#I’ll ship internationally for no extra charge

[chthonicarcher]

hello I still have some of these transparent border davekat stickers (+ a couple of cowboy commanders too!)

just message me if you’d like to buy one ☺️ they are $6 each (USD)

[leprosycock]

will you ship the stickers internationally?

i believe i’ll have to charge extra for shipping, but i hope to!! i’ll have more details on it once i get the shop set up :]

[sabinemorans]

I wanted to buy a few bracelets from your shop, but shipping was $10 💀💀 omg

Shipping in the US should only be $5 but internationally yeah the shipping is a bit expensive, and I know it sucks but I did create some discount codes in order to help out!

As a side note I’ve been shipping things internationally (to Canada especially) for years and from past transactions I’ve been shorted pretty harshly on getting paid back for the shipping cost. With starting this business I want to fairly price things for my time, effort, money I put down initially on materials to create and shipping is unfortunately an extra charge. I’ve taken some pretty hefty profit hits in my time as a gig worker and I’m definitely willing to work with people (and have sales like I’m having this week as often as I can!) but I also wanna make sure I’m getting what I deserve you know? It’s a hard thing to balance what with wanting to make sale last but also actually make a profit and hopefully one day make something like this my only job, but I’m trying.

Once I’ve had the business for a bit longer I’ll have had time to work out what’s fair shipping for more specific places but for now I know US and Canada shipping prices the most.

For perspective, I once shipped a hat and a scarf that weighed 1lb to the Czech Republic I believe it was and it cost me $75 out if pocket for products I sold for $35. So sometimes shipping really just sucks that much

[melonlord-ramblings]

✨Yowu Cardcaptor Sakura Limited Edition Headphones Review✨

✨Yowu Cardcaptor Sakura Limited Edition Headphones Review✨

Service and Shipping Rating: 4/10

Product Rating: 8.5/10

Service and Shipping Rating: 4/10

I rated their service 4 because of something that happened after I ordered my headphones. I ordered their headphones on a Wednesday and I emailed them (twice) on Saturday after getting no shipping updates - I went to check on my order status, it said it was closed (I got nervous, I don’t shop online a lot, let alone internationally). I got my answers on the following Tuesday - with the first one saying that nothing was wrong and that it was still waiting for delivery. The second response was the answer that I had needed. They answered saying that my package couldn’t ship out because it was stuck at customs because my package needed an “Unified Identity Authentication”. I didn’t even know what this was, and Google was no help. Miraculously, I was able to find out what they were needing by looking up customs regulations for my country and was able to quickly sign up for a personal customs code. I quickly sent them a reply and they answered back saying they’ll send it to the company.  I wasn’t as angry as my sister, but I do agree with what she said. Were they ever planning on telling me that I was needing such a thing? There wasn’t a box asking for such information when I was inputting my address so I was unaware that was required. Five business days had passed, and I only found out they needed an important piece of information because I emailed them. Thus, the reason for a low service rating. I will give them credit that within the time frame of Tuesday and Wednesday, they did answer back rather quickly. But the late initial reply and the fact that I had to reach out to them to find out why my package wasn’t shipping, is why I gave them this rating. After sending them my code, I finally got a confirmation email on Friday. 

Another reason for a low shipping rating is that they gave me the wrong shipping service, so it took me a while to even figure out which shipping service my tracking number was valid for. At that point, I only figured out what shipping service it was once my package arrived in my country.

After that, I received an email from the Korean branch of the shipping company confirming my address and all that. Later, they too, provided a tracking number, but again without a specific courier service. Thankfully, Naver has some sort of feature where you can input all available courier services and the tracking number to see which one it belongs to. Overall, I’d say it was a surprisingly slow delivery. Maybe I’m a little spoiled from fast shipping in Korea. After it passed through customs, it did get here somewhat quickly. They said minimum it would arrive Thursday, it came around Friday at lunchtime. 

Thinking back on it, I guess it was pretty fast shipping - around a week and a half to two weeks, but the lack of information needed from the company really lowered the rating. 

Product Initial Rating: 9/10

Oh my gosh, it’s so pretty!!! From the pictures, I was a little worried about how the gold would look with the pink, but there was no need to worry, the color scheme is so pretty. The earcups are also nice and squishy which is nice. It’s a little on the cheap feeling side because it’s made of plastic - which unfortunately, makes it creaky and a little stiff. I’m worried about potentially breaking the adjustable area because it’s so hard to pull out and push in. Other than that though, everything is so pretty and nice. I will say, it smells very strongly of paint when you first open it. I don’t know why, but especially the earpads smell so strongly of paint I gagged a little. 

I love the details that let you know it’s Cardcaptor Sakura! The fact that they even gave three Clow cards?? I love it! The wired audio cable is based off of her star wand handle and the headphones themselves have aspects of CCS!

My package also came mainly in good condition, only a few minor bumps here and there - very minimal; which is surprising because it wasn’t that well protected. Maybe one layer of bubble wrap and then plain plastic packaging.

The headset case is absolutely beautiful! I thought it would be hard, knockable leather, but it’s actually a little squishy! I think it’s based off of her uniform, and it’s so cute! I think you can use it as an actual bag, but taking out the mold and stuff was a little hard, so I gave up because I didn’t want to risk it.

Product Final Rating: 8.5/10

I am in no way an audiophile or an expert on headphones, but I really like them! The sounds are nice and clear and crisp. I’m not sure if they’re for gamers because I’m not one, but when I used them playing Genshin, it was even more fun than usual! I could hear the fire crackling, the winds howling, and even what I think were wolves howling in Dragonspine! I could hear the little details and I think that was pretty impressive. I haven’t tested them with various genres of music, but I did like what I already heard. 

I wore these for around an hour to an hour and a half and I didn’t even realize that much time passed! The earcups are really comfy and not bothersome, even with glasses. I will say, it’s a little on the heavier side and it weighs down from the top because of the cat ears and I did notice that a little near the hour mark. They also are a little tight to put on and that makes it a little hard to take them off, but hopefully they’ll stretch out over time.

The fact that it can be wired and wireless is also nice in case you run out of battery or just don’t feel like using bluetooth. The USB-C type means it’ll charge faster! Using the volume and function buttons really did make me realize how plasticky it was because it would make a plastic echo-y sound every time I pressed it. 

I don’t think the mic is that good. On the few times I used it to talk with, the person on the other side said I sounded too quiet and I guess it doesn’t pick up on my voice that well. But I have also read other people say it’s good enough for calls, so it’s up to you.

You can manually change the lights and colors or you can do it through the app - which by using the Clow cards, can also unlock new colors. I don’t know if I’ll use the app because you need to input your phone number and I generally avoid inputting such information. 

As for the battery life, it is not that good. It definitely is much shorter than the advertised 20 hours with lighting wirelessly. I can’t say exactly how long because I don’t and can’t wear headphones for that long, consecutively. But I do wear them for around 2 hours a day or so, and I only use them for around 2 or 3 days before I have to charge them. So I’d say around 6 hours total? So yeah, way less than advertised and “guaranteed”.

The headphones are definitely on the pricey side, which makes sense because of intellectual property and licensing - plus the cards and the leather bag headset case. I love this headphones and hopefully I’ll wear them a lot! I recommend these if you aren’t an avid gamer (because I don’t know if they’re good enough for that), love CCs, and have the money to spare! 

extra note: I will say, if you have the money to spare, it is pretty worth it! Especially if you compare it to the airpods pro! These headphones, including shipping, turned out to be slightly cheaper, and it comes with more!

Ramblings:

I don’t know if it had to do with me, but it seemed like I could hear better from the left earphone - it was clearer and louder than the right - I actually had to move the left away to see if the right was even working lol. My sister also said the same thing, so it’s possible that this pair of headphones isn’t in the best shape? It’s not so obvious that it’s jarring, but it’s a little obvious in that it makes it uncomfortable. 

I am wondering if Yowu will eventually offer extra accessories like earpads in case we need to replace the ones we have, or if they’ll give instructions on how to wash them? 

I also would have liked it if Yowu had more details on their shipping and refund policies (mainly shipping) and clearer details and information on the shipping service. 

I was watching Genshin Impact’s 1.5 livestream, and I don’t know if it was cause it was a livestream, but near the end, the audio started to occasionally short out, so there’s that.

