon Chuck Tingle, Camp Damascus is a searing and earnest horror debut about the demons the queer community faces in America, the price of keeping secrets, and finding the courage to burn it all down. Welcome to Neverton, Montana: home to a God-fearing community with a heart of gold. Nestled high up in the mountains is Camp Damascus, the self-proclaimed “most effective” gay conversion camp in the country. Here, a life free from sin awaits. But the secret behind that success is anything but holy. And they’ll scare you straight to hell.

GET CAMP DAMASCUS HERE

BURY YOUR GAYS

Misha knows that chasing success in Hollywood can be hell.

But finally, after years of trying to make it, his big moment is here: an Oscar nomination. And the executives at the studio for his long-running streaming series know just the thing to kick his career to the next level: kill off the gay characters, "for the algorithm," in the upcoming season finale.

Misha refuses, but he soon realizes that he’s just put a target on his back. And what’s worse, monsters from his horror movie days are stalking him and his friends through the hills above Los Angeles.

Haunted by his past, Misha must risk his entire future―before the horrors from the silver screen find a way to bury him for good.

PREORDER BURY YOUR GAYS HERE

i am blessed by your support, your love, and your kindness. cannot believe how lucky i am to trot with you in all in this way and i cant WAIT to see what the future of this timeline holds for us. thank you for proving love with me from the past to the future

[alythekitten]

Hellaverse is back, b!tchessssss 🤣👌🏻

The (probably) final part of the Hellaverse stickers serie is finally ready (those plus the last gremlin Niffty and Sir pentius). I'm gonna open preorders for this pack within a day or two, while I'm making available the previous packs too 💕

...and there will be a secret sticker, trust me it's so idiotic you'll love it 👀✨

[primaldialga493]

Opening preorders for a new batch of custom Pokémon & PMD pins and keychains. Preorders close on May 15th; expand post for information ⬇️

★ Preorders close on May 15th at 8:00PM EST. Once preorders close, the manufacturing order will be placed within 48 hours.

★ Payment will be collected via PayPal invoice after the order has been placed. Invoices must be paid in full within 4 days.

★ Shipping within the Unites States is a flat $4.50. International shipping is $9-$12+.

★ Items will be manufactured in China and shipped from the US. The entire manufacturing process (from order placement to arrival) typically takes 1-2 months.

★ All merch designs in the first two images are customizable; choose the design(s) you'd like from the lineup and pick the type of merchandise you'd like to have it made into.

★ As a result of the manufacturing process, most wooden wanted poster 3D pins will have mild to moderate scratches and/or imperfections in the wood. Most of these imperfections are only visible upon close inspection under direct light.

★ Preorder customers may either choose their pin clutch/keychain clasp (options shown below), or delegate the decision to me.

[intuitive-revelations]

Hey! So, following up on that last post, remember that Tolkien-style "Map of Central Gallifrey" I've posted in the past, mapping out the Capitol and Prydonia carefully based on analysing CGI screenshots, expanded universe quotes, extrapolating from tiny details etc.?

I made an updated and expanded version! It'll be available in @galliversary: "Pride and Politics" as a two-page spread within the zine, as well as a full print!

Along with some updates based on new sources (eg. DW: Flux), the map features new locations from the Gallifrey audio series like the Camp of the True Lords (Annihilation), the Anomaly Vault (Fractures), even House Witforge (Transference).

The new map also expands the mapped region to include more of Mancipia and the Lune Forest, as well as bits of Gin-Seng and Fettaris, along with an extra mini world map! This was similarly pulled together from all sorts of sources, ranging from Day of the Doctor CGI breakdowns, to the Seasons of War anthologies, to Eighth Doctor Time War audios, to that one book page in Good Omens.

Make sure to check it out! Preorders open in March.

[astoundingbeyondbelief]

Kaiju Week in Review (October 1-7, 2023)

Godzilla: Rulers of Earth has evidently been a huge hit for Japanese publisher Phase Six, kicking off a lengthy run of translated and original kaiju comics. They'll be releasing the first 12 issues in a ReMonstered Edition hardcover on Halloween. It's ReMonstered because Matt Frank made some tweaks to his art, although he promises he "didn't, like, replace guns with walkie talkies." The real prize, however, is a new six-page story called "Thinking On Our Feet", starring Lucy Casprell, Kristina Sumres, and Varan! Longtime readers know that I am Not Normal about the Rulers of Earth lesbians and will probably have to import this reprint of comics I already own, as an English release for the six-pager is just a dream right now.

EDIT: @starestream points out that IDW is reprinting all of its Godzilla comics in giant Library Editions, and they haven't done Rulers of Earth yet. (Volume 1, which came out a couple days ago, gathers Gangsters & Goliaths, Legends, and The Half-Century War.)

Legendary Comics launched a Kickstarter for hardcover editions of two Monsterverse graphic novels: Godzilla x Kong: The Hunter and Monsterverse Declassified. They've already vaulted over their goal, unsurprisingly. If you're content with paperbacks, the main news here is a little more information about the comics. Oh, and a glimpse of a new Titan on the cover of Monsterverse Declassified that the campaign studiously avoided naming. (Supposedly it's Abaddon.)

Synopsis for Godzilla x Kong: The Hunted:

A twisted Skull Island trophy hunter baits his trap and sets his sights on the biggest game of all deep within the Hollow Earth in the official prequel graphic novel to the upcoming film Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire.

Synopsis for Monsterverse Declassified:

Discover the legends of four fan-favorite Titans - Doug, Behemoth, and Tiamat, plus one to-be-revealed Titan! Join Bernie Hayes as he takes readers down the rabbit hole to reveal classified Monarch secrets and ancient monster myths in the first-ever Monsterverse anthology!  

Godzilla: Here There Be Giants #4 has the series poised to end on a high note, bringing in the Giant Octopus in its final pages. (It's called Oodako here, which is a name I never expected to see in official media, seeing as it just means "giant octopus" in Japanese.) Amazingly, this is its first time fighting Godzilla, despite debuting in a Godzilla movie all the way back in 1962.

