#sometimes people still cover those but its a lot less common

[red-dyed-sarumane]

i feel like i would still be big into the utaite scene if it werent for 1) i prefer solo over group activities & everyone wants to be part of a idol-like group these days 2) besides like marshall maximizer & phony a lot of popular songs dont hit right for me & everyones always covering the same handful of popular songs and 3) im so deep into voca territory im genuinely lucky if some of the songs i listen to have even a single a cover. also bonus 4) i refuse to use yt as a music source so if it gets uploaded Only on yt it basically doesnt exist to me

[catboybiologist]

Hey, transfem who has only started to like her body about half a year ago here

As someone who takes a lot of pictures of themselves, do you have any resources/tips for angles or something that accentuates feminine features?

Also in regards to having a somewhat normal facial expression, like my eyes look so weird in every picture I take bc I don't know where to look

This response ended up WAY longer than I expected, and I think Imma add it to my pinned post- thanks for pushing me to talk about this! I don't think I'm really an expert here, but if people want to leave more advice in reblogs and comments, please do.

So when I say "I had two years of femboy experience before transferring to the related (and potentially overlapping) but separate field of trans womanhood" I'm only like... half joking. Selfie angles took a fucking wild amount of time for me to figure out, and guess what? The pictures I post are usually 1-3 in a set of about 20 that I take at any given time. I'm still unhappy with most pictures I take, you just gotta take a lot of them, and figure out for yourself.

That said, I think I have gotten a lot better over time. Behold, the first selfie I posted on reddit (warning for kinda cringe but I know y'all fuck with that):

(Damn, my thighs look good when I properly shave, gotta do that sometime)

(btw I'm 23 in this pic so feel free to simp if you so desire)

And another early one:

This was still selected from a bunch that were horrible, but you can really tell that my face is basically just covered in fabric entirely. My eyes look very dead in both. Compare that to:

^this one is still pre-transition, so don't blame the estrogen.

So what are my specific tips? Well, the classic "selfie angle" is from above. This angle certainly helps, but why? Personally I've found that its far less about angles are far more about lighting. Since most lighting is overhead, taking selfies from above means that you'll have a well lit face in those standard lighting conditions. Notice that in both the early selfies and the later one, the camera is actually positioned below my height level, and there's still a noticeable facial difference between them. The reason this is possible is good, forward lighting. Generally, you want a soft light source to be vaguely behind the camera, shining onto your face- but make sure its not too close, or too bright. This will ensure that harsh shadows don't artificially make your features look much different than they actually are.

Another thing that cannot be understated: DISTANCE between yourself and the camera, especially if you're using a phone camera. There are several reasons for this- notably, it'll help make the background be framed more pleasantly, as well as prevent the camera/phone itself from shadowing your face. But there's also a massive, insidious reason this happens- all phone cameras have some degree of fisheye to their lens to increase the field of view while still using compact optics. Multiple lens have helped a bit, but its still a problem on all of them. Higher end phones will algorithmically correct for this, but they also add a TON of other postprocessing "beautification" in ways that are sometimes completely invisible (insert entire rant here about how this is a deceptive marketing tactic to make a brands phone cameras seem better than they actually are). Sometimes, these edits are way off base. But I digress. The fisheye is killer because it takes any slightly more prominent feature and bulges them out, including the nose and chin. Conversely, recessed features, like eyes and the sides of your cheeks, are going to be less emphasized. Moving further away from the camera significantly reduces this. If you can get a small phone tripod and take selfies that way, it'll alleviate this. Unfortunately my living space is not large atm, and I have less motivation to bother my roommates in the common areas and use their hallways for picture taking, so this has been a little lacking in more recent selfies. It's also just a lot of work for a couple quick selfies, so its hard to do right- but it genuinely makes a world of difference.

Otherwise, my advice about eyes would be that your eyes show your overall facial expression, even if you're covering your mouth. Most of my pictures are taken while smiling slightly under the mask, and it shows in the eyes. If I want a scarier looking picture, I'm stone faced or deliberately make my entire face angrier, and you end up with the "glaring directly down the camera wanting to kill you" face. Referring to the pictures I just posted- the first two are both dead faced under the mask, whereas in the last one, I'm doing a smug, sultry smirk. The eyes then reflect that.

Don't focus on specifically trying to open your eyes wider. Change your facial expression and just let them be how they want to be in relation to that. Eye position should fully commit to looking straight into the camera, or be fully distracted with something else, imo (including the screen of your phone, if you're doing something like a mirror selfie). If you're taking a mirror selfie, look at the camera lens as it's reflected in the mirror. A HUGE takeaway is that cameras, especially phone cameras, straight up lie to you. They don't work the same way as the human eye, and have to compensate for that- but they'll never be a completely faithful representation of what you look like. Don't let your ego be affected by how you look in pictures, when all is said and done.

And of course, experiment, experiment, experiment! Figure out the lighting you can get in the space you have available, and the angles that work for you! Don't be afraid to delete selfies you don't like! Show off your style and your features in the way you want to! There are no rules for what's attractive, this is just what I do and you should develop your own style!

I guess I'll take this with both femboy and trans tags bc the selfies are pre-HRT

[genshingorlsrevengeance]

Seeing less to nothing for Yunaka love in here! How's about an S/O who figured out Yunaka's past and accepted her? Like they figured out her lies but didn't bring it up once and maybe once covered for her.

Also, I love this blog, and it's a lovely chaotic mess!

(FE: Engage) Yunaka's S/O knowing about her past

Appreciate the kind words! Honestly, I sometimes forget how this blog is organized/handled is nothing less than dysfunctional, but I'm glad it has its...charm, I think?

When S/O says those words, it makes Yunaka's heart stop.

(S/O) "I know, Yunaka."

(Yunaka) "...You...You what?! You knew about my past?"

(S/O) "Well, I don't know the specifics, but I know what you were. Kinda hard not to put the pieces together...Though evidently that's not exactly common knowledge here in Somniel..."

(Yunaka) "...Honestly? Yeah, they're a bit too naïve for their own good...How long have you known?"

(S/O) "Ever since we first met. Your speed with a knife is way too good to just be a wanderer. I've even told Jean that's just how people from Brodia can fight."

(Yunaka) "Hah, I mean, you're not entirely wrong..."

Yunaka's hands starts fidgeting as she suddenly struggles to look at S/O's eyes.

(Yunaka) "You haven't told anyone, right?!"

(S/O) "Of course not! That's your business, and if you feel comfortable telling the others, than you go ahead. I wouldn't do something that cruel."

She breathes a sigh of relief as she begins laughing nervously, before feeling S/O's embrace which silences her.

(S/O) "I don't care about who you were, I only care about who you are now."

(Yunaka) "Think a lot of people would have an issue, considering."

(S/O) "Not me."

Yunaka wraps her arms around S/O, her head on their shoulders.

(Yunaka) "...You mean that?"

(S/O) "I'm still here, aren't I?"

Yunaka's grip becomes tighter as her voice gets even quieter.

(Yunaka) "Then...thank you. For accepting me."

Tears threaten to spill out of her eyes before S/O starts rubbing the back of her head.

They said nothing else as their actions did the speaking for them.

[spacetimewithstuartgary]

Asteroid Ceres is a former ocean world that slowly formed into a giant, murky icy orb

Since the first sighting of the first-discovered and largest asteroid in our solar system was made in 1801 by Giuseppe Piazzi, astronomers and planetary scientists have pondered the make-up of this asteroid/dwarf planet. Its heavily battered and dimpled surface is covered in impact craters. Scientists have long argued that visible craters on the surface meant that Ceres could not be very icy.

Researchers at Purdue University and the NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL) now believe Ceres is a very icy object that possibly was once a muddy ocean world. This discovery that Ceres has a dirty ice crust is led by Ian Pamerleau, Ph.D. student, and Mike Sori, assistant professor in Purdue's Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences who published their findings in Nature Astronomy. The duo along with Jennifer Scully, research scientist with JPL, used computer simulations of how craters on Ceres deform over billions of years.

"We think that there's lots of water-ice near Ceres surface, and that it gets gradually less icy as you go deeper and deeper," Sori said. "People used to think that if Ceres was very icy, the craters would deform quickly over time, like glaciers flowing on Earth, or like gooey flowing honey. However, we've shown through our simulations that ice can be much stronger in conditions on Ceres than previously predicted if you mix in just a little bit of solid rock."

The team's discovery is contradictory to the previous belief that Ceres was relatively dry. The common assumption was that Ceres was less than 30% ice, but Sori's team now believes the surface is more like 90% ice.