Overall, I’d give this pair of limited edition Cardcaptor Sakura headphones a solid 9/10!

[funnylori]

Upcoming doll sales

My husband and I are currently without jobs (he’s been looking since last May!) and while we're going to be okay for a few months, I'd like to do my part to carry our bills and eliminate more debt. I'll be getting photos done slowly over the next couple of weeks, but if you'd like to see anything please send me a message. All of my dolls are legit, always have been always will be.

My prices are FIRM. I don’t have to sell, I won’t make it harder by negotiating. I do not charge extra PayPal fees. No splits!

Shipping is not included. I am located in the USA. Most of these dolls have boxes, if you’d prefer me to ship disassembled to save on shipping costs I can do that. Typically I ship 24-48 hours after full payment. I do ship internationally, but with the current virus situation it may be best to wait some time before shipping. 

Layaway is available for up to 3 months for purchases over $200. All payments are non-refundable.

I am working on photos, but it will take time. If you see something you’re interested in, please DM me and I’ll take photos for you.

Again, my prices are FIRM. This is hard for me and I won’t be selling for less. 

Aileen doll pumpkin mask for dragon $75 sold

Aileen doll dragon Ashes Ver. 2 grey, bad flaky paint job by me that I can wipe for free $250 sold

Aileen doll Ricota $50 or free if you buy both the dragon and the mask sold

Angel of Dream Sinuo, white, default faceup $275

Bambicrony Pingping painted by Glyndon, broken hair $125

Bambicrony Pingping painted by me in green and brown $220

Batchix Player 1 white head with Pipos Belle body in pure white, it’s not a perfect match, but it’s within blushing range $415

Bishonen House Steve with tons of parts, partially painted, $416

Cirque de Fantomes Liana kaiju in bone resin $350

Dollshe Van tan, pre-closing (the first time), comes with bag but it's old and falling apart, $1300

Rhythmos Orijean OE/SA white, extra hands, one broken wrist part, $510

DSAM32 paleskin Orijean OE, really fucked up dyed/spray painted/damaged $250

DSAM35 paleskin Orijean OE white but was a creamy batch, box but no lid $450

Doll Chateau Event William, white, painted by Synthetic Ephemera $150

Dollzone Megi white faceup by me, $230

Dollzone Hid white modified by me and Glyndon to have teeth $240

Domuya Fin, normal skin, hella modified internally and faceup by me $300

Fairyland Real Fee Sira OE NS on body, with box and Haru COA (was a whole Haru, but I split off that face) $250

Magic Mirror Siobhan tan fullset, purchased in person at Dollism+NY, have photo to prove it with the artist, damaged blushing, $500

MuisjePop Wilhelm, comes with tiny ass eyes, custom wig and faceup by me, $80 (I think it's white)

Unidoll UH-17 with default faceup from 2010, not the french resin ver. $535

Unoa OE Sist plate, came from Noppin, 1.5 resin color from 8th preorder in 2010 $50

Unoa Lusis Yawning Face x Little Monica Hot Body and Buff headback, painted by Pez $400

Unoa Chibi Roron Proper face plate with faceup $100

Unoa Paradise Lusis lots of parts and an adorable Pez faceup $1000

Volks Kun ns with damaged AngelToast 2010 faceup $350 sold

Volks Kun ns unknown faceup $350 sold

SDGr Boy Theodore in Boys’ Dormitory Ver. fullset, eyes still in place, plus geta feet $1500

SD16 tan Pearl both leg parts, Volks faceup, glued in eyes, $1300

[tsugara]

Tsugara’s Guide to Buying Stickers off of Rakuten Japan (using From Japan)

Hello! I’m Tsugara and I collect stickers. This guide is my guide to buying stickers from Rakuten Japan.

Do you need a proxy to purchase from Rakuten Japan?

No! But also, yes.

Some shops on Rakuten Japan will ship internationally and no proxy will be needed. They will pop up on the English Rakuten Japan site. Some of the Japanese stores will have links to their English stores on them.

So then why use a proxy?

I’ve found that the sellers’ English shops have different stock than their Japanese stores. Here’s some examples:

First example is SmartZakka. Their Japanese site shows 768 results vs. the 304 on their English site. Some of those results may be non-sticker items that have sneaked in, but it’s quite a difference.

The second example is Coo-Coo. Their Japanese site shows 444 results, while their English site only has 28!

If you’re able to purchase directly from the shops themselves, that’s great! But if you’re looking for more options, you’re likely going to need a proxy. Especially since there are so many shops that don’t ship internationally.

I’ve used a few proxies, ZenMarket, Samuraibuyer, Buyee; however, From Japan is the one I am most comfortable using. Their customer service is fantastic and their site is very easy to use. I won’t be going into depth on the full procedure on how to make purchases as their site explains it very well.

You don’t have to use From Japan! Use a proxy that you’re comfortable with. From Japan is also not sponsoring or paying me to make this guide.

From Japan doesn’t charge extra for combining orders (some proxies will have a fee). Ordering directly from the sellers’ English sites on Rakuten Japan means you cannot combine orders from other Rakuten shops together. If you’re planing on buying maybe 2 sheets from one shop, 10 from another; I recommend using a proxy to combine the orders into one shipment (especially if they have free domestic shipping). This may also give you access to more shipping options than what the individual shops may offer.

Here are some search terms to get you started. Make sure to change the category to Office Supplies.

 シール (Stickers)

サンリオ シール  (Sanrio Stickers)

シールビッツ (Sticker bits. San-x uses this often for their sticker flakes)

シールフレーク (Sticker Flakes)

おはじきシールフレーク (Ohajiki seal flakes. Click for example)

スーパーマシュマロシール (Super Marshmallow stickers. Puffy stickers)

ウォーターｉｎシール (Water Stickers. Click for example)

キャッチシール (Capsule Stickers. Click for example)

I usually uncheck all of the boxes except for Rakuten. Checking the free shipping option will only show shops that ship for free within Japan. This can be a great way to save some money! :D

Once I have stickers showing up, I’ll find one I like and click on it.

In another tab, I’ll open a page to the shop by right clicking on the shop name.  Put in your search term in again and change the category to office supplies. This will search for that specific term in this shop only.

Another thing to do is compare prices! Going back to this image:

There are some numbers “73029″. This number is specific to that sheet of stickers.

So far, this shop is the cheapest, although there is one with free domestic shipping available. I will be continuing on with the cheaper shop.

Add the stickers you want to your cart. To avoid losing the main shop page, open each sticker in a separate tab. From Japan will show a total at the bottom, along with how much it’ll be in your currency.

Now you can do two things here. You can either proceed to the checkout once you’ve found all of your stickers or hit Save for later and wait.

If you’re worried that some of your stickers may sell out, and there are no other sellers with that particular sheet, feel free to buy them right away. If you’re not worried, save for later and WAIT! Because...

Usually once per week, From Japan will have 5% off Rakuten days. It’s time to save some money. 

Please note that the 5% off will not be automatically applied to anything saved for later in your cart!!!

Go through your save for later, right click on each item to make a new tab and re-add the items to your cart to get the 5% off.

A little sale icon will appear on the items.

Once you have proceeded to the checkout you’ll have to pay for your items right away. From Japan uses that payment to make the purchases on your behalf and will contact you once the items arrive to then proceed with shipping.

Please keep in mind that making a bunch of small orders from several different Rakuten stores at once can result in costly domestic shipping. When possible, I try to make large orders from one shop if purchasing from a shop with no free domestic shipping.

I hope this has been of some help. Please feel free to contact me with any questions. Happy sticker buying!

[marigoldwitch]

Why Etsy’s new enforced free shipping policy is gonna hinder small handmade business on their platform

Hello please excuse the long title of this post but we need to talk about Etsy’s new free shipping policy. First, I will go over what this is and what it means for your Etsy shop. Then I’ll explain why this is actually a horrible idea and is gonna ruin the legitimacy of Etsy as a source for handmade products.