If you live in the States and were hoping to see Godzilla Minus One in IMAX, bad news: Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé is now opening on December 1 as well, and IMAX preorders for it have already started. Godzilla's taken on a Queen B before, but concert films are suddenly box office gold (Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour is poised to open with $125 million domestic, higher than any 2023 superhero movie). The subtitled period piece doesn't seem to stand much of a chance, Godzilla or not. Still, keep an eye out.

A black-and-white version of Shin Godzilla called SHIN GODZILLA:ORTHOchromatic will play in a handful of Japanese theaters on the last weekend of October. I'm guessing the film has been regraded (the announcement mentions that Shinji Higuchi and AD Katsuro Onoue supervised the project), so changing the settings on your TV won't perfectly replicate it. But it's a hell of a lot cheaper than a plane ticket.

[ultrainfinitepit]

Hello Eldritch Saints followers, I have a quick update for you: the preorder store on Backerkit is now open if you missed the campaign. The preorder store will close in about two weeks on May 15.

In addition to the items unlocked during the campaign, the following addons are available in the preorder store:

The Angelic Anatomy print will be bigger than the postcard, at 8 x 10 inches; with a holographic finish.

These sticker addons have been added as well:

The Candle Angels sticker sheet will be 5 x 7 inches, with a matte finish and gold accents.

The Circle of Willis sticker will be 3 inches on the longest side, with a glossy finish and red foil accents.

If you missed the campaign, the preorder store is your last chance to get the pins and other items at campaign prices; and please note, you will not receive any pledge-specific freebies. Be sure to place your orders before it closes!

If you're a campaign backer: the smoke test has gone out tonight and if everything looks good by tomorrow, you can expect a survey in your inbox within the next few days. Please refer to the campaign page and latest updates for more details on the survey.

[thececeverse]

THE FIRST ALBUM … ˗ˏˋ ꒰ ♡ ꒱ ˎˊ˗

SINCERELY is the debut album by CHOUKA AIKAWA. Released on July 26th, 2024 by Republic Records, it has since been hailed as one of the best and most unexpected debut albums of the year. The album’s concepts, subject matter, and even packaging were all praised by critics, and its release cemented Chouka as one of the industry’s newest pop princesses.

TRACKLIST … ˗ˏˋ ꒰ ♡ ꒱ ˎˊ˗

GIRLS DON’T CRY

CAKE

SINCERELY ! LEAD SINGLE

EYES ON ME ! SECOND SINGLE

LUXURIOUS

RETURN TO SENDER ! BONUS SINGLE

SILK ‘N DIAMONDS

CELEBRITY

VALLEY OF THE DOLLS

STRAWBERRIES AND CREAM ! THIRD SINGLE

G.O.Y.D (GIRL OF YOUR DREAMS) ! FOURTH SINGLE

HEART ON MY SLEEVE

PHOTOCARDS … ˗ˏˋ ꒰ ♡ ꒱ ˎˊ˗

COMMERCIAL PERFORMANCE … ˗ˏˋ ꒰ ♡ ꒱ ˎˊ˗

Album of the year! Chouka truly brought girly pop music back, and everyone agreed. Sincerely—like her debut single—was a huge success. The album was announced just a month prior to its release through a video Chouka posted to her social media accounts. It featured her writing a link onto a pink card before signing it, and the same link could be found in the captions of each post. Turns out, it was a link to preorder the album. At around the same time, Chouka’s website was updated with the link, along with the album’s title and cover art.

Now this news went viral, with the term “she’s releasing an album” being Tweeted over 500,000 times. Within a week, Sincerely had garnered over 400,000 preorders, and it had hit over one million by July.

Three weeks prior to the album’s release, Chouka posted a silent video of herself in a studio in Sweden, along with a few-second snippet of one of the instrumentals to her album. The post gained over 3.5 million likes within the first 24 hours, and it garnered over two million views on Twitter.

The album’s title track and lead single, “Sincerely,” was released a day before the album dropped. Like Chouka’s debut single, this song was also a massive hit. The music video—which was shot at the Palace of Versailles and inspired by Marie Antoinette (2006), the fashion of Rococo-era France, and Madonna’s VMAs performance of “Vogue” in 1990—garnered over 40 million views within the first day, surpassing “Girls Don’t Cry.” It topped YouTube’s trending page, and topped both the Spotify and Apple Music charts. Chouka would end up breaking Olivia Rodrigo’s record, with “Sincerely” becoming the highest streamed song on Spotify in regards to first day streams.

Like its predecessor, “Sincerely” topped charts in numerous countries, and it remained atop the Oricon charts for a staggering sixteen weeks. The song was leagues more popularity online in comparison to “Girls Don’t Cry,” which—to the surprise of Chouka and her fans—led to her first No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Upon the song’s debut, it had sold over 300,000 units, and would go on to sell 1.5 million by mid-September.

“Sincerely” would be praised for its catchiness and sound reminiscent of early 1990s house music, with critics calling it “the 21st century’s answer to ‘Vogue.’” The song was also praised for the carefree, cheeky, indulgent, and “I don’t give a fuck” tone that it set for the rest of Chouka’s album, despite not being the opening track.

Of course, the album’s other singles also did just as well! “Eyes on Me” was definitely a crowd favorite, with many praising its unapologetic “girlishness,” comparing it to singing alone in a pink, frilly bedroom. The song’s music video was the main talking point, though, as so many people loved the references to various nineties and 2000s chick flicks, such as: Clueless, Jawbreaker, Legally Blonde, Mean Girls, A Cinderella Story, Uptown Girls, and 13 Going on 30.

“Eyes on Me” would debut at No. 2 on the iTunes chart and No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100, but it would top charts everywhere else, including on the Billboard Hot 100 Excl. US chart. It stayed on the charts for four weeks before falling off completely.

“Strawberries and Cream” debuted at No. 11 on the Billboard chart, unfortunately not cracking into the Top 10. “G.O.Y.D” fared much better, however, debuting at No. 8 on the chart. Like before, both songs entered the Top 10 in other countries outside America.