"Our interpretation of all this is that Ceres used to be an 'ocean world' like Europa (one of Jupiter's moons), but with a dirty, muddy ocean,'" Sori said. "As that muddy ocean froze over time, it created an icy crust with a little bit of rocky material trapped in it."

Pamerleau explained how they used computer simulations to model how relaxation occurs for craters on Ceres over billions of years.

"Even solids will flow over long timescales, and ice flows more readily than rock. Craters have deep bowls which produce high stresses that then relax to a lower stress state, resulting in a shallower bowl via solid state flow," he said. "So the conclusion after NASA's Dawn mission was that due to the lack of relaxed, shallow craters, the crust could not be that icy. Our computer simulations account for a new way that ice can flow with only a little bit of non-ice impurities mixed in, which would allow for a very ice-rich crust to barely flow even over billions of years. Therefore, we could get an ice-rich Ceres that still matches the observed lack of crater relaxation. We tested different crustal structures in these simulations and found that a gradational crust with a high ice content near the surface that grades down to lower ice with depth was the best way to limit relaxation of Cerean craters."

Sori is a planetary scientist whose focus is planetary geophysics. His team addresses questions about the planetary interiors, the connections between planetary interiors and surfaces, and those questions might be resolved with spacecraft missions. His work spans many solid bodies in the solar system, from the Moon and Mars to icy objects in the outer solar system.

"Ceres is the largest object in the asteroid belt, and a dwarf planet. I think sometimes people think of small, lumpy things as asteroids (and most of them are!), but Ceres really looks more like a planet," Sori said. "It is a big sphere, diameter 950 kilometers or so, and has surface features like craters, volcanoes, and landslides."

On Sept. 27, 2007, NASA launched the Dawn mission. This mission was the first and only spacecraft to orbit two extraterrestrial destinations—the protoplanet Vesta and Ceres. Although it was launched in 2007, Dawn didn't reach Ceres until 2015. It orbited the dwarf planet until 2018.

"We used multiple observations made with Dawn data as motivation for finding an ice-rich crust that resisted crater relaxation on Ceres. Different surface features (e.g., pits, domes and landslides, etc.) suggest the near subsurface of Ceres contains a lot of ice," Pamerleau said. "Spectrographic data also shows that there should be ice beneath the regolith on the dwarf planet and gravity data yields a density value very near that of ice, specifically impure ice. We also took a topographic profile of an actual complex crater on Ceres and used it to construct the geometry for some of our simulations."

Sori says that because Ceres is the largest asteroid there was suspicion that it could have been any icy object based on some estimates of its mass made from the Earth. those factors made it a great choice for a spacecraft visit.

"To me the exciting part of all this, if we're right, is that we have a frozen ocean world pretty close to Earth. Ceres may be a valuable point of comparison for the ocean-hosting icy moons of the outer solar system, like Jupiter's moon Europa and Saturn's moon Enceladus," Sori said. "Ceres, we think, is therefore the most accessible icy world in the universe. That makes it a great target for future spacecraft missions. Some of the bright features we see at Ceres' surface are the remnants of Ceres' muddy ocean, now mostly or entirely frozen, erupted onto the surface. So we have a place to collect samples from the ocean of an ancient ocean world that is not too difficult to send a spacecraft to."

[astriiformes]

Earlier you said you preferred “convention circles with slightly different vibes,” so I just wanted to ask (if you’re comfortable sharing) what types of convention do you usually go for? I’m a total convention newbie and I’d love to know how conventions can differ from one another vibes-wise :)

Yeah, sure -- full disclaimer that I haven't actually been to that many different cons compared to some people, but the ones I have been to cover a pretty broad spectrum of vibes. And it's absolutely a spectrum, some cons have shifted in energy over time under different ownership but retain elements of their older selves, others have a lot in common with each other but the size makes them feel different, etc, etc.

When I first started going to conventions I mostly went to what I tend to call San Diego clones -- basically, cons that intentionally have a lot in common with SDCC's modern incarnation, since it's one of the most famous fan conventions. That included Denver Comic Con (which is now called Denver Fan Expo) and New York Comic Con. Even then there was some variety -- when I started going to DCC in particular it was only its second year in existence, so it had some fun awkward "teenage" con quirks -- but these cons tend to prioritize things like having big-name guests, announcements of new media, promotional tie-ins, and other things that have sometimes earned them the nickname "corporate" cons (though they aren't always even run by companies). They also tend to be pretty similar to each other, which is why I call them clones, with SDCC as the archetype, and are the kind I'm less into these days. That's not to say they're all bad, or that people who like them are shallower or anything like that -- if you want to go see your favorite actor in a big name show or have the experience of going to a really huge convention with all the advantages that offers, they're the ones to go to. For me personally, I don't really care much about guests, and do really care about the con feeling unique or like it has some individuality, so they really aren't my thing. But I still had wonderful experiences at some of them when I was younger.

On the other end of the spectrum are what I refer to as fan-run cons. In some instances these are run by companies, in others they're run by non-profits, but even in the former case there is usually a noticeable difference in how they're marketed. There are tradeoffs to that -- they don't have the same kind of guest line-ups or industry connections, because those things cost more money to make happen than they usually have. But for most people who enjoy going to these kinds of cons, there are advantages that make up for that. One is they tend to be a lot quirkier, with weird traditions, unique programming, and sometimes unconventional guests. (For example, my local con, CONvergence, could never afford big movie or tv stars, but one year they did have Chuck Tingle). Another is they show their roots in old school fandom a bit more, retaining traditions like filk circles (places for people to share fan music essentially), Consuites (rooms set aside with free food for convention attendees throughout the weekend), and other things that used to be more common in fandom but have since faded a bit. Fan-run cons are held together by volunteers and often a handful of prayers, but many of them are still very well-run. The energy of this kind of convention can also super vary from con to con, especially based on size. Like, DragonCon, one of the biggest conventions I'd call fan-run, draws tens of thousands of people, tends to have at least a few pretty big guest names each year (in part because it's run by an actual company, which helps with that kind of thing), and takes over downtown Atlanta with a giant parade every year. The reason it still falls in this category for me is the general nature of its programming and because it still has a lot of older fandom traditions, like handing out badge ribbons and a filk track, has a particularly tightly-knit fan community, much of the programming (other panels, the themed parties in the evenings, etc) is still put together by attendees, and in general it feels a lot more like a scaled-up version of my beloved local CONvergence than it does a scaled-down SDCC. I personally like this kind of con because I feel like it showcases how fun, funny, and incredibly weird fandom can be, which is my favorite thing about it, and because as a filk musician and cosplayer, my con-going experience revolves a lot more around sharing and talking about my own transformative and creative works with other people than it does around getting autographs from actors or going to big panels.

A true taxonomy of cons is a lot more complicated though. One thing I can't speak to as much is the world of smaller corporate cons -- I know they tend to hover somewhere in the middle in terms of number of major guests vs amount of fan-run programming, and I would assume also vary in vibes. There are also cons that revolve entirely around a single work of fiction, which can really change the energy they have. Like, Star Wars Celebration feels like it ought to be the most corporate of cons, especially since Disney took over, but it has actually managed to retain a lot of its more old school weirdness in the process -- people hand out little gifts to each other, the cosplay is particularly silly, and there are goofy recurring jokes like trying to get as many people as possible to dress up as the same ESB extra with an ice cream maker and go running through the convention center together. I've also been to the Ohio Valley Filk Fest (the tiniest convention I've been to, with only a couple hundred attendees every year and where a lot of the people who go year after year all know each other), which is one of the few remaining filk-specific cons, which was a totally unique experience in most respects.

At the end of the day, I think a lot of fans could manage to have fun at a lot of different conventions, especially if you go with friends. It's definitely worth finding your niche as time goes on though and really leaning into it. I don't have the money to go to more than a couple cons every year, so I'm glad I know where I'm likely to have the most fun and can plan accordingly. I'm really lucky one of my favorite conventions in the country also happens to take place here in the Twin Cities, because I've been able to invest a more time and energy into it than I might have otherwise, volunteering as a panelist and panel moderator and performing concerts as a musician. (Of course, I also went and volunteered to be a photoshoot organizer my first year at DragonCon, so it might just be that I'm full of hubris). You might decide you like whatever's local to you for that reason, or you might fall in love with a con halfway across the country should you ever get the chance to travel for one; you might choose a con for its guests or decide guests are the last thing that matters to you, and so on. What matters is figuring out what you personally have fun with. So I do encourage checking out different ones if you have the resources to, and researching what out there sounds the most up your alley -- especially by talking with other fans you've gelled with at the conventions you have attended, or paying attention to if there are any that cater to your favorite pieces of media.