So the new policy (I will be referring to this as a policy in this post because if you choose to opt out of offering this on your shop you’ll be losing some of the features you’d otherwise have being on Etsy, okay let’s continue) is:

“Starting on July 30, 2019, we’ll give priority placement in US search results to items that ship free and to shops that guarantee free shipping to US buyers on orders of $35 or more. This means that shoppers in the US will primarily see items that ship free and shops that guarantee free shipping on orders of $35 or more in the top and most visible rows of search. We’ll also begin to prioritize these items wherever Etsy advertises in the US—in email marketing, social media, and television ads.“

To simplify this, basically if you choose to offer free shipping (on orders of $35 or more) in your shop you will be more likely to show up on the first few pages of search results, for US customers. If you opt out of offering free shipping your shop will more than likely not show up in search results, on the first few pages.

So why is this a problem?

Well if you’ve been on Etsy for any length of time you’ll know that there’s been a lot of Aliexpress, Wish and Ebay wholesale cheapy stuff popping up all over Etsy. And these shops are already marking their prices up by more than 500% so they’re usually already offering free shipping. Meaning that when you search, let’s say “crystal choker” on Etsy, you won’t be given the best handmade products you’ll be shown the ones offering free shipping first, which is usually the cheap wholesale $1 necklaces you can buy on Wish but being resold for upwards of $10 each.

It’s also a big issue for shops outside of the US, whose main consumers are within the US. Shipping internationally is expensive and hiking up your prices to balance the shipping cost to the US will be noticable, no matter what price point your products are in but not doing so would mean not showing up in search results for US consumers.

So just offer free shipping..

Unfortunately most small handmade businesses can’t do this. Either because their products are heavy (and tacking on a $6 - $9 increase on their products prices is too noticeable and a huge turn off for customers) and will actually result in their customers over paying for shipping (specially if they sell something like candles or other heavy product that would otherwise be able to ship flat rate for much cheaper. Or because their prices are already on the high end and increasing them to balance out shipping cost would turn customers off more.

So if someone is selling $14 candles and it cost an average of $6 to ship it (but would only cost $3 more to ship flat rate if they purchase more than one) and they raise their candle prices from $14 to $20. Then someone buys 3 candles. The customer is paying an extra $9 for shipping. Does that make sense?

It’s not doable for every kind of shop and in the end Etsy shops, with this issue, will be ripping off their customers.

So what can an Etsy shop owner do?

Well if you can’t afford to offer the free shipping guaranteed with a $35 or more purchase, then you might want to consider leaving Etsy. The reason a lot of handmakers join Etsy’s platform and sell on it is because of their marketplace. If you’re no longer gonna have even a chance of showing up in their marketplace (before page 10) then selling on the platform might not be worth it anymore. Especially when you consider to fee increases they had last year.

If you’re gonna have to start bring your own traffic to your Etsy shop, it defeats the purpose of having an Etsy shop and being involved in their marketplace.

Or

If you sell heavy items that can be flat rate shipped for much cheaper, you could opt to join in on offering free shipping and then offering discounts when someone orders 2 or more of certain items. This could balance out the shipping cost and help prevent you from over charging your customers. But it’s a lot of extra work and could end up with you having to eat the cost of shipping if done wrong.

For international shops, who can not offer free shipping to the US, you’re best bet is to raise your prices to cover the shipping and then offering a discount code to those who live in your country of origin to balance out the cost. However you can’t determine who uses what codes by country, so you run the risk of someone from otherside your country (or within the US) using the code and then you’ll be lucky to break even.

Now what?

We see how this plays out for Etsy. I imagine, in a few months, the search results on Etsy will either look like Wish and Aliexpress. Full of cheap chinese knockoffs and wholesale crap or be full of super expensive products and become a place for high end handcrafters.

Etsy has lost touch with it’s sellers and is trying to compete with wholesale and warehouse online shopping sites like Amazon and Wish with no concern on how this will effect the truly small handmade business on their site.

For me personally, Etsy has lost it’s charm. I took me 20 minutes of searching to find a truly HANDMADE mug that wasn’t just a cheap $1 mug from china with some generic saying / clip art printed on it. And don’t even get me started on how expensive it is for handmade sellers to ship breakables like glass and stoneware, while people who use printing companies can afford to offer free shipping. It’s ridiculous.

[cardshcrp]

TRADITIONAL ART COMMISSIONS.

WHAT YOU WILL RECEIVE:

A custom-made sketch card of a character of your choice, to be packaged and posted to you, along with a thank-you note and some small surprise goodies.

A scanned, color-adjusted digital version of your commission just in case your physical piece is lost in the mail or you would like to use it for icons, etc.

WILL DO / WON’T DO:

Fanart, original characters (with references), chibis, gore, and some anthro are all fine.

No extremely complex armor or complex backgrounds. Not safe for work content is not available for this type of commission. It should go without saying that I’ll reject anything illegal.

I reserve the right to say no to a commission for any reason.

PAST COMMISSIONS:

x / x / x / x / x / x / x / x / x / x / x / x / x

TERMS AND EXTRA OPTIONS:

Please send payment in USD to me by PayPal or through Ko-Fi at the time you place your order - I don’t keep stamps on hand, so you’re also paying for your postage.

Must be comfortable giving me your mailing address and a name to send to - nicknames and pen names are fine, except with international mail. I’ve had experiences before where they will return to sender if there doesn’t appear to be a proper name.

I’m perfectly willing to ship internationally, but please note that I’ll have to charge you a little extra since international stamps have to be bought separately and cost a little more! Add another $1.50 on top of the base price.

Lamination on the drawn side is a $1.00 additional fee.

Let me know if you want to see your card before it’s mailed or leave it as a surprise, please! I will either way let you know when I’ve shipped it. Typically time between receiving details and shipment is two weeks or less, excluding special circumstances. 

You’re more than welcome to post what you receive if you like, I always reblog those posts onto here and add them onto my commission listing!

Two slots per round so that I can time manage efficiently. First come first serve, shoot me a message here or at explodeabeau@gmail.com!

[noutenki-scans]

Jun, do you think you could walk us through how you buy your doujins? I've been wanting to buy some kros doujins FOREVER, and I know there are multiple tutorials/advice online but I want to get advice from someone who's actually gotten their doujins successfully shipped to them! Is there a website you recommend using, or a tutorial online that you follow? Would appreciate it greatly ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ

How I order doujinshis online?I’m always happy to help a fellow karaoso enthusiast! I hope you have basic knowledge of Japanese so you can navigate easily. Otherwise chrome automatically translating the site works too I guess.

This post may end up pretty lengthy since I babble a lot. So continue ahead only if you want to.

Many sites don’t do international shipping so you will need to find yourself a proxy service or a freight forwarding site. Freight forwarding is the cheaper option of the two. Tenso is a fan favourite it seems but I use TensoJapan cause the fees are cheaper. You’ll need to provide your ID verification to use either of their services though. As for proxy services. I’ll mention some later below. It seems TensoJapan also provides this service now. ^^ 

The sites I use varies. If possible I like to support the artist and use the link they provide in their pixiv post for that particular work. (Usually toranoana) However if it’s quite old, chances are that it’s already sold out.

Toranoana A great site to buy new doujinshis. It’s far the easiest site to navigate and has the best range in terms of new books. Most of the products also have the synopsis and a few sample pages as well! The go to place to really support the artist! This post explains really well on how to shop there! Really use that auto translation on chrome to your advantage if you need to! If you are soley looking for KaraOso djs, here has all the instock books for that pair. And here is the full list, although most are out of stock lmao. (good reference when you want to buy second hand books though!)

If you plan to use a freight forwarding service, you need to create a Toranoana account yourself. When you write in the detail, make sure to input the Japanese address that you were given for shipping details. For when Toranoana charges you for your order, it’s quite funny cause they charge you then return the money straight away (I guess it’s to check if your card works) and when your order is ready to be sent, they’ll take the payment properly. They don’t accept PayPal as payment though. So if you don’t have a credit card, you’ll have to use a proxy service instead.

For proxy service, try using the one toranoana is advertising at the moment, AOCS. AOCS creates a toranoana account for you when you register with them and also you don’t need to provide them your ID for verification! At checkout you just need to select the acos option for delivery! from here, AOCS will pay for your goods on delivery and send you an invoice. They accept PayPal as payment. Once that’s all paid up, they will send you your goods. :)I’ve tried it and yes, it’s very simple to use and convenient but the shipping is a lil pricey since they only send by EMS. Fast shipping though!

Pros:

Easy navigation. They have tags for coupling names and filters to narrow down your search. 

Free domestic shipping if you spend over ¥9720.