The cherry on top was the music videos, though. They were all filmed to appear as if they were their own individual short films, all connecting to form an overarching story about love and relationships. “Sincerely” begins with Chouka writing a love letter to someone and preparing to send it off. “Eyes on Me” starts with her slipping the letter into a mailbox. “Strawberries and Cream” deals with her receiving a letter back, but it turns out to be a rejection, which causes her to tear the letter up (it turns out to be a fake version of the letter). “G.O.Y.D” (which was notably inspired by various Old Hollywood films such as Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Funny Face, and Breakfast at Tiffany’s) has Chouka convincing herself that she doesn’t need a man and that her crush missed out, and she writes a scathing letter in return, but in the end, she decides to not send it.

Critics were in love with every MV, and Rosettes were all down Twitter absolutely singing their praises. They were praised for their clearly expensive visuals, along with the movie style cinematography, themes, aesthetics, and overall story. Each MV broke into the Top 10 of YouTube’s trending page, and each obviously received millions of views (unfortunately, though, “Strawberries and Cream” had the least).

Overall, the album was a resounding success. Fans were unsure if the praise that “Girls Don’t Cry” received could be sustained with the release of an album, especially since it was a larger project that Chouka had never tackled before. Clearly, though, she had surpassed everyone’s expectations. And, of course, Rosettes were thrilled that she finally got that No. 1 single.

STYLING … ˗ˏˋ ꒰ ♡ ꒱ ˎˊ˗

ERA HIGHLIGHTS … ˗ˏˋ ꒰ ♡ ꒱ ˎˊ˗

Girl this era was everything!

First off, the promotion for this album was heavy. Y’all thought “Girls Don’t Cry” was huge? Well, damn, this blew miss girl out the water!

Chouka was all over televisions across America, and in other countries, as well! She had an interview with Kelly Clarkson (again), she was on GMA, she was on The Zach Sang Show, she did the Buzzfeed puppy interview, she did a “What’s In My Bag” with Vogue Japan (again!), she had five hundred magazine interviews … like girl, Chouka was doing it all!

She performed on TRL for the second time, and that was just a precursor to all the award show performances that she would give.

You know how Chouka didn’t get a chance to perform at Coachella because she only had two songs to her name at that point? Well know she has twelve, and she scored a set at Lollapalooza!

She had such a blast, girl. Like the way Rosettes turned out for her was truly insane … like to the point where she was tearing up onstage. And that barely happens! She had so much fun during her set, though, especially since the fanchants were so loud and her costumes were so good! She also performed on the same stage as Melanie Martinez, so of course she got to meet her!

And of course Chouka had to do overseas promo too! Her first stop was Japan, so she was on Music Station again, she had a cute little photoshoot with Marie Claire, and she also appeared on her first variety show! Her episode was so fun like literally she’s so charming.

Japanese Rosettes have mutually decided that every time she has a comeback, they have to organize a café pop-up. So that’s exactly what they did!

Like last time Chouka went, she signed some autographs and took pictures … just had a great time!

Chouka made a stop in Korea again! We cheer! Although her music show appearances were (once again) limited, as she only performed four times, she still got to meet so many idols! They were all down her TikTok doing the “#SincerelyChallenge,” and some of the most notable were Julie from Kiss of Life, Xiaoting and Bahiyyih of Kepler, Chungha, literally every member of Haute Pink (@hauteplnk), and Baebi and Sena of Venus (@venusvity)! Additionally, she also held another fansign! Over 13,000 fans attended this one, and Chouka received so many gifts! Like literally, the back wall was covered in bouquets and pink gift bags by the end.

She had another photoshoot with Céci (she was literally on every magazine cover this era) and shot a campaign for Etude House while there, and she was supposed to appear on Knowing Bros but couldn’t due to scheduling conflicts … sigh.

However! There was news going around that Chouka had agreed to star in an upcoming drama! Rumor has it that her co-star is supposed to be Cha Eun-woo so!

Chouka was also in Brazil for Lollapalooza, too. And the vibe was even better in comparison to the US sjuwjhdhe. Like Brazilian Rosettes absolutely adored her, and her Portuguese was surprisingly good! She just had an absolute great time … she was even doing football chants with the crowd too like we love her!

After she came back to the US, she went straight to award shows. She first went to VMAs, and girl, she was literally that girl of the night. Like she was wearing pink archive Versace! She looked so good on that carpet, and she stood there and posed for so long that Jason had to drag her away jsjwjjsjs. It’s not her fault that the photographers were hyping her up!

Chouka was actually a co-host that night, and she presented an award, so rest assured that she was changing outfits like eight times. And they were all in shades of pink, ofc! She also won her first music award ever, as she won the award for Best Pop!

Like girl she beat out Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, Olivia Rodrigo … Rosettes were on Twitter yelling!

Her performance was towards the end since of course the VMAs had to extend their watch time (every time Chouka appears on something Rosettes will literally flock to watch it), but when it happened? Oh, the girls were simply not ready!

Taking heavy inspiration from Madonna’s 1990 VMAs performance of “Vogue,” she had Marie Antoinette written all over her. The performance first started with an extended intro of “Sincerely,” and with male backup dancers performing vogue-style choreography. They suddenly stop and bow, and Chouka comes out from backstage with four female dancers (her court, of course). Her hair is piled up high and powdered pink, and she’s dressed in this absolutely huge, Rococo-era gown! Unlike Madonna’s “Vogue” performance, though, after the start of the first verse, Chouka rips off the skirt to reveal a shorter one!

Like “Girls Don’t Cry,” subtle costume changes were very common this era, along with Chouka’s use of paper fans for every live performance. And speaking of fans, every time she did the “#SincerelyChallenge” with someone else, she would give them a fan, too! And they got to keep it as a gift. ♡

She next went to the AMAs and had a great time (won New Artist of the Year, too!), and she even got a chance to attend the MAMAs! She performed at the ceremony in Japan and had a killer dance break, and she was also reunited with Haute Pink again! They were sat next to each other at the ceremony in Hong Kong, and they were chatting the entire night. Chouka is truly their secret seventh member at this point.