Have fun with it and welcome to the world of conventions!

[coldbug]

if its ok to ask, besides the hairdresser part, what in UHV is inaccurate abt working in a tattoo shop?

totally!! but ough honestly i blocked a lot of it out bc of the psychic damage hold on gimme a sec… i live-blogged my biggest complaints when reading it but i don’t tag my posts anymore lol lemme find them

okay okay my red flags/sus shit

1) luke?? i think? is smoking inside his shop. i’m sure there’s shops in the world that still do this but that’s a no from me 🙅🏼‍♀️

2) i know this is technically solved by the plot, so not a Real red flag, but genital piercings heal super fucking fast, so i was 👀👀 at first about the infected scrotum piercing (edit: not to mention, infection is generally a Lot less common for healing piercings than most people think. 8-9/10 times it’s not actually infected at all. go to your piercer before your doctor if you’re worried about infection please for the love of god!!!!)

3) a shop that gets mad about you getting tatted at a different shop is a bad shop. do not continue to go to/work at that shop

4) frank wanting to both pierce and tattoo isn’t like. Technically a red flag, but it’s questionable. i’d only trust someone who does both if they were one of those things for a Long time before learning the second (you do see that sometimes irl). which. frank does not seem to be. it’s about focusing on one profession so that you can master it

5) of course hair cutting in the same shop as tattooing and piercing is just inherently super unsanitary. ❌

6) only kind of a Red Flag but frank is a real dumbass for getting a hand tattoo and immediately going back to work as a piercer. a good piercer is washing their hands Constantly throughout the day (before/during/after clients), not to mention putting on/taking off gloves all day as well. both of which are really unhelpful for healing a hand tattoo well. it just shows a lack of knowledge about these things (on bexless’s part, on the meta level. but i don’t think i’d trust a piercer who got a huge hand tattoo and was piercing the next day. what do they know about proper healing??? also. you’re gonna pierce me with an open wound on your hand?? even if it’s covered by a glove. that’s sus. to me.)

7) frank is also a huge dumbass for just using that mystery goo. anyone who Actually has many tattoos has Their Healing Regimen and they don’t stray from it unless they’re unhappy with it. if frank is working in a tat shop/around the culture&industry, he’d already have his established healing routine and would throw that mystery goo in the fucking trash. no wonder he gets stigmata he’s dumb as shit

8) the way bexless constantly calls it a “needle” instead of a tattoo machine kills me. okay yeah there’s needles but it’s more than that. at least she never calls it a gun i guess

9) the mention of a pigeon getting into their shop. sure, i’m sure that happens. but uh. 👀 that’s deeply unsanitary

10) here’s a screenshot bc i say it best here:

11) the last thing i noted was that. if frank wants to be a tattoo artist so bad, why is there literally zero mention of him doing art?? bro you gotta be able to draw before you become a tattoo artist… unless you want to only trace flash as a career i guess… 🤷🏼‍♀️

there you go anon, i have a lot to say. i’ve only read the first work in the series, but if someone tells me truthfully that there’s tattooing/piercing that happens in the following works, i’ll read and criticize those too just lmk

[tf2workbench]

I love the Cow Mangler

[charging noise]

[firing sound] [silence] [mini-crit noise] [ding-ding-ding of fire damage] [death sound]

I love the Cow Mangler. Its charged shot is so absurdly satisfying to land, whether it’s right up close or at a huge distance. But sometimes it just feels unfair, like when I launch it without looking and an enemy just walks into it at the wrong time. It’s satisfying, but I feel bad for that enemy, because there isn’t much they could have done.

My bleeding heart is one thing, but I’ve also seen people get frustrated at how powerful a charged shot can be. And, heck, I’m not super fond of walking into them either. Let’s look at it from a design perspective.

Cow Mangler 5000 (+) Does not use ammo (+) Alt-fire: Charge up a special shot that consumes your full clip to mini-crit enemies, set them on fire, and disable buildings for 4 seconds (-) Nearly immobile while charging (-) -80% damage vs buildings (-) Mini-crits when it would normally crit (-) No random critical hits

The Cow Mangler, to me, is one of those weapons that has huge upsides and huge downsides. You can’t underestimate the power of the charged shot, which is dangerous even at long range because mini-crits don’t have distance falloff. It demands attention, especially for light classes that can be cleanly taken out by the initial hit and the fire damage.

At the same time, using the charged shot is a huge risk. It takes about two seconds to fully charge, during which you’re moving painfully slowly, and you can’t cancel the charge once you start it. More than once, I’ve been picked off by Snipers while charging - if they’re quick, they can get two shots off before I’ve launched.

Moreover, once you’ve used the charged shot, you have a long, painful reload in your future. If you get ambushed, you’ll be almost defenseless. I carry a shotgun, but getting your full Mangler clip back will take over three seconds.

My best success with the Mangler comes from playing far back, launching charged shots when my sixth sense (or a friend) tells me enemies will be coming. To do this, I usually keep low and behind cover, taking advantage of the fact that you can still jump while charging your shot. It’s good to have teammates in front of me to keep the enemies away and distract them so they don’t see the big laser blast coming at them. (This works surprisingly often.)

The good news is that the Mangler still allows me to play aggressively with its regular four-shot clip, although I will admit that it’s less satisfying than landing charged shots. The bad news is that its weakness versus buildings can sometimes keep me locked down - shotguns are nice, but they don’t break sentries very well. The better news is that the disabling shot is a unique asset that allows me to work with my shotgun and my teammates, provided I can talk to them. Overall, I would say that using the Cow Mangler is really fun!

But some of the people I’ve played against have expressed, uh, frustration with my antics. You could blame this on their inattention, which is arguably true, but when someone is vaporized by a mini-crit they didn’t see coming, their first reaction is not usually “ah, I wish I had been paying attention” - it’s more like fear and frustration. We’ve established before how one-hit kills can cause a lot of frustration, as can fire and other damage-over-time effects. Although less common, Engineers don’t usually like temporarily losing their buildings, particularly since they can’t effectively deal with the charged shots without a teammate nearby.

So, if I were to revise the Cow Mangler to be a little more enemy-friendly, what would I do?

Cow Mangler 5000 Iteration 2 (+) Does not use ammo (+) Alt-fire: Consume a full clip to charge up a special shot that has a 70% smaller blast radius, but flies 80% faster and mini-crits targets (-) Nearly immobile while charging [1 second] (-) -80% damage vs buildings (-) Mini-crits when it would normally crit (-) No random critical hits

This revision mostly solves the problem of random, long-distance shots scoring kills on surprised enemies. Careful aim is the name of the game here, since the charged shot behaves somewhat like the Direct Hit (and I reduced its charge time to allow for more spontaneous use). It serves to punish enemies that move predictably, but the key is that it’s much less likely to score “random” kills.

Let’s briefly take a look at another angle:

Cow Mangler 5000 Iteration 3 (+) Does not use ammo (+) Alt-fire: Consume a full clip to charge up a special shot that deals 50% more damage (-) Nearly immobile while charging [1.5 seconds] (-) -80% damage vs buildings (-) Mini-crits when it would normally crit (-) No random critical hits

One of the reasons the Mangler is so dangerous at long range is because mini-crits don’t have damage falloff. Eliminating the mini-crit and the fire damage means that charged shots are less useful at a distance, even though they can be outright devastating in close range.

If this version has a problem, it’s probably that close-range shots are too powerful. Charged shots have a base power of 135, which can ramp up to 169 in close range. In the current Mangler, charged shots will deal about 122 damage (plus fire) on a direct hit at any range. 169 isn’t completely unreasonable, but it does allow the Mangler to one-shot Medics, a significant milestone that the current version can’t always do because fire damage is countered by the Medic’s natural regen. We’re pushing the envelope of what feels fair, is what I’m saying.

There are a couple of routes you could take it from here:

Reduce the base damage and re-introduce fire damage, but with the burn duration based on distance;

Use a fast-moving, small-radius projectile with the damage bonus, but no mini-crit; 

Give enemies a way to effectively block a Mangler shot without having to take out the Soldier outright; or

All or some of the above.