Toranoana is fast with processing your order and getting it to your freight forwarder/proxy service.

Cons:

Once it’s out of stock, it’s gone. You can apply for a re-sell or set an notification alarm if it ever restocks.

A bit pricey because you pay for tax.

They may cancel your order if they notice you are using a proxy. I don’t know if they still do, it’s just what I’ve heard over the years. For sure tenso and tensojapan are in the green though!

Ok, so you really want a particular work by a certain circle, or just their works in general but it’s out of print…Usually this is the case for me when I see all those out of print djs on Toranoana…You can try your luck in 2nd hand stores! Or even Yahoo auctions. 

Yahoo auctions would be the last place I’d go for, cause ordering from there can kill your wallet. Especially if you buy from different sellers. You’ll have to pay for domestic shipping on each of the auctions. There are proxy services designed for Yahoo auctions, but the one I have tried is DeJapan. Their service is good and their processing and shipping is fast too! My order came 3-4 days after it was sent! They only send by EMS though. Quite pricey but reliable. if you are still interested in purchasing osmt djs from yahoo auctions, try ‘おそ松さん 同人’ in the search bar.

MandarakeSells second hand goods. I like this site a lot! They do international shipping with several options too. So you can skip the whole middle-man business and having the option to choose for the slower, but cheaper postage.The search bar isn’t as friendly but if you know what you are after, or the circle you are interested in, then it’s a lot easier to navigate. Just be aware mandarake has different stores so if you end up getting anything from this site, make sure to check which store it’s in! Try getting all your items from the same store, otherwise you’ll be paying a lot for shipping!! When I make orders I like to at least group 5 djs from each store if I can’t get it all from the same store. But I LOVE their quality!! Their second hand stuff look pretty much brand new! Unless stated otherwise in their listing. I’ve had some djs where it didn’t even look opened! 

Pros: 

Usually cheaper than buying new. 

Can find the older titles here. 

Tax free. 

Has English support and navigation. 

Relatively fast processing time. 

They send internationally! 

Cons: 

No consolidation. Each store=different order=more shipping cost. 

Second hand goods. So it’s not brand new. 

Price can be ridiculously expensive based on its rarity/popularity even though it’s not a new book. I actually bought 2 titles for 4k yen each when the original price is just over 1k. But I really wanted those books soo….I just bit the bullet lol.

SurugayaA real gem! ♡My favourite second hand store for djs~ Their navi is a lot better than mandarake and has way more items! This is the place to go for any rare goods~ here is the search page for karaxoso. 

Did I tell you they have free domestic shipping if you spend over ¥1500?? That’s like $15 lol. They do however have a processing fee if your order is under 5k yen. It’s under ¥300 so still very cheap! Surugaya often have ‘time sales’ and campaigns too! So it’s good to keep an eye out. When you click on an item, there’ll be a red text saying “this product will have a time sale soon” if that’s the case. So if you time it right…maybe you can get it cheaper. But I had many djs go out of stock on me while I waited for a campaign to come (some items sell out within a couple of days) so I don’t risk it anymore if there are items that have only 1 in stock in my cart. 

Also this is one of the stores where you can buy without a credit card and use PayPal instead! But if you are buying R18 goods, you can only pay by credit card. They don’t accept foreign credit cards apparently. I did have an order cancel on me when I paid by credit card and I got an email saying I used a foreign card and they can’t accept it. I’m still very gutted about that one. But I’ve also had successful orders using the same exact card…..so it’s really a gamble. PayPal as payment is friendlier I heard! But if you really want to buy r18 goods from here, may luck be on your side and hope they don’t detect your card. (or use a proxy service that allows you to buy R18 goods) 

The other downside for this site is the waiting time. Surugaya also has many warehouses and so they have to wait for all the books to arrive in one place before they ship it out to you. But usually with my experiences it takes them about 4 days to complete my order and ship it out. But I did have orders take over a week to process before. As long as you don’t order during the busy times of the year it should be fine.

Pros: 

Usually cheaper than buying new. (Most of the time the djs are cheaper than mandarake.) 

Best range. 

Often have sales and campaigns 

Has English support (But they will answer in Japanese) 

Free shipping on orders over 1.5k yen 

Cons: 

Slow processing time. 

Like mandarake, some items are ridiculously expensive. 

Your card may get declined for being a foreign card. 

Note: Previously, I’ve noted you can use debit card as payment…but honestly? it’s kinda weird. From personal experience, make sure you have double the amount of money in your account of what you need to pay for. Until the day it’s ship it. Surugaya likes to take money from you…how should I say…twice(?). Like….how do I explain this…on the day you place the order, money is taken from your card. Your payment will appear as pending on your bank statement. But actually they don’t approve your payment until it’s all ready to be sent to you. On that day, they take the payment from your account again. Like. It’s weird. And if you don’t have that amount available on your card on that day, you get an email from customer service saying they couldn’t go through with the payment. That there was a problem. If you paid by paypal (using your debit card), they will retry the payment if you can provide them evidence that it wasn’t PayPal that made the error. If you paid by using credit card (with your debit) they will cancel your order since the only other option to send the money is by bank. So if you have enough money in your debit card to pay for your order twice, your payment will go smoothly. And that extra payment they tried to make? It won’t even appear on your statement lol. In the end that money isn’t taken from you, so don’t worry about them actually charging you twice for your order.I was so confused why my payments weren’t going through and I only found out by contacting both my card dealer and PayPal. I use my debit card for online purchases so I only put in the amount necessary you see… 

Tldr; Surugaya tries to take money from you twice but only one goes through and you need enough funds for both in order for your transaction to go through smoothly if you are using your debit card.

[chthonicarcher]

oh yeah, forgot to say, I’ll ship internationally too, no extra charge

hello!! if anyone would like to buy a cowboy karkat sticker from me ($6 usd) just message me on here and let me know? ☺️

[christinaengela]

Hello friends and fans!

Welcome to my 19th newsletter: July 2018! Coming up in this edition of Another Round @ The Crow Bar:

Regular updates, new releases, and a monthly spotlight on one of my books, this time, the new release of “Demonspawn“.

Hello!

It’s hard to believe how quickly this year has been passing – here we are in July already, and I still have so much to do! June was a pretty hectic month for me, filled with activities not necessarily related to my writing. MoboReader, a Chinese company that deals with ebook distribution, approached me with a request to list my e-titles towards the end of June. I agreed, and signed a contract with them. This should expand my reach somewhat, and I’m curious to see what effect this will have on my sales.

In the meantime, since publishing the new, revamped version of “Dead Beckoning“, I’ve been working on the long-awaited fourth title in the Galaxii Series, “Lange’s Legacy“. This book is already complete and ready for publishing – complete with brand new illustrations, and I’m also busy with a book trailer video for that book at the moment. This book should be released soon, but not in time for this newsletter unfortunately – so stay tuned for updates on that front.

This time, under new releases, I’ll be telling you about “Dead Beckoning“, “The Galaxii Omnibus 1 – Into The Abyss“.

On with the show!

New Releases

Dead Beckoning

Released on June 12, book 3 in the Galaxii Series, having just undergone the same treatment as the previous two titles, “Dead Beckoning” is now over 50,000 words long, containing a mass of extra more in-depth material, and illustrations!

Order: Paperback (Lulu) / eBook (Lulu) / eBook (Smashwords)

Details:

Published: Second Edition, June 12, 2018

Pages: 158

Words: 51,980 (Flowing Text eBook)

Binding: Perfect-bound Paperback

Dimensions (inches): 6×9″ tall (US Trade)

Enjoy the brand new book trailer video below:

Galaxii – Into The Abyss 

Blachart, Demonspawn and Dead Beckoning – the first three stories in the Galaxii Series in one big volume! Released originally in 2017, this omnibus contained the previous versions of these three stories. The re-release contains the new updated versions completed with illustrations and extra material.

The new version is also re-titled and re-covered to match the cover you see to the left!