The last thing Chouka did before her tour started was attend Jingle Ball! Of course, like every time before, she had fun! Rosettes turned up in droves, and they even got a little gift bag as thanks. Although not all of them got something because Chouka’s team underestimated how many people were actually going to be there … but at least there was a handwritten letter in there!

She was supposed to attend New Year’s Rockin’ Eve, but she wanted to rest before her tour. And also she spent New Year’s in London so she wouldn’t have been able to go anyways sjiwjsjjd.

Her tour (which was titled the Return to Sender Tour and girl, people noticed that!) started at the beginning of next year, and unfortunately, it was pretty short and limited only to North America, Asia, and parts of Europe (including Italy, luckily). Despite that, though, it was a cute and fun little tour! Chouka actually sold out every show on her roster, which was surprising to her but unsurprising to everyone else. Like yes, girl, people do like your music!

Now after Chouka’s tour ended, Rosettes thought that was it. However, nothing’s ever it for her snjwjjeje like y’all should know this by now!

“Return to Sender” (the tour was named that for a reason!) was released as a bonus single sometime in March, and everyone ate it up. They were so invested in the lore at this point, and since the letter Chouka ripped up in “Strawberries and Cream” was revealed to be a fake in “G.O.Y.D,” they were all wondering what happened to it! And Rosettes could finally breathe a sigh of relief since they finally got their answer.

In “G.O.Y.D,” Chouka was trying to convince herself that she didn’t need a man, but in “Return to Sender,” she knew she didn’t need one! As the title implies, in the MV, she literally sent the rejection letter back! Like she truly did not care! It actually ends in the same boudoir that “Sincerely” started off in, and it ends with Chouka writing herself a love letter instead!

It was truly such a cute little message. Rosettes were in love with her character’s progression from being lovestruck to being unbothered and okay with self-love like we love that here!

Since we got a bonus single completely out of nowhere, Rosettes were hoping and praying that either “Heart on My Sleeve” or “Silk ‘N Diamonds” would be released as singles, too. Unfortunately for all of us, though, that literally never happened. And when I tell you Rosettes were so pissed off at her, I mean it jsiwjejjdjs.

However, “Silk ‘N Diamonds” would get its flowers in due time, no need to worry!

Like “Girls Don’t Cry,” the creation and subsequent promotion of Sincerely was all covered on a documentary, which was released on Chouka’s music channel! It was shot more professionally this time and didn’t have any personal footage by her, but it was still a great doc! A lot of celebrities made appearances (such as SZA and Taylor Swift!), and throughout the entire documentary, you can tell just how well Chouka handles stress. Truly the most admirable girl on the planet.

Jason was with her every step of the way, and we love him for that. He was always reassuring her, taking care of things for her, making sure that she wasn’t overworked … like he was literally starting to act like Chouka’s second manager and she had to tell him to slow down hshejjejs.

He quite literally has a fandom of his own within Chouka’s fandom! Like he’s so beloved to the point where every time he showed up during one of Chouka’s schedules, Rosettes would cheer for him, too!

By the end of the era, Chouka held a huge beach party in Spain to celebrate a successful era, and half the industry pulled up! Everyone had to wear pink (of course shwjjdjs), and the party literally went on to three in the morning. It was just so incredibly fun, and every guest got a signed copy of the album, a box of Dior perfume, and a rose! Some notable guests were Paris Hilton, Bella Hadid, the Haute Pink girls, and Klara of Venus!

All in all, what an amazing era! Chouka once again proved that she was the It girl, and she blew everyone’s expectations out the water. Sincerely was truly one of the best and most surprising debuts in history, and fans couldn’t wait to see what else she had in store. ˗ˏˋ ꒰ ♡ ꒱ ˎˊ˗

[mayakern]

March Preorder + August RTS News

Hey, hi, hello y'all! Boy do I have a BUNCH of news to go over! Buckle in because this one's gonna be a doozie!

First of all, almost all March preorders have been sent out from our office, so if you don't have your skirts yet, they should be in your hands within the next couple weeks... with one big exception.

Our March preorders were insanely successful. Despite only being open for a week, it was the most successful round of preorders we've ever run to a truly staggering degree for both us and our manufacturer. Because of this and because of an issue with our manufacturer, we had an insanely high number of defects in this print run.

Usually, we have an over all defect rate of between 2-10%, averaging around 5% overall, but this run we had around a 25% minor defect rate in midi skirts and around 40% rate of major defects in the miniskirts. This is primarily due to the fact that our manufacturer changed the fabric used for the miniskirts without consulting us. This is super upsetting for many reasons, not least of which because it is incredibly wasteful, but also because they are making us pay out of pocket to fix an issue that they caused.

Everyone who was effected by these defects has been emailed by Devin*, so if you haven't yet please make sure to check your inbox, including your spam, to see if you were contacted. Devin will present you with a few options for how to proceed (including waiting for a remade skirt, taking a refund, or taking a discounted defective skirt) so please be sure to respond so we can get you sorted ASAP. If you opt to wait and have your skirt replaced by a new one, it will take a couple months for us to do that as all the effected skirts must be remade and mailed to us.

(*except for six people who did not include an email in their order and who we have been unable to contact, who we have defaulted into receiving replacement skirts from the new batch)

Because of this ridiculously high defect rate and because of how swamped preorders make us, for the time being we have decided to stop running preorders. Instead, we are planning to have more frequent RTS launches to compensate. We originally started running preorders due to uncertainty with sales in COVID and because we couldn't afford a large manufacturing fee up front, but with the success we've seen over the last couple years we are now in a much better position and are able to finance more frequent RTS orders without needing funds from preorders.

I understand a lot of people love the preorder system because there is no inventory cap (and therefor designs won't sell out as long as you make it in the limited time window), but as things currently stand we are unable to keep up with the volume of preorders without adding a sales cap, at which point we decided that more frequent RTS launches would be the better solution.