These are more specific changes that would likely be done in playtesting, which is beyond the scope of this blog. I find them very interesting, but without game experience, I can’t say which “feels” best for both the user and the opponents. I would be interested to hear what you think, though, especially about the current Cow Mangler!

[sbuttnutt]

Some things to remember with Plan B, progestin-only pills, and other emergency contraceptives:

- Plan B is less effective if you're over 150 lbs. Some sources say that taking two increases effectiveness over that weight.

- Plan B HAS to be taken within 72 hours of unprotected sex, and the earlier its taken the better. Stock up if you can!

-Plan B prevents ovulation, and it's not going to work if you've already ovulated for the month. Only take 1 per menstrual cycle.

- Even if you haven't ovulated, it's still not 100%, so always take a pregnancy about 2 weeks after unprotected sex.

-PLAN B IS NOT AN ABORTION!! Again, it just prevents ovulation, it will not harm an existing pregnancy.

-Progestin only birth control pills HAVE to be taken at the same time every day, otherwise the effectiveness decreases considerably.

-There are NO "PLACEBO DAYS" with progestin based birth control pills!

- Combined pills (which is what most people are familiar with: estrogen and progestin) come with a week of sugar pills that people can take to maintain the habit. That's when you get your period. With combined pills it's possible to just not take those pills or start a new pack instead of taking them to skip a period. That is NOT POSSIBLE with progestin pills. You have to take EVERY PILL IN THE PACK!!

-Progestin based methods (progestin pill, Nexplanon, IUD, Depo) can sometimes be better if you have intense migraines (especially with an aura) than estrogen/combined methods (combined pill, patch, nuvaring)

-Medication doesn't quite expire the same way that food does. Anyone with more pharmaceutical knowledge feel free to expand/correct me, but if your only options are to take an expired Plan B or don't take one at all, take the Plan B. OBVIOUSLY, TALK TO A DOCTOR OR PHARMACIST BEFORE YOU DO THIS!! Taking expired meds should be an absolute EMERGENCY LAST RESORT OPTION!!

- If you have health insurance and you're able to go to a doctor/urgent care, see if you can get a prescription for Ella. It's another type of emergency contraceptive (like Plan B) but it's more effective, more consistent, has a higher weight limit, and can be safely taken up to 96 hours after unprotected sex (5 days). However, it's prescription only. See if your provider will put in refills so you can easily and quickly pick it up from a pharmacy if you need another in the future.

-Plan B can also be written as a prescription, therefore covered by insurance! For example, in Colorado, Medicaid will cover the cost of Plan B completely if it's written as a prescription, talk to a pharmacist or your doctor about it!

-Some IUDs can be used as emergency contraception as well as long as they're placed within 96 hours of unprotected sex! In those instances they are over 99% effective as emergency contraception, and you can keep it in to continue to avoid pregnancy for 7-12 years. NOTE: this is ONLY the Paragard (copper, non-hormonal, and good for 10-12 years) and the Mirena/Liletta (hormonal, good for 7-8 years.)

- If nothing else works, use condoms or the pull out method!! It's not 100%, but it's WAYYY better than nothing!

There's obviously so much more to be said about birth control and emergency contraceptives. Please please PLEASE, if you can get pregnant and don't want to, go to a Planned Parenthood, OBGYN, urgent care, primary care physician, or even your pharmacist and create a birth control plan. A lot of pharmacies will have a telehealth program that's very cheap and easy to get prescriptions, and will even provide discount codes for medication if you don't have insurance. With a GoodRX coupon, common birth control pills are like $10 a month, sometimes even cheaper.

There are no morals attached to getting an abortion. As someone who has worked directly with patients in abortion care for over 3 years, I promise you that you are not a bad person if you need one. Many people do, it's a fact of life. But for the majority of people, it is much cheaper and easier to come up with contraceptive plan first.

You don't HAVE to use hormonal birth control, but take some time to come up with a plan! I promise it'll make your life much simpler in the long run.

(PS: There is, of course, much more nuance to this than I've addressed. Not everyone can take hormonal birth control, but if you're in the US or somewhere else that severely limits abortion, it is YOUR responsibility to come up with a contraceptive plan. There are tons of non-hormonal options, and honestly some of them really suck, but they're ALL better at preventing pregnancy than no contraception at all.)

Plan B has a shelf life of 4 years

Plan B has a shelf life of 4 years

Plan B has a shelf life of 4 years

Plan B has a shelf life of 4 years

Plan B has a shelf life of 4 years

Plan B has a shelf life of 4 years

Plan B has a shelf life of 4 years

Plan B has a shelf life of 4 years

Plan B has a shelf life of 4 years

(Also, you can get 4 months of over the counter birth control (progestin-only pill form) at Costco for $50. Or 3 months on Amazon for about $45.)

[midnightskraptor]

I have never made a post about how much I love roe, what am I doing with my life.

Man with autism shares his weird obsession with unfertilized edible aquatic eggs (Below the break because this is a long post lmao)

First, we've got my personal favourite: Ikura, or salmon roe. They're about the size and consistency of popping boba, except the inside is oilier because, y'know, fish oil. They have a really rich, lingering, taste, and are also somewhat salty. Not overpoweringly so, however I would not suggest putting them with anything else with salt. Tbh I think they're best enjoyed as ikura sushi (it's just the roe on rice wrapped in seaweed)

Extremely close second favourite: Tobiko, or flying fish roe. Trying to figure out a good way to describe their size is hard personally, they're like really small pellets. They all pack a good amount of flavour though. Not as much as ikura roe, but it's still very well there. Also see those colours in the background? They're all the same roe! Some sushi chefs will colour them with different ingredients, which also change their taste to varying degrees. The most common colours you'll see are orange (plain, nothing added), green (wasabi), black (squid ink), yellow (yuzu), and red (beetroot). Though I've seen other things get used for these and other colours like charcoal, or just simply food dyes (mostly seen it for blue). I am quite surprised at the lack of people using these to make art, though it makes sense since tobiko is in the pricier end.

And then we have the one that almost everyone who's had sushi in the US has probably had: Masago, or capelin roe. I couldn't find anything really to back this up, but I remember being told years ago that the name is derived from "fine sand". Which is very accurate, these things are TINY. As such they also don't have too much flavour unless you're eating just spoonfulls of them. They're the roe you'll usually see used for garnishing, though there's some places that have a few rolls where they'll absolutely Cover the rice with them. You definitely get the flavour then.

These are the three most prominent types of roe in the US, and you likely have heard of all of them before if you eat a lot of Japanese food. But there are a lot more! Basically, roe is the unfertilized eggs of any fish or shellfish. Based on that description, yes, caviar is also roe. Calling roe caviar isn't correct however, as caviar comes from sturgeons specifically. Which is also (mostly) why it's so expensive, and most types are illegal! If you're not aware, most species of sturgeon are endangered, most notably beluga and sterlet sturgeons. Overharvest of their eggs in ways that kill the fish caused their numbers to drop drastically. As with anything though, illegality does not stop some people, and their numbers are still dropping :(

Back to roe that is both morally (though debatably for some) and legally acceptable: Ebiko, or shrimp/prawn roe. I have had the pleasure of having this, which is suprising given how hard it is to find in the US. It's not that expensive either, actually it's one of the cheaper ones due to its availability. I'm really shocked at how rare it is in this country. (This is based off my attempts to locate it! If you have a different experience I would love to know). It also gets coloured sometimes similar to how they'll do it with tobiko! (Realistically you could colour any light coloured roe if you wanted, it's just less common.) In my experience, you'll usually have it served still attached to the shrimp or prawn. With shrimp/prawns, they may or may not be fertilized eggs, just due to how they breed. Really you don't know unless they start growing, which you wouldn't see at the stage at which they'd usually be harvested anyway, however if you are unsettled by that idea, just keep in mind there is the possiblity they are fertilized.

Ok cool, now look at this image first before I explain it

If you've never seen this before, you might be wondering what the fuck this is. Surely this isn't also roe? But it is! So what is this? This is mentaiko, or alaskan pollock roe (also referred to as cod roe, because alaskan pollock isn't pollock, it's cod,, lmao). Cod roe can also also be called tarako, but the image is of mentaiko. The difference is that tarako is salted and served, while mentaiko is also marinated in chiles and spices, giving it it's brighter pink or red hue. So why does it look like this? This is the entire egg sac extracted from the fish. It is prepared and eaten in the sack. I remember being really freaked out by it as a kid when I first saw it during a trip to the UK at this restaurant we went to and so never ate it (regret), but tbh it's like the roe equivalent of sausage if you think about it. Though sausage also freaked me out when I was younger so idk how much that would've helped lmao.