Order: Paperback (Lulu) / eBook (Lulu)

Details:

Published: Fifth Edition, June 13, 2018

Pages: 568

Words: 188,061 (Flowing Text eBook)

Binding: Perfect-bound Paperback

Dimensions (inches): 6×9″ tall (US Trade)

Currently Available Titles:

The Galaxii Series

Blachart

Demonspawn

Dead Beckoning

Galaxii – Into The Abyss (a special omnibus of the first three titles in the Galaxii Series)

The Quantum Series

Black Sunrise

The Time Saving Agency

Innocent Minds

Dead Man’s Hammer

Loderunner

Prodigal Sun

High Steaks

Underground Movement

Moon Jockeys

Fortitude

The Last Hurrah

The Quantum Series – Keep Off The Crabbygrass (an omnibus of The Quantum Series titles 1, 2, 3 and 4.)

About The Quantum Series will give you more background about the series, its settings and characters. To get a better idea of what the latest two titles are about, read What Readers Can Expect In “Prodigal Sun”, “High Steaks”, “Fortitude” & “The Last Hurrah”.

Work on the next four titles in this series, (“Underground Movement“, “Moon Jockeys“, “Fortitude” and “The Last Hurrah“) is still pending at this time.

Panic! Horror In Space

Panic! Horror In Space #1

Panic! Horror In Space #2

Panic! Horror In Space #3

Panic! is a sci-fi/horror series, which will have some decidedly sci-fi characters encountering some decidedly horror entities – ghosts, haunted objects, zombies, etc. along with my usual twisted brand of humor! The first three titles are available in paperback and ebook versions on various distribution platforms including Amazon and Lulu.

For Children

Other Kids Are Kids Almost Just Like You

Ramalama-Side Up! (coloring book)

Non-Fiction

Bugspray

The Pink Community – The Facts 

The Peed-Off Peasant’s Collection Of Awesome Parking Memes

Don’t Get Left In The Dark

Edited By Christina Engela

African Assignment by Theo Engela

A Way Of Life by Theo Engela

Shakandazu Valley by Theo Engela

Op Vreemde Weë by Yvonne Lorraine Engela

When Day Is Done by Yvonne Lorraine Engela

Afrikaans Titles

Some of my titles have been translated into Afrikaans – but as you could imagine, it’s a full-time job – and when you use translation software “sickbay” comes out as “Telaxian stoofpot” instead of  “siekeboeg” – so you could imagine!

On A Personal Note

Fan Mail & Honorable Mentions

Noticed in the past month by my shiny new wife and PA, Wendy K. Engela, (  😉  ) were the following honorable mentions:

Reader and fan, Anya Louw sent me a lovely note about “Dead Beckoning” on the 19th of June:

On June 13, MoboReader asked to feature my books on their platform, and I agreed! The books are already available from there!

I display my Fan Mail & Compliments with pride, gratitude and humility. You are always welcome to have a look.

Hate Mail & Horrible Mentions

The past month was (another) rather quiet on the hate mail front. (What am I doing wrong?) I’m sad to say I have nothing new to show you this time! (I may have something to show you next time though!)

(I’m rather proud of my hate mail, and you can review it here – but be forewarned, don’t do it while eating or drinking or you might choke while laughing at it!)

Interviews

If you would like to do an interview with me about my works, please do get in touch!

New Videos

Have a look at my videos on my Video Channel. The newly updated and totally revamped book trailers for Blachart and Demonspawn are there too!

New Listings

As you can see below, my books now seem to be listed just about everywhere!

CHRISTINA WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU! A few nice words go a long way! Please leave your REVIEWS on Academia.edu, Amazon, Anobii, Apple iTunes, Barnes & Noble, Bol, Book Depository, Dilmot eBookMall, FictionDB, Fnac, Foyles, Goodreads, !Indigo, Kobo , Lulu, Lybrary, MoboReader, Nook, Smashwords, Takealot, 24 Symbols – or wherever you see Christina’s books – or just send her an email via the Contact form!

Support The Author

Although most titles listed are available in paperback and/or ebook formats through most online retailers internationally, Christina prefers readers make their purchases via Lulu. This is because while all retailers charge the same price to YOU the reader, Lulu gives the author the largest portion of the proceeds from your purchase.

Monthly Book Spotlight [Spoiler Alert]: “Demonspawn“

“The I.S.S. Mordrake is in serious trouble – after a skirmish with a Corsair marauder,  she is stranded in deep space far from regular shipping routes – and death appears certain.

…but in space, not all things are certain, not even death.

At first the discovery of the derelict alien ship is an interesting diversion from the reality of their predicament. After all, it’s far better to explore the wreck in search of some kind of replacement part that could be adapted to repair the engines of the ship, than the alternative – which is to sit and wait for death by hypoxia from creeping cold as the emergency batteries are slowly drained… or, by something else…

Now the crew of the starship Mordrake has to face the terror and solve the ancient riddle of the Akx. Or suffer the same fate as its long dead crew.

“Quite simply, Christina Engela is one of the best voices in sci-fi right now and to not read her work would be to miss a treat!” – Mark Woods, author of Time of Tides and Fear of the Dark.“

CHRISTINA WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU! A few nice words go a long way! Please leave your REVIEWS on Amazon, Anobii, Apple iTunes, Barnes & Noble, Bol, Book Depository, eBookMall, FictionDB, Fnac, Foyles, Goodreads, !Indigo, Kobo , Lulu, Lybrary, Nook, Smashwords, Takealot, 24 Symbols – or wherever you see Christina’s books – or just send her an email via the Contact form!

Synopsis: 

[Spoiler Alert]

The second title in the Galaxii Series, “Demonspawn” centers on a star ship crew in a seemingly hopeless situation. In book 2, a starship crew faces imminent death due to a poor decision to battle a ready foe.

Adrift and stranded in deep space with no hope of rescue, the I.S.S. Mordrake has six month’s worth of food on board, but less than two weeks of air, and things look pretty grim. Morale, although low before the incident that resulted in their present predicament, is at an all-time low. The ship is not the only thing breaking down however, and pretty soon Commander Joe Lofflin – who has perpetually faced a degree of scorn from his crew because of his sexual orientation and faces a daily struggle to control his romantic attraction to a junior crewman almost half his age – takes on the roll of acting-Captain after the untimely death of Captain Blaine, and must deal with solving a murder on top of everything else!

As if there is not enough on his plate already, just as things are looking hopeless beyond the pale, something dark and mysterious drifts into their path! An ancient derelict ship of alien origins presents an all-too convenient and timely solution to their problem, offering the desperate castaways the spare parts they need to repair their ship. Just when they think they’ve found salvation in the form of a salvage ship they hope to strip for parts – things go from bad to worse.

In the midst of conducting an investigation into the murder of Captain Blaine, in an atmosphere where nobody is above suspicion and each senior officer has reason to suspect every other senior officer, the survivors of the Mordrake actually do find usable parts on board the derelict. In a difficult to reach part of the long dead alien ship – with the only way in or out littered with the dry and dusty remains of the long-dead alien crew – lies the answer to their problem. And much more than they expected. Just when things start to look hopeful again, one by one, the salvage team members begin to experience mysterious accidents… Gradually, it becomes apparent that ‘accident’ is not even remotely accurate.

In order for them all to survive, the crew of the Mordrake must work together – even though any one of them could be the cold-blooded killer who murdered the Mordrake’s Captain. The parts required to repair their own vessel must be retrieved by any means necessary – no matter what it was on board the derelict ship that seemed to want to keep them there!

This is a story of survival and the fight to survive. It’s also a tale that encourages people to look at life in perspective. The challenge of coming out or admitting to a love-interest that there is an attraction is compared to the challenge of surviving combat and facing the unknown, alone in the dark.

Replete with dark, deserted and spooky corridors, a few ghosts, aliens and robotics, a horror stalking its victims in the dark, lasers, explosions, dead bodies and a murder mystery thrown in, this story pretty much has it all!

About The Galaxii Series

Characters & Plot Devices

The Terran Space Fleet & Academy

From The Imperial Terran Archives

The History of “Demonspawn”

Although the first two stories in The Galaxii Series run in sequence (“Blachart” is book 1 and “Demonspawn” is book 2 in the series) both stories occur more or less simultaneously.

Both tell the stories of imperial starships on the hunt for Corsair ships, with “Blachart” focusing on the crew of the ISS Antares tracking down the Corsair base – which would result in the first mass military action by Terran forces since the end of the Gimp War – while “Demonspawn” tells the tale of another starship (ISS Mordrake) which is severely damaged in a skirmish with a Corsair ship and becomes stranded in deep space with little hope of rescue.