Additionally, for the past year or two, miniskirts have been exclusive to preorders. As of right now, we have not decided how we want to handle miniskirts. Our current top options are either phasing them out entirely until we have a larger office space and more staff to deal with the extra variables, or making separate RTS launches for mini and midi skirts to simplify things slightly. If we go for the latter, the miniskirts will be made in a new fabric so as to avoid the problems we had with our most recent batch.

Now, for some better news: we finally have a date for our next RTS launch! We'll be listing skirts in multiple waves, including the defective skirts leftover from preorders (at very discounted rates**), starting on August 15th. More skirts will be listed in waves in the following days and weeks. We are doing this instead of listing all the skirts at one time to ensure that we have time to thoroughly quality check every skirt before it is listed. If you want to see all the new skirts that will be available in this RTS, here's a video!

(**skirts with major defects will be listed below cost so that their fabric may be reused to hopefully reduce the amount of waste generated by this huge defect rate)

I know this is a lot to take in so if you've made it this far, thank you so much for reading and for supporting out little store. Things have changed so much for us over the past couple years and it's all thanks to y'all.

[jfashioncen]

How Kamikaze Girls (2004) Revolutionized Lolita

INTRODUCTION

Kamikaze Girls is a Japanese dramedy film released in 2004 based off of the 2002 light novel written by author and fashion designer, Novala Takemoto.

The story revolves around the unlikely bond formed between two high school girls: Momoko Ryugasaki, a lolita who is the daughter of a ex-gangster whom now gets along by scamming people with fake name brand items, and Ichigo "Ichiko" Shirayuri, a ヤンキー (Yankii, a young delinquent) from a motorcycle gang whom Momoko considers to be something of her antithesis.

They come to befriend each other after Ichiko gets impressed by the skills of Momoko's father's "business" as Momoko decides to sell some of her father's product off in order to be able to afford a dress from her favorite brand, Baby the Star's Shine Bright. The story itself follows the development of their friendship and their journey of self-discovery.

DESCRIPTION

In my opinion, the entirety of the story hinges on the fashion aspect. Momoko's ambitions begin from the fact that she lives in a small town known as Shimotsuma with around no one else her age or any interests like her--namely her obsession with the Rococo fashion era and thus lolita itself. She longs to not have to travel so far and extensively to reach her favorite brand's store and someone to share her interests with. This alongside her want of obtaining a new piece brings Momoko to meet Ichiko and what subconsciously makes her want to keep her around even though they appear opposites. The scene where Momoko twirls around in Baby the Star's Shine Bright's Elizabeth one piece in the red colorway really stood out me with the way it's had an outlasting on the lolita community.

To add a little bit of context, the way that lolita works as a fashion industry is that usually a new line/design is announced and preorders open for a limited amount of time, usually around 2-3 days. From there after preorders end and the dress is released, if they're extras that weren't preordered they go live on the website and placed within the physical store.

The thing about this process is that lolita lines rarely ever get a second drop, and if they do, it is usually on a strictly made to order basis for their most popular products. This causes the second hand market for lolita to really thrive and when people either move away from lolita as a fashion or are looking to make space in their wardrobe, they turn to second hand websites such as Mercari to sell them. And due to the process I described above, people are very eager to buy because that way they get access to releases from years ago that they weren't around for. With Momoko's almost entire wardrobe consisting of various classic Baby pieces, people are always eager to look for the pieces she has worn but especially so with the Elizabeth dress. Due to this, it rarely is sold off unless the person is looking to leave lolita. And if it's in the signature red as she wore it, it tends to price for large amounts.

Not only has she altered the way second hand items are valued and sold, she has also immortalized what's known as the classic and sweet style of lolita. With the rise of various new subgenres of lolita, Momoko's influence via the various coordinations within Kamikaze Girls keeps the original style of lolita fresh and attractive for many newer lolitas to still appreciate and enjoy. Just like Momoko, my favorite brand is also Baby the Star's Shine Bright and I'm a huge fan of the princess style that lolita encompasses. This connection that we share allows me to understand not only her feelings about isolation with how hard it is to meet others like her, but also the way she expresses herself via her identity as a lolita. Particularly, how much it means to her to be able to at least project parts of her personality onto others just by walking next to them. And even the way she's able to catch the attention of her first friend, Ichiko, from it as well.

ANALYSIS

Kamikaze Girls perfectly captures the feelings of isolation people feel when they're stuck in the small town they were born in, with no one around them that understands them. In this particular angle, Momoko uses her love of Rococo era fashion in order to let herself be heard--even if the only people hearing her are the older people in her town that coo over her eccentric style of dress.

Lolita has a subtle feminist aspect to it as it's meant for the wearer to embrace their own identity and reject the harsh stereotypes of what beauty is for a woman as defined by the patriarchy. Kamikaze Girls as a movie centering around lolita is no different. Although there are a couple of male characters around, it becomes clear that not only are they not the focus but neither is the hypothetical male viewer as the story is about the ways in which Ichiko and Momoko grows as individuals and use their fashion to express themselves and that growth.

CONCLUSION

Momoko's whimsical yet strong nature is portrayed through the shape of her dress, the lace of her parasol, and even the rocking horse shoes she walks miles in just to reach Shibuya from her small countryside town. However, with the way she stays true to herself and the voice she's crafted for herself through fashion, she befriends Ichiko. From there, her strong sense of self even helps Ichiko gain a stronger sense of self to the point that Ichiko begins modeling for a lolita brand herself by the end of the film. I 100% recommend the film, especially as a fun way to introduce yourself to lolita and japanese fashion subcultures as a whole. It's campy, it's funny, it's inspiring, and a pretty quick watch !

[nocompromise-noregrets]

Well, this has only been eighteen months in the making (or 20 years, if we're being properly accurate, but...).