One more roe for the road (that I have also not eaten)! We've got uni, or urchin roe. This is also technically not roe, but also technically is, just not fully. What do I mean by this, well look below.

Whole piece, like tarako. So it's an egg sack? Not quite. Yes, this contains the egg sack, but just like how we went from eggs to the whole sack, now we've gone to the whole reproductive organ. This does mean that, yes, this is referred to as the gonads of the urchin. Did you know there's five of them per urchin? Five! This is because outside of mating season, instead of storing reproductive cells, they store nutrients. Urchins are so silly man. They're notoriously poisonous too, like every single part of them contains deadly toxins, except for the gonads. How did we,, find this out

We really looked at this thing and went "I want to eat this". And it fucking worked.

[anileyehospital]

Cataract Surgery in Thane: Complete Guide to Restoring Clear Vision

Cataract surgery is one of the most popular and effective surgeries carried out globally, especially in the vibrant metropolis of Thane. The eye's natural lens becomes clouded, impairing vision, and cataracts are becoming more common as the population ages. Cataract surgery is a secure and reliable way to get your vision back. In Thane, there are various excellent eye care clinics giving cutting-edge cataract surgery choices to people. Everything you need to know about cataract surgery in Thane is covered in this piece, including treatment types, advantages, dangers, recuperation, and selecting the best eye hospital in Thane.

What Are Cataracts?

When the eye's natural lens gets clouded, light cannot properly concentrate on the retina, leading to the development of a cataract. This causes visual distortion or blurriness, light sensitivity, night blindness, and even color changes in the eyes. Cataracts normally develop with age but can also be caused by damage, drugs, or diseases such as diabetes.

Prescription glasses can help manage early symptoms of cataracts, but once the condition worsens and interferes with everyday activities, cataract surgery is the only effective treatment.

Types of Cataract Surgery Available in Thane

1. Phacoemulsification (Phaco Surgery): Phacoemulsification, sometimes known as "phaco surgery," is the most popular kind of cataract surgery. This technique involves using ultrasonic equipment to break up the clouded lens into little pieces, which are subsequently extracted using a tiny incision. An artificial intraocular lens is inserted after the cataract is removed.

This surgery only requires a little incision, heals quickly, and is less invasive. Because phaco surgery is safe and has a short recovery period, it is the treatment of choice for most cataract patients.

2. Laser-Assisted Cataract Surgery: Cataract surgery with laser assistance is a sophisticated and accurate method that softens the cataract by creating incisions using a femtosecond laser. This approach is more accurate, which makes it perfect for complicated cataract patients. Additionally, laser-assisted cataract surgery lowers the possibility of complications and enhances IOL insertion accuracy.

Nowadays, a lot of Thane hospitals and eye clinics provide laser-assisted cataract surgery, particularly for those with astigmatism or other visual disorders that call for specialized care.

3. Extracapsular Cataract Extraction (ECCE): To remove the cataract in its entirety, this older method requires creating a bigger incision in the eye. While not as popular as phacoemulsification or laser-assisted surgery, ECCE is nevertheless utilized in rare cases where the cataract is too advanced for current procedures.

Comparatively speaking to less invasive techniques, ECCE involves more postoperative care and a longer recovery period.

Choosing the Right Intraocular Lens (IOL):

After removing the cataract, your surgeon and eye specialist doctor will implant an artificial intraocular lens (IOL) to replace the natural lens. Several types of IOLs are available, depending on your visual needs:

Monofocal IOLs: These lenses enable clear vision at one distance, either near or far. Following surgery, patients could still require glasses for distance vision or reading.

Multifocal IOLs: These lenses offer near- and far-sightedness, minimizing the requirement for glasses following surgery.

Toric IOLs:  For astigmatic patients, toric intraocular lenses (IOLs) are specialist lenses that correct the refractive problem and restore clear vision.

Accommodating IOLs: These lenses provide a more realistic visual experience by imitating the focusing capabilities of natural lenses.

Your lifestyle and visual needs will determine which IOL you should choose. The best Cataract surgeon in Thane will review these alternatives and propose the best lens based on your condition.

Leading Centers For Cataract Surgery in Thane: 

Thane is home to a variety of reputable eye hospitals and clinics equipped with the latest technology for cataract surgery. Some of the leading centers include:

Anil Eye Hospital: Anil Eye Hospital is renowned for offering some of the best cataract surgery services in Thane. Equipped with cutting-edge technology and a team of highly skilled ophthalmologists, the hospital specializes in advanced techniques like phacoemulsification and laser-assisted cataract surgery. With a strong focus on patient care and high success rates, Anil Eye Hospital ensures precise treatment and rapid recovery, making it a top choice for cataract surgery in Thane.

Jupiter Hospital: This multi-specialty hospital is equipped with a state-of-the-art ophthalmology department that provides comprehensive cataract surgery services.

Divine Eye Clinic: Offering personalized eye care, this clinic is renowned for its experienced cataract surgeons and advanced surgical techniques.

Thane Eye Care Hospital: Specializing in modern eye treatments, this hospital provides both conventional and advanced cataract surgery options.

Conclusion:

Millions of people worldwide benefit from cataract surgery, a technique that can change their lives by restoring their vision and improving their quality of life. Patients in Thane have access to first-rate hospitals and skilled doctors with a focus on cataract surgery. Whether you choose laser-assisted surgery or phacoemulsification, the process is safe, successful, and has a high success rate.

Consult with the best eye specialist in Thane about your options if you or a loved one is exhibiting cataract symptoms to start the process of improving your eyesight.

Article source: https://medium.com/@kirtihd99solutions/cataract-surgery-in-thane-complete-guide-to-restoring-clear-vision-341440ae201d

[ask-neith]

4, 10, and 29 from the Marvel OC ask list?

4- What type of powers and/or skills do you have? How did you get them?

Well firstly there is stuff I learned the normal way(as opposed to being Senseied). Beyond things so normal and obvious I take it for granted and am blind to, I am a a mean cooker, three-and-half lingual, swim especially well(even though I feel I am less buoyant than normal), have more than decent shooting accuracy, and can juggle for a couple minutes without dropping stuff.

Then there are powers I got through a spider. I am stronger and more durable(ish), more agile and have better reflexes, I can somehow stick to surfaces(which includes glass so ???), and I, mmm, feel danger or potential danger(but no reasons for it) like some additional color of the world(except all-round). I think that covers it all, for now? Oh right, I can shoot webs, although it better goes through a technical device we made.

10- Describe what your world looks like. Is it colorful? Black and white?

Oh it is so colorful it sometimes hurts. Colored hair and violate-my-eyes(good) clothes are so much more common that a decade ago, as are flowery lawns and colored houses. Umm, I am not sure what else to describe? Unless you want me to go all "the grass is green, the sky is white with streaks of yellow and pink during the dawn, ..." and so on.

29- Name a few of your current villains– who’s making up your rogues gallery?

I will name them all(even those I didnt meet yet but confirmed to be local), but will limit myself to shorter descriptions, if I may.

Raiju is a lightning guy that can shoot lightnings, teleport through them and discorporate into them(which seems to get him out of my webs? Not fair). He might be my best(or worst) villain because I simply have no idea how to approach him so far, even if he sticks to non-lethal zaps that nonetheless leave me a twitching mess.

Shocker is a thief that can uhh resonate stuff apart with his gauntlets. And do powered punches/jumps(so I suspect kicks also). That one might just be my easiest one, unless he has some more cards up his sleeve.

Vulture is an energy vampire that can fly(and has apparently decorative wings which he only seems to flap to show he can) and supercharge himself. I am going to be fair, I dont think I`ll encounter him any time soon, he is a sneaky and fast one, and even this info comes from purely accidental meets.

Sepia, a consummate shapeshifter that is also incredibly fast moving human-eater. Looks like sort-of human except with tentacles and stripe colored(sometimes polka dot colored).

Tombstone is a leader of elusive but everpresent organised crime, who is whole lot stronger and more sturdy, and can at will turn his current body to stone(which quickly decays into dust, so no collectible statues or using them to track him) while "respawning" somewhere around but not too close.

Tinkerer supplies advanced tech to criminals, both solo luck-seekers and Tombstones mooks. Traps and baits dont work, hecker uses long-range portals. Still, he is only in it for money, so there should be a sensible approach to him.

Green Goblin. Again(?) I dont know what his deal is, but he is body-boosted, can induce enormous fear, anomalously jump and glide(gravity suppression?), and conjure explosive projectiles.