Following the discovery and infiltration of Meradinis by the crew of the imperial star ship Antares, the assembled might of the Terran Space Fleet descends upon the Corsair planet. The Battle of Turtle Island rages in orbit over Meradinis, resulting in the absolute destruction of the Corsair fleet – ending the Corsair menace for all time. It takes imperial forces eight months to bring Meradinis completely under Terran control, with the intention of rehabilitating Meradinis and its population and eventually re-integrating them into Terran society. This of course, leads us up to “Dead Beckoning“, the third book in the Galaxii Series, in which the crews of both ships feature strongly.

Demonspawn is currently on its fifth edition, newly extended and full of extra material. The ebook editions have color illustrations and photos in them.

I started working on the foundations of what would become this story when I started high school in 1986. Back then, it was called “The Red Star”, and it featured the some of the same characters, and the story plot was unrecognizable. By 1988, the basic plot had evolved into the story of a starship that encountered an alien derelict ship lost in space, but there was still a long way to go. By 2005 though, the first edition of Demonspawn made its debut on Lulu.com. In 2007, I redesigned the cover.

  In September 2014 I finally got a contract with what I thought was a “traditional publisher“, which although it was not one of those printing companies that expect you to pay ridiculous sums to just to have them print your books, more money to design covers, edit the content, and leave you to market the things for yourself – or charge you even more money to do that… left me disappointed and frustrated. They insisted that they wanted the entire Galaxii Series, which then included seven novels and one collection of short stories, and so I took these all down from my website – but the company only ever re-published two of those – Blachart and Demonspawn.

When I was picked up by a so-called ‘traditional publisher’ in 2014, Demonspawn was the second book they re-released with a new cover created by one of their staff. By the time it was released in 2015, Blachart was around 38,600 words long! Apparently that’s not very long by today’s standards, but to put it into perspective, most novels by the great Terry Pratchett are only around 50,000 words long – and I always felt that if it was good enough for him, it was good enough for me! That aside, if a story can be told well in whatever space of words, then that should be good enough too.

But as I do so often, I digress; By 2016 though, things had changed. The publisher abandoned all its ‘non-purist’ horror writers and cut us all loose, so I went back to indie-publishing again. By July 2016, I republished the Fourth Edition of Demonspawn on Lulu.com.

Since 2016, when I went indie again, I’d been working on later books and new projects. Since finishing editing and publishing of most of my parent’s works in early 2018, I took a look at the channels through which my books have been distributed – and decided that I should also place my titles at Smashwords to gain access to their distribution network also.

Smashwords have different publishing formatting requirements to Lulu, and and so, while I was busy releasing “Blachart” via Smashwords, I discovered that I had to reformat the entire manuscript to meet their technical specifications! It looked daunting at first, but I’m a quick study and in the end it wasn’t as hard as I initially thought.

While I was at it (the most dangerous words known to humanity) I spotted a couple of editing errors left over from my “traditional” publishing days, and set off to check the whole manuscript for more. This sparked off another edit, and then I added a little bit here, and a little bit there… and before I realized it, a drastic complete rewrite was underway!

I evaluated each sentence. I added a stack of more material… back-stories and extras that would enrich and enhance the overall experience of what I had envisioned as the Galaxii Series! Two weeks later, the Smashwords Edition of Blachart was finished! Then I designed a fantastic new cover which would also form the basis of a template for the entire Galaxii Series. I also decided to include some illustrations in the book (ebook form) to make it more attractive. I’m pretty sure I succeeded!

I then went ahead doing the same thing to “Demonspawn”.

Reviews:

Something’s waiting in the dark…

“Engela proves she is the newest, best voice in sci-fi with this second volume in her Galaxii series set in the furthest reaches of deep space.

On an Imperial ship, damaged in a battle with corsairs and now floating adrift, tensions begin to rise as the crew slowly begin to realise that they are all about to die. The captain, unable to accept that the current situation they find themselves in is all his fault, sits in his cabin getting drunk when he is confronted by a killer.

And it is in this moment that a small sliver of hope appears.

An alien ship, abandoned in an asteroid field, provides their only hope of salvation but going aboard, the crew soon discover there is a reason why the ship is empty.

Everyone onboard has been slaughtered.

With no other choice, the crew begin the slow process of cannibalising the alien ship for parts, all the time only too aware that there is not just a killer in their midst but also on this abandoned alien ship as well.

As more and more people begin to die, it becomes a race against time – can the crew get the parts they need and get out of there before it is too late? And even if they do, will they still be safe even then?

This book is an awesome read and one that comes across as a mash-up of such films as Alien, Hardware, and Event Horizon.

If this makes the book sound like it is derivative, fear not!

Christina Engela has a unique and brilliant voice that helps make this story her own as she slowly builds the tension to a shocking and tense climax.

Quite simply, Christina Engela is one of the best voices in sci-fi right now and to not read her work would be to miss a treat!

If you like classic space opera with an ultra-modern twist, you should check her out. Having read previews of her forthcoming work, I can guarantee you the best is yet to come…” – Mark Woods, author of ‘Time of Tides’ and ‘Fear of the Dark’.

A real page turner…

“Joe Lofflin, second in command of the Terran deep space cruiser ISS Moredrake, has to inform his crew of 226 survivors of the devastating news that they now only have a few days left to live – no thanks to the actions of their Captain, Philip Wainright Blaine.

The Mordrake was on a mission to locate the home world of their arch enemy – the Corsairs, and after suffering catastrophic damage in a battle, was now left adrift in space – helpless and marooned.

Joe also comes face to face with his own desires as he falls for one of his junior crew members – Dellon Bennett, a handsome 24 year old man in the prime of his life.

The murder of Captain Blaine sees Loffin taking charge of the ship and leading the survivors into an uncertain future. Facing not only death itself, with limited oxygen, they also have to deal with finding the murderer. But that’s not all – this human enemy is not the only adversary they will have to face. A derelict alien ship crossing their path adrift for over 6000 years offers them a tantalizing chance at life, but at greater risk.

Will the murder of Captain Blaine be solved? Will Joe Loffin’s interest in Dellon grow into something more? And will the Moredrake and its crew survive the ultimate enemy?

This Sci-fi thriller brings everything to the table, murder, suspence, action, love.

A real page turner by Christina Engela.” – Zenja Collins, Zen Entertainment

Reader’s Comments:

A knack for writing villains

“The Space Fleet ship I.S.S. Mordrake has been damaged in a confrontation with the Corsairs. The main transmuter coil has burned out and there is no replacement. They are on life support which is running on the emergency batteries and will last only a few more days. Captain Philip Blaine has been murdered and Commander Lofflin has to take over. There is no hope until they spot a derelict ship in space that could have spare parts to salvage but an ancient terror, the Akx awaits them on the ship.

Christina’s writing is lucid and while reading I found myself shifting into ‘3rd gear’, able to immerse myself, immediately grabbed by the story. I liked the way the characters were developed. The strong leadership skills of Commander Lofflin are contrasted with the complete lack of leadership in Captain Blaine. There is moreover a strong theme of ‘confronting your fears’ in this story. Commander Lofflin has to confront his fears continuously. From addressing the crew about the impeding doom, the damaged ship and failing life support systems, right up to asking a young man out for a date. On almost every page this theme is brought in and I found it tremendously interesting.

Christina seems to have a knack for writing villains. With the Akx she really raised the bar. I felt suspense filling my whole body while reading. It kept me reading up till late to find out what happens.

A clearly written sci-fi novella with an interesting theme on confronting fear. The characters are well done and a villain that will raise suspense. Rating: 4 stars out of 5.” –  Mr. Green.

Sci-fi fans will love this book

“They say in space no one can hear you scream. In Demonspawn: Galaxii Series Book 2, there are plenty of screams as a creature rips its way through the inhabitants of a spaceship. A crew member, Kaine, tries to take the creature down in one last desperate move.

Reminiscent of Alien, where a helpless crew faces an alien terror, the story drew me in and I could feel that same claustrophobic feel I got when watching the movie. I felt the characters were well developed and the story moved along at a good pace. Sci-fi fans will love this book. It is available to buy now on Amazon. Rated it 5 of 5 stars” – S.K. Gregory.

Engrossing space story

“Engrossing space story.