Back in the spring of last year, the missus preordered these for my birthday, because I've been hankering after them ever since the movies were coming out and never thought I'd be able to afford them - at the time they weren't in stock anywhere, so we went for the site with the best deal. Months went by, and they didn't materialise, and we didn't get updates except when she chased them, and every time she chased, the response came back that they didn't have them in stock. Last month she finally lost patience when they said they still hadn't got any stock but didn't offer a refund although it was patently obvious that they couldn't fulfil the order, and anyway the knives couldn't be delivered in the UK because they're sharp (this is patently bollocks), and demanded a refund (they'd had her money for eighteen months), which to their credit they processed pretty quickly, and I went browsing t'internet to see if it was a widespread stock or delivery issue. And lo and behold, it was not. Other sites had them in stock. I emailed one of them to check, before I committed her money again, had a response within about half an hour of their office opening the following day, placed an order on Friday morning, it was being packed by the end of the day, dispatched yesterday and delivered today. ID check on delivery because they're sharp, but clearly it's possible to supply them.

The moral of the story is, don't shop at animegami.co.uk, they will take your money, never deliver, never update unless you specifically chase them, and never refund unless you specifically demand it. Instead, theknightshop.co.uk and theswordshop.co.uk (same people, two different websites, I dunno but it seems to work) offer excellent service and I am seriously tempted to go back for Legolas' dad's sword for next birthday.

Photo of them properly mounted on the wall when I've sorted my study out, cos that's where they're going. :D

[elle-arts]

Another merch piece for @dayoffzine, an 8x10″ print. Our charity zine benefits Doctors Without Borders, and if you pick up a physical bundle within the next 24 hours, you will receive a free Avengers sticker sheet, also designed by me!

Preorders open until October 9: Day Off Zine

Instagram | Shop | Ko-Fi

[ID: A travel poster for Westview, as shown in MCU’s Wandavision. The poster is in shades of red and cream and shows a suburban house and retro car framed within a hexagon shape. Text at the bottom reads “Forget your troubles in / THE HEX.” Two hands overlay the poster in gold lineart, one of which is wearing a wedding band and an engagement ring with a red stone. End ID.]

[cavalierious-whim]

Ship of No One (Zelda: OoT)

In the crumbling Galaxy of Hyrule, a former princess is tasked with keeping the Hero safe until his time comes. Written for Harp in the Shadows, a Sheik Zine.

Read here on AO3. You can also, follow me on Twitter and Blue Sky.

At the moment, my written work is my only source of income whilst I'm between jobs. Other ways that you can support can be found below-- even if HALF of my followers on Twitter follow my $1 Tier on Patreon, it'd be life-changing income for me, so if you love my work, please consider it!

You can find my Ko-Fi and Commission Info/Shops here.

You can purchase Digital PDFs of some of my works here on Gumroad.

Pre-Orders for physical books of selected works are still open for preorder in my Big Cartel Shop here.

And you can follow my Patreon here as well!

--

On the surface, it is just an old cargo freighter that most would overlook. 

Sheik supposes that it is better this way. It’s easier to pilot through the Galaxy with fewer eyes on one’s back. A relief. If people knew what was on this ship—

They don’t. They will not. That is her first and utmost priority and the reason the Sheik drives this ship through the Galaxy with no destination in mind. Only one goal. Run. Run until we can use him. An important job. Hyrule is overrun with evil influence, and though Ganondorf lurks in just about every corner, there is a chance they might still overcome him. 

Sheik’s eyes flicker over from the pilot’s console to the starboard side. The Sacred Realm isn’t a big ship, nor small, just right in the middle. The cargo being hauled, though, is important enough to keep within eyesight at all times. Sheik pilots from this room, eats and sleeps in this room, and thinks aloud in this room with only the container in the corner for company. 

There is no one else. This alone is her duty, gifted by the goddesses themselves, and a contrite old man named Rauru. 

Sheik smirks at the thought, hiding a fond grin at the thought of him behind a palm. The isolation is not so much fun but she perseveres. There is nothing to go back to. Sheik’s past is hazy; blurred memories of pink dresses, of ocarina songs, and stuffy manners and meetings. 

Hyrule may have fallen but the future is never set in stone. Some things are preordained, like heroes and princesses, and the evil that comes back, cycle after cycle. A sigh drips from her lips. She is a pawn on a chess board, both a queen and a knight. She flits about at the hand of destiny, two steps ahead. 

The end goal is simple: Just survive. As with chess, it is not about the win, but rather, how the game is played. Still.

“Were I given a choice,” she muses in a soft murmur, “I would have preferred you at least be awake.”

The container, as expected, does not reply.

#

In the container lies the mythical Hero of Time. 

Perhaps morbid at first glance. He isn’t dead, though, merely sleeping, kept away from the eyes of Ganondorf until he’s old enough to take hold of the Master Sword. The sword, too, is there, sequestered away in its own little box awaiting the divine hand of the one chosen by the goddesses.

What a nuisance. Meeting him when they were children. Sheik still rues the day when realization washed over her. Annoying, she’d thought then. It was one thing for her to be young, wily, and not of much use. It was another for the Hero to be the same. 

Sheik sighs. 

Those were the old days. She is no longer Zelda. That old name is nothing but a whisper on solar winds, nearly forgotten in the collapse of the Galaxy. Now she is Sheik, keeper of this ship, protector of the future. The Hero, the Ocarina, and the Master Sword itself; these are the things that remain hidden on this ship, and as long as they keep on the move, it will stay that way. 

She stares at the container. Sheik remembers Link’s laugh and wonders if he’ll wake up the same, with a stilted sound of glee dripping from his mouth. Stasis does strange things to people—even she herself came to not quite the same, though her sleep was short-lived. 

Those earlier memories are fuzzed. She remembers escaping with Impa on a small space jetty with barely any fuel. Rauru met them at a port near the edge of the Galaxy, the Master Sword and Ocarina of Time pilfered from the rubble. “The Sacred Realm,” he’d said, gifting them this ship. “Take everything and run.”

Impa ran until other duties called her back home, the planet Kakariko racked with Ganondorf’s influence. Zelda then ceased to be and she donned the skin of Sheik instead, a whip-smart and quiet pilot who runs odd gigs that kept her roaming space. 

There is no set timeline. “Just until he’s older,” said Rauru, “and we can rest this request comfortably across his shoulders.”

It is no small feat to be tasked with saving everything. Sheik may not quite know, but Zelda remembers how that mantel was heavy and white-hot across her shoulders. 