Mysterio seems to be a hypnotist and can make tangible(if still frail) illusions that fall apart into mist that was estimated as "dangerous", no further explanation. Mostly acts through proxies, but did show up personally occasionally, no rhythm to that.

Punisher is a normal(question mark?) but incredibly trained person that would find their place in Aretes if not for their bloody vendetta against - apparently - whoever they deem werent punished by law enough? Its a problem to be a shady, big-fine-paying entity without them coming after you. No powers demonstrated, but arsenal shown hints at influential backer. Might actually be several people, even another organisation.

Lastly, Ill Will who seems to be in it for pure giggles and sense of superiority. A mage with specialisation in curses so vicious affected have to call around-top-tier counter-mages(which arent that available, as you can guess). Still, quick to exhaust, so provided with too many targets she tends to go for escape route. I think there was a talk of providing heroes with counter-amulets, but even now thats a work of long time.

Plus "bad" Dragonhearts, plus discovered Hydra mooks, plus remains of Osenseis organisation. We arent overwhelmed, no, but... Still not a cakewalk, even with all the support.

[duckprintspress]

I posted 1,272 times in 2022

That's 420 more posts than 2021!

115 posts created (9%)

1,157 posts reblogged (91%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@lgbtqreads

@thehorrortree

@duckprintspress

@diaryofageekgirl

@antiqueanimals

I tagged 1,271 of my posts in 2022

#ducks - 618 posts

#duck prints press loves ducks - 606 posts

#duck art - 497 posts

#duck prints press - 187 posts

#queer fiction - 138 posts

#our titles - 72 posts

#resources - 68 posts

#signal boost - 55 posts

#fandom - 55 posts

#may trope mayhem - 43 posts

Longest Tag: 135 characters

#the don't support business rhetoric is more than a little scary for those of us who are trying to run small businesses on this hellsite

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Editing Tips for Beginning Editors

This is a guest post written by Adrian Harley.

Congratulations! If you’re reading this, I’m willing to bet you already have a lot of the skills you need to be an editor. Even among full-time professionals, a lot of editing skill comes from reading a ton—you get an “eye” for when a sentence just doesn’t look right. The more you read professionally edited work, the better you get at it. (Fanfiction is incredible, obviously. But fanfiction has its own quirks, and the grammar and punctuation can vary, so I’m not confident recommending it as a way to brush up your instinctive grasp of when a sentence “looks right.”)

The specifics of what you do as an editor can vary a lot depending on what you’re editing and who you’re editing for, so in this post, I’ll be covering some of the basic principles that I think will be helpful no matter what type of editing you do. Broadly, I’ll be going over language-related tips and profession-related tips. 

Language

I won’t be going over the nuts and bolts of grammar here, as a zillion good guides to it already exist online. Grammar Girl is my go-to free resource, and a lot of grammar and punctuation questions can be easily answered online or in a style guide from your library. I looked up the rules for commas a LOT in my first years of editing, and I still have to double-check them sometimes. A lot of the fiddly details differ between guides (how to write a.m. and p.m.; serial comma), but the nuts and bolts of grammar and punctuation stay the same across guides. 

Professionally, those fiddly details are a big chunk of editing. Do you write out numbers less than 20? Less than 10? Do you capitalize titles like “President” all the time or only in certain situations? There’s no one right answer, which is one of the many reasons there’s no “right guide” to editing. A style guide will decide many of these questions for you. If you pick up editing as a profession, your employer will most likely have a style guide in mind. You may want to pick one for yourself if you do freelance editing. That way, you won’t have to re-decide on every job, and if you get repeat clients, you’ll be sure their text is consistent across all their documents. A “series bible” for fiction works on similar principles. 

Whether you’re looking at those fiddly details or at the big picture, one principle of editing is to never take anything for granted. Someone says there’s five ancient orbs needed to defeat the dragon? You’d better count the orbs. Make sure every proper noun in the story (names of people, places, things) is spelled the same every single time. This is the kind of thing you’ll get quizzed on if you ever apply for a professional editing gig. Every editing job I’ve ever applied to has an “editing test” of at least a page, and it usually has at least one of those errors (if not both).

Another major thing to watch out for is colloquialisms, especially ones that mean multiple things. A short list of common errors I see:

“Since” should only relate to the passage of time; it does not mean “because.”

“While,” again, should only refer to time—two things happening simultaneously. “But,” “although,” “whereas,” and others are good substitutes for the other sense.

“Due to” does not mean “because of,” it means “caused by” (and I’ve seen some editors argue to not even use it for “caused by” and to only use it for when something is owed to someone).

“If” will often need to be replaced with “whether.”

Obviously with dialogue, that’s a whole nother story, but be careful about these in narration, even with a colloquial narrative. They can introduce unintentional double meanings.

When you’re moving from basic accuracy to style, you’ll often need to “tighten up” the language. This might be something you’re used to doing in your own writing. This doesn’t mean all prose should be sparse! But as an editor, part of your job is making sure that every word is contributing something, no matter whether the sentence is flowery or stark. One exercise is to go through and see if you can cut one word from every sentence. Depending on what type of editing you do, you’ll have different “filler words” to look out for. My personal demon is “just,” so I always do a search for that when I’m revising my own work. In my day job, the word “provide” often signals a clunky phrase that could be condensed into a single, better verb (e.g., “provides assistance” vs. “helps”). 

You’ll look for a lot as you edit, so don’t feel like you have to do it all at once. A simple search can make sure you’ve caught issues like “while” and “since.” Other issues are best solved in their own read-through. For me, I try to do a read-through specifically for passive voice. I often skip over passive voice on my all-purpose read because, well, the sentence makes sense, doesn’t it? So my eye simply doesn’t catch it if I’m not on the lookout. As you edit, you’ll figure out what process works best for you.

And to wrap up the language section—checklists are your friend! I used to have a post-it of all the things I knew I struggled with, and I’d systematically search the document for those trip-ups after I did my first read. You can customize your own checklist with whatever snags give you trouble.

Professionalism

A huge part of editing as a professional is in how you interact with other people. Your whole job is telling people they’re wrong, after all, and you often have no control over whether they’ll listen to you. Everything you can do to make the criticism easier for them helps!

My favorite “one weird trick” that my first boss taught me is to turn every criticism into a question. If you’re suggesting a significant revision, “How about…?” is one of my favorite leads. If you have no idea what’s going on, do your best to figure out what might be causing the issue, then form a question around that. “Are there missing words here?” is kinder and more useful than “Huh?”

Essentially, your role as an editor is to advocate for the reader. This “reader stand-in” role can help frame critique as well. Will the reader understand this? If you’re in one of the more-technical editing jobs, that question may be completely necessary. As an editor for scientific research, I’m often editing documents meant for people who know way more about the subject matter than I do. The framing of “the reader” is also a useful tool in your toolbox for fiction. You may be editing something that you are not the target audience for. Or, on the other end of the scale, you may know without question that you’re reading something incomprehensible. The polite device of “the reader” helps add a level of depersonalization to the critique.

Unsurprisingly, for editing, communication is key before you even start work. “Editing” covers a huge range of possibilities. Make sure you and the author are on the same page. Do they want a proofread—only correcting glaring errors? Do they want you to improve the phrasing of sentences? It can go all the way up to practically rewriting the thing, if you’re working at a corporation and the authors aren’t professionals. This conversation beforehand will let you know whether you should make “artistic” suggestions as you read, whether you need to stick with nuts and bolts, or something in between.

If the author says they only need a proofread and you discover the whole thing is terrible, that’s when some tactful emails come into play. Never start doing a higher-level edit unless you’ve talked about it with the author first. You have much better odds of an affirmative if they feel like they’re collaborating with you–that you’re both in it together to make the best document possible. As far as the tactful emails go, be kind and be specific. If you have examples of what you’d like to correct, throw those in. It helps the author know what to expect and make an informed decision.

And sometimes the author says no, and that’s okay! You must wash your hands of it. It’s not your name on the thing, and if you don’t put it in your resume, it never will be (fresh out of college, I worked on a couple truly awful novels that nobody will ever know I worked on). Perfectionism is HARD to overcome, I know, but accepting the errors gets easier with practice.