A crew faces imminent death due to a poor decision to battle a ready foe. Just when they think they’ve found salvation in the form of a salvage ship they hope to use for parts – things go from bad to worse. The best part about the story was the quality writing. Excellent description. Good pacing. Recommend.” – J. Hunter.

 Awesome book!!!

“Really enjoyed reading this one. I had a hard time putting it down. Every page leaves you with a burning desire to find out what happens next. The way she writes this book makes it so easy to picture the entire story in your head. Its more like watching a movie than reading a book!!” – Stephanie Bothma

A riveting blend

“A riveting blend of horror and science fiction laced generously with Ms. Engela’s trademark quirky humor.” – Alex S. Johnson

Awesome And Incredible Reads

“Both books [‘Blachart‘ and ‘Demonspawn‘ ] were awesome and incredible reads. I couldn’t put them down. They were fantastic and I was able to get vivid mental images of the scenes as I was reading them. That’s the sign of a great author. Congratulations Christina. Your writing truly ROCKS!” – Scott M. Darrah, reader, April 10, 2016.

Author Questions:

1) The novel is built around a Gay Character – Joe Lofflin. What was your inspiration behind the character itself?

I’d previously written a gay character in my first book – which was Blachart the Corsair. That was a much more complex character, darker and fiercer than Lofflin. Blachart was also a stereotypical ‘bad guy’ who had had a very hard life and lots of negative experiences, who gradually is revealed to be not so bad, and then ultimately, just another one of the ‘good guys’. He wasn’t the main character of that story. In this story I wanted to try a completely different angle with a gay character and make him the focus of the tale.

Commander Joe Lofflin is an experienced officer in the Imperial Space Fleet, he’s popular with most of the crew, he’s got friends among the other senior officers on the ship – and as the second in command on the ship, he’s in his element. Several things happen in Demonspawn to catapult Lofflin to the center of attention – namely the untimely death of Captain Blaine, and their ship being stranded in deep space, purportedly without a hope of rescue.

I dislike it when I see LGBT people being stereotyped – or gay men being objectified and misrepresented as being ‘weak’ or ‘feminine’ just because they’re gay. Yes, there are lots of different ‘stations’ on the sexuality and gender spectrum – and I have created a lot of other characters along the LGBT spectrum in my stories – but in this particular case I wanted Lofflin to portray a masculine male whose sexuality happened to be just another facet to his character. Lofflin is just another guy doing the same kind of job done by plenty of other guys. In short, I wanted Lofflin to be a heroic gay action man, because there are so few such examples in modern media, literature and fiction!

My goal was to portray a character that most masculine people could identify with easily, while providing insight on what such a character would feel, think or do in certain circumstances. As a story teller, I wanted to add more emotional depth to the character – because nobody, not even an ‘action hero’, is as two-dimensional as all that.

Lofflin isn’t a kid. He’s an older man with experience in life as well as having been a soldier. He’s used to giving orders and running the ship and acting as a liaison between the crew and their captain. He’s also single and lonely, and very much aware that in a military environment it’s not so easy to form romantic bonds with others in the same crew, least of all openly.’

2) This being a Sci-Fi thriller you are very specific when it comes to the ships instruments and weaponry. Have you done a lot of research involving this?

‘When I was at high school an English teacher once said something very similar about my writing – she said that I used terminology and descriptive terms with flair and apparent ease! I guess I could say I’ve always enjoyed reading and watching sci-fi and I’ve always had my own ideas on how things should be done. I have a background in computing, I served in the military, and I love history and research, so yes – I’ve also researched a lot about tech stuff and have a broad sense of how some things might work in a future setting.

I think the key with sci-fi stories is to not give too much tech information to the reader. You have to make this stuff believable without getting wrapped up in explaining for three pages how a reflex furnace or transmatter platform works – the typical reader would get bored and lose interest in the story. The story needs to flow, so as a writer I ‘cut the cackle’ and work around lengthy explanations and treat the tech as someone might write about a character using a cell phone today. Not quite that simple, but somewhere between the two extremes, and that seems to work.’

3) Who is Dellon Bennett?

‘Bennet is a young crew member, much lower in rank in relation to Lofflin, and he’s also relatively inexperienced. He has formed a close circle of friends on the ship who share various similar interests, and who very likely are aware of his sexuality.

Dellon is not the ‘action man’ type as it were. Lofflin finds him very attractive, both physically as well as in terms of his personality and character. Dellon is shy and reserved. Physically he might be considered of average build, but there is a refinement in terms of certain physical features Lofflin is drawn to. His eyes, his face naturally – but also his long thin fingers and hands.

The last thing I wanted to do was to reinforce the notion straight people have of ‘who’s the boy and who’s the girl’ by making Dellon appear more feminine, but at the same time I am also aware that a lot of fem gay guys get a raw deal from the community. I wanted in this case to show that there are a lot of fem gay guys out there, and that there is nothing wrong with being fem. People should be happy with how they are or want to be. Two people should be allowed to be attracted to each other for who they are, fall in love, and be happy. So Dellon Bennet, while not exactly a ‘fem’, and not an ‘action hero’ – is a bit of a deviation from several stereotypes as well.’

4) Without giving too much away, what was your inspiration for the Akx?

‘The Akx is a pretty bad-ass plot device, if I say so myself! 🙂

It’s over 6000 years old and it’s pretty much invincible because it knows what your fears are and uses them to beat you before you can make a move against it! Then, while you’re lying slumped in a heap of fear, it strikes! As if that isn’t bad enough, it seems to draw some kind of satisfaction or enjoyment from the fear it creates, and the kill itself!

I’d say that in many ways this could be understood to mean that our own fears are what hold us back as people. Often it’s not what really happens that beats us, it’s what we fear might happen. The Akx is a euphemism for that weakness in all of us.

We can only make progress in life if we rise to meet these challenges and face our fears, look into the eyes of the abyss, and even though we are afraid, do the best we can.’

About The Galaxii Series

Characters & Plot Devices

The Terran Space Fleet & Academy

From The Imperial Terran Archives

Order: Paperback (Lulu) / eBook (Lulu) / eBook (Smashwords)

Details:

Published: Fifth Edition, May 27, 2018

Pages: 168

Words: 51,983 (Flowing Text eBook)

Binding: Perfect-bound Paperback

Dimensions (inches): 6×9″ tall (US Trade)

‘Like’ Demonspawn by Christina Engela on Facebook

Economize! Buy “The Galaxii Series Omnibus 1: Into The Abyss“, containing the first three titles in the Galaxii Series by Christina Engela: “ Blachart ”, “Demonspawn” and “Dead Beckoning” – all in one big omnibus, for LESS than buying all three separately!

In Closing

Well, that’s all, folks! 🙂

Thanks again for all your support, friendship and interaction! Until next time, keep reading!

Cheers! 🙂

If you would like to know more about Christina Engela and her writing, please feel free to browse her website. If you want to know what Christina Engela’s focus group or target market is, please read here. If you would like to read more about Christina’s life and experiences, please go to her Biography and the article “Timeline of Milestones, Awards & Achievements“. To leave her a message, please use the Contact form. Visit her Shop. ‘Add’ Christina Engela on Facebook (Profile). ‘Like’ Christina Engela on Facebook (Page). All material copyright © Christina Engela, 2018.

Another Round @ The Crow Bar #19 – July 2018 Hello friends and fans! Welcome to my 19th newsletter: July 2018! Coming up in this edition of Another Round @ The Crow Bar:

[destroyhorse]

selling off some art books!! - $17 each (includes shipping!)

heyy everyone i’m trying to downsize my Worldly Possessions and also i’m broke so i’ve got some books to sell. DM me if you’re interested! i can ship internationally but i’ll have to charge extra to cover the shipping costs unfortunately :(

little more info under the cut! reblogs appreciated!