#

Sheik awakens to the ship lurching and the alarm system blaring in a red alert.

She groans, jerking in the pilot’s seat, the seatbelt tight across her neck due to her shifting positions. The belt unclasps with a click. She barely holds onto the seat as she rearranges herself before buckling back in. The press of a few butts, the push of a few levers, and the holo-green flares to life.

The Gerudo. Pirates. Sheik curses as she flips the camera for a ship-sweeping view. 

She breathes a sigh of relief at the sight of only one small scouting ship. That is doable. A fleet is not. Sheik thanks Nayru for allowing her luck this time. 

A quick glance at the cargo container shows that it’s still strapped in. Good. Sheik turns back to the console and begins to fiddle with her settings. Targeting array, weapons, navigation—all of it is online and raring to go. A transmission comes in and she barely hears it over the blare of the alarm. One smack at a large button and the alert dissipates, leaving only the harsh ring of whatever the other ship has sent. 

“Prepare to be boarded. Do not resist—”

“Oh, shove it,” mutters Sheik before cutting the transmission short. She doesn’t have time to worry about who's out there, she just needs to kick the engines into gear and get the hell out of dodge. A few bobbins and knobs, and everything roars to life as the ship awakens from the autopilot. 

“Sleepy thing,” she mutters. “I’ll need to talk to Rauru about upgrades—”

The Pirate Ship has pulsar canons, something that Sheik was not expecting on such a tiny vessel. A blast hits the ship and sends it careening. Dammit all, thinks Sheik as her fingers fly across the console to redirect. It may be just a scout but such weapons imply much worse lurks behind it—even though there isn’t a fleet here directly, they must be nearby. 

Sheik’s gaze slips to the container where the Hero sleeps. Her plan of just outrunning the little beast isn’t the best option; she needs to get out of there fast.

“Plan B, then,” she mutters as the ship shakes with a second blast. Shields are down, the screen flashing orange. “A little more. Just a moment or two.”

Sheik levers the switch for the Hyper Drive, something that she rarely uses. She prefers to pilot with her hands, feeling the rumble of the ship beneath her fingers, guiding their course with her knowledge and skill. But, there are times when the convenience of science wins out. 

“Anywhere,” she hisses, as the screen Hyperspace information screen pops up. Another blast, this one close and sharp enough to roll the ship onto its side. 

Sheik hears a snap and panics. Another buckling sound, followed by something heavy sliding across the floor. The straps holding Link’s container have torn, sending the box flying across the cockpit. No time, there’s no time. The shield alert burns ready, another transmission comes in, and if the container is unplugged for more than a half hour, the stasis won’t be held.  

Perhaps she thanked Nayru too quickly. Or, perhaps, this is dramatic irony. Perhaps the Goddesses likes to play with their creatures. It wouldn’t be the first time that she’s felt as such. A pawn, nothing but a pawn on a chessboard since the day she was born.

Sheik slaps in random coordinates. She pushes at the lever and listens to the whine of the engines as they kick into full gear. The ship lurches and she braces herself again. “Hurry, hurry up.”

It’s the closest she’s come to a problem. She’s usually awake when things like this happen and better prepared. This time though, fear strikes through her breast and for the first time in years, she worries that maybe the Goddesses have abandoned them.

“No, no, I have to—”

The fate of Hyrule rests on her shoulders. She diverts power from unused systems to the engines and everything just seems to click into place. The screen lights up as the ship prepares to jump into the folds of space, lights glittering across her vision.

One more lurch, this time not due to a pirate’s engine, but instead, Sheik slamming the button that kicks the engines into overdrive. 

She smirks as the ship is tugged into the beyond, blipping into another spot of space, leaving behind nothing. 

#

It is easy to forget that the Galaxy is overrun with evil.

Ganondorf’s influence is wide-flung and far, but there are still points where it is weak. Hylians are strong. Resilient. Wily and steadfast. Sheik admires them with every moor of The Sacred Realm, with every barter of goods, and trade at outposts. 

The influence of Ganondorf is no doubt powerful. Even Sheik is worried for the future, despite the power that curls at her fingers. 

The ship is quiet. She holds out a hand and watches tendrils of Wisdom dance across her fingertips. Sometimes she regrets hiding. It is for the best but Sheik wonders if the knowledge of Zelda roaming the Galaxy would force a revolution. Sheik is quiet and understated. Sheik hides behind the guise of the Sheikah, playing protector even though she’s woefully underqualified.

Her gaze flickers to where the Hero sleeps. Too much action earlier in the day. She still feels the way that the ship rolls in her bones, and hears the harsh laser fire against the hull. Now it sways gently on the solar winds, autopilot giving her a small reprieve.

Everything is back in its place, plugged in and strapped up. Link sleeps on, under a hazy layer of glass, none the wiser, and she’s left to wonder just how many more times she’ll have to dance her way through these motions. 

Sheik is tired; not just because it is deep into the night cycle, but because she is tired. Of evil, of expectation, of flying through the Galaxy on this rusted bucket biding her time. Their time. Another look at that damned cargo box. Sheik sighs as she thinks of Link’s face, peaceful and placid. 

There is no one else. Sheik knows this, and yet—

Courage sits heavy on the back of her knuckles, glowing blue in the dimly lit room. It feels foreign. This power. Courage belongs to the princess, not a plucky space pirate whose face is the type that just melts into the thousands. Zelda was a terrible choice but Sheik was the correct one.

And there are times when they are one and the same. This moment, though, this quiet, dark moment as she rests in the cargo bay—this is a moment where Sheik is just Sheik. 

Right now, they are at the edge of space. After their earlier scuffle, Sheik took back the reins and just sailed until she couldn’t sail anymore. Outside the viewing windows, unfamiliar stars twinkle against a backdrop of black. 

Sheik rubs her face. The wad of magic disappears entirely, curling back into her being, and settling in her chest where Zelda hides. She is Sheik again, just a pilot, the keeper of the Hero until he’s only enough to make a difference. It is strange watching him grow. Every time she peeks in through the top it's as if a stranger looks back at her.