And finally, if you’re still wondering, “Am I cut out to be an editor?” I would recommend the words of Neil Gaiman. In his excellent “Make Good Art” speech, he says that as a freelance artist, you need to do good work, do it on time, and be pleasant to work with. And then, he adds, “You don’t even need all three! Two out of three is fine.”I recommend the whole thing if you ever want to battle imposter syndrome, because the same tenets apply to editing. At least I think they do. You don’t need to be the perfect editor—nobody is. But I guarantee that you have most of what you need already, and I hope this has helped.

Biography

Adrian Harley, one of Duck Prints Press’s editors, has been a full-time professional editor of scientific research for 10 years. Their freelance and ad-hoc editing has run the gamut from books to blog posts to family members’ cover letters. They’ve been published in Duck Prints Press’ And Seek (Not) to Alter Me and the forthcoming She Wears the Midnight Crown, as well as OFIC Magazine. 

Want to learn more?

Beware the Weasel Word has information and resources for “tightening up” language.

How to Ask for Feedback on Your Writing talks more about how, from a writer point of view, to help your editor understand what type(s) of editing you’re looking for.

See the full post

165 notes - Posted October 16, 2022

#4

Formatting Tweaks to Help Your Typesetter Have a Great Day

The last few weeks, I’ve been doing a lot of editing, which also means I’ve been doing a lot of small changes to ensure that the documents are print and e-book ready. Preparing manuscripts involves doing a lot of tiny, fiddly tweaks to make sure that spelling, grammar, and formatting are uniform across all the stories in an anthology, are accurate to the authors’ intentions, and look nice in all the formats we’ll be offering (print, PDF, ePub, and Mobi). None of the changes are complicated, but making them all is surprisingly time consuming—I usually spend about 30 minutes “cleaning up” each story with modifications that are largely invisible to a writer and reader, but still essential to produce a polished finished book.

Each Press and Publisher will handle these formatting things in slightly different ways—while some of these (such as “when do I use a hyphen vs. an en dash vs. an em dash?”) others are publisher-discretion. If you are submitting a manuscript and want to look like you’ve really, really paid attention, consider making some of these changes yourself—but make sure you check if the place you’re submitting to has a public style guide first, and if they do, anything they say in their style guide takes precedence! (Duck Prints Press doesn’t have a guide yet—we’ve been working on one, but it keeps getting back-burnered in favor completing more timely tasks). 

This post is written from our point of view—which is to say, I wrote it specifically for how we at DPP handle these formatting matters—but it can provide some general guidelines, especially if you are submitting to a publication that hasn’t provided a style guide. Even if what you do based on this guide doesn’t match what they do, at least by being consistent in your own submission, you demonstrate that you were paying attention! (But: NEVER do any of the below if it contradicts the submission information and/or style guide provided by a different publisher!!)

Note that to really do most of these tweaks, you’ll want to use an actual word processor. Google docs doesn’t have the functionality for the most fiddly bits. Despite its downsides, DPP currently uses Microsoft Office 365, and this guide is primarily written with Word in mind. If you also use Microsoft, here’s a couple quick tutorials—you’ll need to know how to do these two things in order to do…all the rest.

Tutorial 1: Inserting Special Characters

1. Go to the “Insert” Menu

2. Go to “Insert Symbol”

3. If, like me, you use the same 4 special characters over and over, the symbol you’re looking for will most likely be in the “recently used” list that pops up. But, if it’s not there, pick “More Symbols.” That opens a screen that looks like this:

4. While you could scroll through this list until you find what you want, it’s much easier to go to the bottom boxes I circled in red, where it says “Character Code.” Enter the 4-digit-and-letter code for the character you want. This way, you can be sure you actually get the character you want. Make sure that the “from” field matches the code type you’re using—I pretty much entirely use unicode, and that’s what I reference/include numbers for in this post. (Usually, googling “(name of the character you want) unicode” will get you the number.)

5. Note that not every character is available in every font; if you want to be sure you can access the maximum number of characters, I recommend using Arial or Calibri.

Tutorial 2: Turning on Mark-up

1. Go to the “Home” menu

2. In the “Paragraph” section, find the ¶ option; if your menu is drop-down it might be called “Show/Hide ¶” (in Word, it can also be turned on with ctrl + * )

See the full post

244 notes - Posted April 24, 2022

#3

WELCOME TO MAY TROPE MAYHEM!

May Trope Mayhem is a multi-fandom/original creation event open to writers, artists, and content creators of all kinds! We’ve put together a list of 31 of our favorite tropes, one per day through the month of May, and we encourage creators to join us for this month of fun tropey mayhem.

Our goal is to promote motivation and help with habit building, so we’re encouraging people to keep their ficlets under 1,000 words, or if you make art or a gif or some such, to stick to a sketch or a single image.

This event is primarily held on Tumblr, but you’re welcome to participate on anywhere Duck Prints Press has an account (you can see all our current platforms here) and we’ll keep our eyes on our tag everywhere!

How can you participate? It’s easy! There's just a few simple rules:

to participate, write a ficlet, a poem, create art, make a gif, or create any other content that you want, aligned with the prompt for the day!

post your correctly tagged fills to Tumblr, and we’ll reblog them!

you must tag warnings such as gore, MCD, sexual content, etc., so that people can avoid triggering material!

please also tag fandom and ship, so people can find what interests them!

we ask that you put the tags at the top of your post, so they’re easy to find.

if you write more than 1k words, please use a read more,

if you write something with NSFW content or potentially triggering material, please put the entire story under a read more.

Ping us (@duckprintspress) or tag your creations “#may trope mayhem” and so we can find them! We’ll reblog all fills that follow the above rules and are posted between May 1st and June 8th, 2022.

If you post to AO3, you can also add them to our collection there!

You don’t have to sign up, just post your fills. You don’t have to be a member of the Press, or following us. You don’t have to be part of a specific fandom. We’re open to all ships, genres, formats, etc.! You don’t have to post fills on the corresponding day, though we ask that if you’re creating for a day that hasn’t happened yet, please wait for that day to post.

This is a low-pressure event, held all in good fun, and we look forward to seeing what you create!

267 notes - Posted May 1, 2022

#2

Now Live: Duck Prints Press's Third Crowd-funding Campaign!

Duck Prints Press LLC is over the moon to share our next to anthologies with you: She Wears the Midnight Crown and He Bears the Cape of Stars!

These two anthologies share a common theme – masquerades – and each features different kinds of relationships. She Wears the Midnight Crown contains 18 wlw stories; He Bears the Cape of Stars contains 18 mlm stories. Both collections tell myriad stories exploring how these characters’ relationships develop, grow, and change while they attend or participate in masquerades!

Our 36 contributors have stretched their imaginations to present innovative stories exploring what a masquerade can be…and, of course, tell rich, engaging tales of wonderful queer folk finding love, companionship, acceptance, the queer platonic relationship of their dreams, or the found family they deserve. The collected works feature characters in all the colors of the Pride rainbow, queer and genderqueer, and these diverse individuals inhabit worlds ranging from science fiction settings where everyone must be masked to breathe, to fantasies where no one wears a literal mask but everyone shows the world a false guise, to iterations of the real world where some people lean into deception.

In addition to the stories by our authors - including new works by @alocalband, @fpwoper, @erajakira, @jhoomwrites, @tryslora, @p1013, @dragonmuse, @unforth, @faerytaleonfire, and @owlishintergalactic (and many others, who don't have Tumblr accounts ) - our books and merchandise also include gorgeous art by @thefriendlypigeon (cover art), @aceriee-art (enamel pins), @migglangelus (bookmarks), @alessariel (our dux mascots!), and @reshipkmn (patch). You're definitely not going to want to miss it - you can buy one book or both books, some merch, or all merch - we've got 8 backer levels to help you get exactly what you want!

We’d love for you to attend the masquerade! Don your mask and read on…

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299 notes - Posted June 15, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

And Seek (Not) to Alter Me Kickstarter: Now Live!

Duck Prints Press LLC is delighted to announce that the Kickstarter for our second anthology, And Seek (Not) to Alter Me, has commenced!

In And Seek (Not) to Alter Me, 16 authors and 16 artists have come together to create an exquisite, full-color collection of artwork and stories inspired by William Shakespeare’s play Much Ado About Nothing. We encouraged contributors to stretch their imaginations, think outside the box, and put their own unique—and queer—twist on Benedick, Beatrice, Hero, Claudio, Don Pedro, and the whole gang! In true Shakespearean fashion, our creators utilize gender, sexuality, romanticism, and a host of costume changes to tell unique stories—some featuring original characters, some characters from the play—that show Shakespeare’s work in a whole new light.