HARDCOVER BOOKS: $17/each 1. The Art of Mad Max Fury Road 2. The Art of Monsters University (Includes MU Fearbook for free!) 3. The Art of Big Hero 6 4. The Nine Old Men 5. The Art of Brave 6. Lonely Heart: The Art of Tara McPherson 7. Lost Constellations: The Art of Tara McPherson 8. Somewhere Under the Rainbow (free if you purchase both Art of Tara McPherson books!) 9. Assassin's Creed 2 Collector's Edition Game Guide (NOT AN ART BOOK) 10. LOVELY: Ladies of Animation 11. Dynamic Figure Animation 12. Oil Painting Step by Step PAPERBACK BOOKS: $22 total  (I’m selling these all together because shipping would cost more than they’re worth individually) 1. Drawing the Human Head 2. Dynamic Anatomy 3. Dynamic Light and Shade

[brotheryanny]

hey i'm curious on getting some utaite stuff for example their albums and merch, how can i go about doing there internationally? thank you in advance

hello there! thanks for the question, i might not have the best method, but ive tried a lot and this works ok for me!so here, the grammatically incorrect guide for broke utaite fans

for CDs and DVDs I usually go for CDJapan -their shipping fees are pretty reasonable (I tend to pick Airmail) and their packaging is always great! The only downsides are that their proxy shopping is suprisingly expensive, and their parcels are super prone to getting caught up with customs fees -in the UK, import VAT is 20% of the price, plus a £8 handling fee which always makes me cry -it always ends up like £15-30 extraso when I order from there I keep my orders small and mark them as a gift w But they usually have a wide, up-to-date selection of items, and sometimes have nice tokutensalso I keep racking up points on there so I can’t bring myself to abandon the site ww

of course, if theres a particular tokuten I really want I’ll buy from that store, probably through buyee, a really easy-to-use proxy (Animate, Amazon and HMV offer international shipping but only the fast (expensive) options like EMS)

For goods (usually from sites like pony canyon) I like to use tenso, which is a forwarding service -i LOVE them, they give you a japanese address which you can input after you fill your own cart, and charge your own credit/debit card, then when it reaches tenso’s warehouse you can pay for shipping thereIt helps but you don’t even need to know japanese -there are a bunch of guides on how to fill in forms on the website, and you can use google translate to help out tooi find the shipping fees are pretty low- they tend to reuse the packaging the items came in (which i think is fine) so you just pay them for international shipping, and a small commission fee (based off weight rather than price)

good luck and feel free to ask any more questions!

[philadelphiamotelsgator-blog]

Tempt Me 2020 Plus Size Swimsuit High Neck Review

Tempt Me is an internationally renowned online retailer that specializes in providing ladies with different styles of swimwear, such as sexy bikinis, conservative swimwear, tankinis, 50s retro monokinis, plus size bathing suits, and so on. Our swimwear is all specially designed to make you feel more confident and become more charming. Tempt Me team is committed to bringing our customers an excellent shopping experience by offering the highest standards of service based on the excellent quality of all of our products.

Description - 0.7" high - 14" wide - High neck design with a padded push-up bra and neck hook closure provide support and shaping. - The see-through mesh style and deep plunge back design amp up the bathing suit, to be more flirty, awesome, and chic. - Excellent quality: The smooth fabric material is stretchy, comfortable, and soft, ensuring you will thoroughly enjoy wearing it. Note: Regular size: XS,S,M,L,XL. Plus Sizes: 14 Plus, 16 Plus, 18 Plus, 20 Plus. - The ruched pattern in the torso accentuates your curves and hides any imperfections perfectly while still being flattering. - This one piece swimsuit endows you special feeling about confidence, beauty and joy in vacation, honeymoon, beach trip, pool party and various water activities. Review by Ellie Ok. I NEVER wear a one piece swimsuit! I’m 33 years old and I’m tall (5’9-5’10) so I have a longer torso. My weight fluctuates but I’m normally 200ish. one piece suits are normally too short and jacked up in all the wrong places! After reading all of the reviews, I decided to try. I have weight on me but luckily my weight spreads equally for the most part however I’m small in the boob area, which makes it hard. Most “curvy” friendly clothing is larger in the boobs. I decided to try this suit and was pleasantly surprised! It stays put, it’s long enough in the torso (I normally wear a 14 in pants and wear a L-XL depending on how it’s made) so after reading the comments I ordered up and ordered a 0x to make sure it fit in the torso. I hate telling personal details but it helps people to know height/weight to make a decision. In my opinion thesis suit fits and is very flattering. Good luck! :). Review by Brylee I love this suit! I’m headed to a cruise with my husband and another couple and was looking for suits that made me feel sexy without looking like a fool. This suit totally did it for me! I checked the dimensions and ordered accordingly, perfect fit (Ordered a 0X/14W - I’m 5’9 and 200 pounds)! I can’t wait to prance around the ship while throwing back margaritas with my crew! Review by Nia I ordered an XL which is my normal size (Size 16 dress, XL top) I loved the mesh and it fit great (not a fan of the cups but they are removable)! It had great support and looked cute! It was a bit tough to get on because of the key hole (?) back but fit perfectly! Review by Alondra This swimsuit deserves a review. It’s so great. It fits me like a glove. I recently lost over 40 pounds. So I haven’t owned a swimsuit in years and I’m not interested in trying them on in a store. So I spent days looking and reading reviews and I finally ordered 3 swimsuits with the thought I’d return them if they didn’t work. For reference I’m 5’3” almost 5’4” and I weigh 136 pounds. In Victoria secrets I wear a 34DD and medium panties. I hope that helps. Because I don’t measure myself ever. I purchased a size medium in black. And I will be buying another one. Not kidding, it makes me feel sexy and comfortable and covered up. Not feeling too naked or hoe-ish! This swimsuit came quickly and is definitely worth more then they are charging! Let’s hope after boating and washing it that it holds up! If it falls to peices I’ll update this review. But do ya self a favor if you have been searching endlessly for a swimsuit. Just buy this one! Review by Virginia I love this bathing suit. It's equally conservative yet I feel beautiful in it. I was looking for something that I could wear to the water park or beach with the kids but I didn't want a typical plain bathing suit. I am 5'7, 140 lbs and a size 4/6pants, D chest. I bought a medium and fits perfect, not too tight or loose. Would def recommend. Review by Adelina This suit is perfect! I look terrible in one pieces, always have! I wanted something that was modest yet looked a little sexy, I’ll be drinking (a lot) on our honeymoon cruise next month and don’t want to show anything on accident if I happen to get too drunk lol I’m 5”5, 165lbs, 38 bust, 31 waist, and 42 hips and the large was perfect for me! My thighs are huge, so usually one pieces dig into them, but this one fits them perfect! I also have a very long torso, so the fact this fit me long wise was a win in itself!! Review by Paislee Loved it, wish had more boob support too but it could have been much worse! It was tight enough to give some body shaping support, quality material, and covered in all the right places. Very satisfied!! Much better quality and fit than more expensive suits that I've bought at popular brick & mortar retail stores!! Review by Paislee I bought an XL in the black and it fit perfect, very flattering cut and still sexy with the mesh at the front. Loved it so much I bought a red one a few weeks later... wasn't so happy with this one. It didn't fit the same at all - and of course i bought the same size. The red one was really baggy at the bust and the neck didn't fit the same as the black one. I've contacted the seller about the red one and am waiting to hear back. Review by Amalia I love it!! Fits true to size! Really looks nice and didnt completely fall apart in the water! I wish it had under wire so it doesnt make my boobs look as saggy. Other than that, highly recommend!! Review by Kamila I love this swim suit. Fits great and easy to put on and take off. Plus it kept all the extra parts nice and snug on my body. I would recommend this product for sure. Related topics: - Family Dollar Locations - Ups Store Locations - 3M Dust Mask - Cheap Toddler Bike - Dog Carrier Backpack - 3M 9551v Mask - Trendy Plus Size Swimsuits

[fleetwoodmacarthistory]

hello everyone. so, my car’s engine head is most likely cracked (which is a $300-$500 repair) and my hours at work won’t go up until at least october. i desperately need money to cover the repair so i’m selling these fleetwood mac/stevie nicks postcards i made for $3 usd each (except for the gold dust woman one, which has just been sold), or vintage mirage tour buttons for $5 usd each (i have 4 buttons total to sell). i will not charge extra for shipping and i will ship internationally within reason (talk to me). if you’re interested, please message me for details. i’ll even throw in a homemade pride flag with your purchase! if not, please reblog this in case some of your followers would like to buy from me. thank you.

[batkingsalem]

Last call to preorder a Mei sweater! I'm placing my order tomorrow, so if anybody wants to jump in and get added, today is the day to let me know! I'm only printing what gets sold, there will be no extras! I'm charging $30 plus $5 shipping to the US, I can quote for shipping internationally! If you want one, just message me on here and I'll PayPal invoice you. 😊