Eventually, she stands. Stretches, arms high over her head as she works out the kinks in her tired bones. 

“Despite it all, a good day,” she murmurs to herself as she squeezes herself into the tiny bathroom pod. A quick wash to her face. The combing of her fingers through her grimy hair. Sheik’s gaze flickers up and lingers on the mirror.

It used to be that a stranger watched her back. In the beginning, she was more Zelda than she was Sheik, separate entities with wildly different goals. 

She counts the years that have passed; one, two, three—

Five years. 

Five years and finally, the person who stares back at her isn’t a stranger. 

Sheik rubs her chin and smiles. 

[finishinglinepress]

FLP POETRY BOOK OF THE DAY: Phantom Limbs by Deirdre Fagan

On SALE now! Pre-order Price Guarantee: https://www.finishinglinepress.com/product/phantom-limbs-by-deirdre-fagan/

Part celebration, part elegy, Phantom Limbs is about living fully, arms wide open, despite or perhaps even because of repeated loss. Each depiction is grounded in survival and yet there is often unanticipated joy juxtaposed with heartbreak as the collection reveals intimate moments from childhood trauma to marriage, divorce, parenting, terminal illness, disability, caregiving, widowhood, remarriage, mortality itself. These poetic encounters are a reminder that while every literal or metaphorical birth signals an unpredictable and inevitable end, endings themselves often have the greatest capacity to impart beauty and knowledge. Just as each poem in Phantom Limbs closes with hope, the collection itself reverberates with the belief that while #life may sometimes become a jagged quest for #survival, it is also always something to savor and embrace.

Dr. Deirdre Fagan is the award-winning author of the memoir, Find a Place for Me: Embracing Love and Life in the Face of Death (2022), a short story collection, The Grief Eater (2020), a chapbook of poetry, Have Love (2019), and a reference book, Critical Companion to Robert Frost (2007). A creative writer and literary scholar whose work has recently been featured on NPR, ABC, and CBS, Fagan’s writing has appeared widely in literary and scholarly journals, anthologies, and encyclopedias, as well as magazines and newspapers. She is a widow, wife, mother of two, and professor and coordinator of creative writing at Ferris State University. Meet her at deirdrefagan.com

PRAISE FOR Phantom Limbs by Deirdre Fagan

In Deirdre Fagan’s stunning new collection, Phantom Limbs, we are drawn into a world inhabited by compassion, lost innocence, grief, and healing. These poems pulse and ache; they leave us with a sense of deep reverence for life and what it means to be truly devoted to a loved one. Throughout this tender collection, Fagan brings us glimmers of hope and resilience, “a new life signaling life, / an urging forward.” What lingers for the reader is heart strength, and how we all have this within our core, human selves.

–Cristina M. R. Norcross, Founding Editor of Blue Heron Review; author of The Sound of a Collective Pulse and other titles

Deirdre Fagan’s Phantom Limbs explores deeply and tenderly what all of us hope will never happen as she chronicles a journey of loss and recovery through short lyrics which read like gems. From despair and a hopefulness about life, Fagan has brought to us both a tearful and joyous new collection of poems that reminds us we have much to learn.

–DeWitt Clinton, author of Hello There winner of the 2022 Edna Meudt Poetry Book Award

In her poem “The trouble with pairs,” Deirdre Fagan begins, “I want to be inside of you / No, not like that / I want to unzip you / And climb inside.” Somehow, this is what Fagan manages to do throughout Phantom Limbs: she magically inhabits her readers—their thoughts, their feelings, their everyday lives. And then she tells us about it all in ways that resonate, stun, soothe. Readers will navigate this collection as people do the dark, “but once you can feel the switches / . . . you are / where you are, whether you want / to be or not.” These poems—and all that Fagan says in them—help unburden us from the often-crushing weight of this world, if only for the time we spend reading them.

–Marissa Glover, Author of Box Office Gospel and Let Go of the Hands You Hold

Please share/please repost #flpauthor #preorder #AwesomeCoverArt #poetry #read #poetrybook #poems #life

[allthingsdarkanddirty]

COVER REVEAL: Broken Deeds MC: Second Generation #7 from USA Today bestselling author Esther E. Schmidt. Standalone, Biker Romance Preorder here: Amazon US: https://amzn.to/3GecY7s

All other platforms: https://books2read.com/BDMCTwins

Author: Esther E. Schmidt

Cover Design: Esther E. Schmidt

Model: Anthony Cadrecha

Photographer: Golden Czermak, furiousfotog.com

Release Day: March 7, 2023

Two couples, two stories; one main storyline.

LOUIE & ALOUETTE:

Louie - Meeting the one woman who lights up my whole world–which leads to a full-on collision and fireworks within hours–is the best thing that ever happened to me. Also, the worst when one misunderstanding causes a wedge between us. Yet, life has a plot twist in mind to make our lives collide once again, and this time it’s indefinitely.

Alouette - One moment in time manages to flip my future into a direction I never saw coming.  However, my business is a top priority for me. The man I thought I’d steer clear from turns out to be everything I never thought I needed in my life. Especially when the smell of death surrounds my diner.

LUKE & FARAH:

Luke - I’ve wanted Farah from the first time I laid eyes on her, but my twin and her best friend–who happens to be her boss–collided and caused a month long gap between us. A robbery gone bad allows me to swoop in and take her under my protection. The opportunity is an eye opener to claim what’s mine while keeping her safe.

Farah - Why do horrible things manage to play on repeat when it comes to me? Attracting danger is clearly something I was born into. The only one who fully accepts who I am is also the overbearing biker who balances my safety in the havoc the underworld is pulling me back into.

Broken Deeds MC handles cases the government can’t close; they take charge and won’t stop until justice is served. This second generation is a series where each book is a new couple, handling a new case, and can each be read as a complete standalone with a happily ever after.

Add to Goodreads:

Link to all standalone Broken Deeds MC books:

[rdawnraven]

Kindle preorder is open, release date Jan 5th. Hard copies will be available within a day or two of release.