So—grab a cup of tea and reread or rewatch your favorite version of Much Ado About Nothing to refresh your memory. Our stories and artworks feature wlw, mlm, poly relationships, trans characters, gender swaps, canon divergent tales, AUs...there's even a two-page comic! Settle in with this delightful collection and enjoy visiting Messina (and elsewhere!) and falling in love with Leonato's family and the troops of Don Pedro's army (and many others!) again and again and again!

And Seek (Not) to Alter Me is a stunning zine, printed in full color, A4 size (8 1/4 inches x 11 3/4 inches/21 cm x 30 cm), approximately 150 pages long. It includes 16 stories, each up to 5,000 words long, and 20 full-page interior artworks. Creators share their visions with us, discuss their inspiration, and take us along on a journey to experience what this play and these characters mean to them.

Ready to get your Shakespearean queer on? Us too!

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Follow us on our social media accounts for updates, extras, reveals, and all the juicy details!

The Kickstarter for And Seek (Not) to Alter Me will run through April 14th, 2022.

Check it out NOW!

344 notes - Posted March 15, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[oneafter909]

so you definitely didn’t ask for a giant answer like this BUT i find it really fascinating and love talking about it so im gonna give you one!!!

so the butcher cover (the initial cover for yesterday and today) was replaced pretty much immediately after its creation with the cover of them hanging out around paul sitting in a suitcase because it was super controversial due to the gore and the anti-vietnam war connotations of it. it was pretty much another instance of americans being outraged over something in a way that the beatles and brian and capitol records in general didn’t expect, so they PANICKED and started what was known as operation retrieve and got all copies and associated images featuring the cover art recalled as fast as they possibly could. (sidebar: it wasn’t JUST americans who were offended, it was just the loudest and most pressing concern because a lot of execs and disc jockeys took it as an explicit stance against american markets and how they handed the beatles’ music.) there were like 750,000 or so copies of the records initially made.

so when it comes to the rareness (and collectibility as a result) of the record, there are two categories for it: first state and second state. the first state covers are the originals that have been left totally untouched, just the normal butcher cover. these are INSANELYYYYY rare because most of the covers were just replaced with the suitcase cover over it (second state), and the rest that weren’t were supposed to be straight up destroyed, but not all of them were, hence the existence of first state covers! second state covers are more common than first state but they’re still rare and considered prize finds, and a large part of this is because it’s like a game because you peel off the suitcase cover to find the butcher cover. actually at this point are the rare ones that AREN’T uncovered already because most have already been torn into by other collectors, so if you find a version that is fully in tact and you get to open it YOURSELF? WOAHHH that’s rare. it’s also more rare to find stereo than mono, as with a lot of collectible beatles records!

because of this it means these things go for tens of thousands of dollars. sometimes even MORE. technically you can find some for cheaper (still usually at least a grand lmao) but those are the ones that aren’t mint condition. but also do not lose hope because people have been known to stumble across these at antique shops or record shops with people who are less informed and don’t have to sell a kidney to get one!

if i became really rich and famous the first thing i would do is buy a butcher cover

[myriadof-fandoms]

harringrove week - day 4 - making up horrors

prompt: technically a quote by shirley jackson that i took as inspo to go batshit insane about horror lit

or: billy has my taste in books. domestic fluff (they have kids in this)

ao3

It’s early on in their time living together when Steve notices it for the first time. There have always been stacks of books on Billy’s bedside table, even when he was just staying over for a little while he never seemed to arrive with less than at least two books. Only now Steve is properly looking and finally sees a common theme. 

“Do you read anything that’s not horror?” He asks when Billy comes in from the bathroom, just one of their fancy, fluffy towels that were a gift from Steve's mother wrapped around his waist. His curls are still dripping, clinging onto his upper back and shoulders. Steve is obsessed with watching how it's slowly growing down Billy’s back. 

“Yeah, I read thrillers too,” Billy says dead serious, only a little twitch around his mouth betraying him.

“Very funny, Hargrove,” Steve scoffs, trying not to blush.

Billy sits at the end of the bed by Steve’s feet and starts rubbing his hair dry with another towel before he properly begins to answer.

“For the most part, yeah. I like horror and thrillers and everything that’s gothic literature. The fucked up the better, really.”

Steve’s eyebrows draw together at that, even if Billy himself is laughing it off. 

“But- isn’t it, like, scary?”

Billy looks up at him through those thick lashes of his, “Now you just want me to make fun of you, don’t you?”

Steve pouts, “I’m serious.”

Billy laughs at him for a moment before he actually answers. 

“Yeah, it’s scary. Sometimes, that is. Most of the time it’s just, well, a book. Nothing that can actually harm, you know? It’s just words. Sure, they can scare me a little, if it’s really well written, and that’s fun in its own way but,” While he speaks he leans over Steve’s stretched out legs to reach his own side of the bed and stretches until his fingertips reach the topmost book on his nightstand. When he sits back up straight, he starts thumbing through the pages while continuing, “Even when Miss Jackson writes about a haunted house incredibly well that haunted house can’t do shit to me. I can close the book and the horrors are gone.”

Steve hums and looks at the way Billy’s still running his hands over the book, sometimes he stops at a page and runs his fingers over the words. 

There’s something there that’s unsaid, directly under the surface. The books are safe to Billy, safer than his home ever was.

Steve sits up and scoots behind Billy until he can wrap around him entirely. He crosses his legs around Billy’s waist and his arms close around his torso to pull him close against his chest while he rests his chin on his partner's shoulder and quickly presses a kiss against his cheek. Billy lets one hand drop to Steve’s legs in his lap and rubs up and down the sweatpant covered skin while the other continues to hold the book. 

“So it’s like an escape sort of thing?”

“I guess,” Billy shrugs. “It’s also nice to be reminded that there are more fucked up people out there, I don’t know.”

They’ve been at this point a lot. Billy still has trouble seeing himself as anything that’s not a monster or worthless. Steve doesn’t mind reminding him that’s not the case. Though right now it feels more explanatory, not like something that’s been actively on Billy’s mind. Steve still kisses his shoulder and nuzzles impossibly closer. It makes Billy laugh a little. 

“I do like the scary part too, like King. Though really, especially the classic gothic novels aren’t even scary, not exactly. Just fucked up. Like Wuthering Heights or Dorian Gray.”

“Nerd,” Steve can’t help but whisper. The responding laugh bursts out of Billy, shaking his torso and vibrating against Steve’s chest. 

“Get fucked, Harrington.”

“Later. If you ask nicely.” 

Billy’s hand squeezes his leg and he lowly chuckles again.

“As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted, a lot of the books aren’t even scary but the ones that are are just sort of exciting. Almost like being on a rollercoaster.”

Steve hums again, he doesn’t get it entirely but it sounds reasonable enough. He reaches down and traces the title of the book in Billy’s hand. “What’s this one about? You said a haunted house?”

“Yeah,” Billy begins. “It’s this house in the middle of a bunch of hills-”

---

Sometimes Billy will read him something so Steve falls asleep easier. Billy's voice is the best cure against his insomnia he's found.

It did take a while to get used to the concept of "bedtime story" meaning gore, murder and psychopaths.

Billy will always just pick up the book he's reading at the time and start wherever he left off, leaving Steve to just follow the sound of his voice and focus on his breathing. 

To his own terror after multiple reads of the books Steve had picked up a fondness for Thomas Harris' books. There’s something strangely addictive to the story of a cannibalistic psychiatrist and the FBI agents that depend on him to stop other killers. Both he and Billy are incredibly fond of the character of Clarice Starling too. When the movie came out they’d bullied basically everyone they knew to see it too. It remains one of their favorites to watch. Now, they both can’t wait for the newest book to come out. They’ve been waiting for Hannibal long enough really. It already has a designated place in their library and Steve needs to know how the story will continue.

When they moved into an actual house they never even properly made the decision to have a library. There was just one room that didn’t have a proper purpose yet, squished in between their bedroom and a guest bedroom, and Billy’s books wouldn’t ever all fit in the living room, not with both their records and Steve’s VHS collection. 

So the library came together, mismatched shelves and a ratty little two seater with an armchair, and so many books. 

The gothic and horror books were joined by crime and even the occasional fantasy novel (most of those presents by Dustin.) Billy keeps them all organized but Steve’s never tried to understand his system. The only thing Steve knows for sure is that Billy keeps the books about Hannibal Lecter on a shelf directly across the door so he can find them easily. They’re supported by a framed picture of the two of them at Billy’s graduation. 

They both spend a lot of time in the room but Steve just enjoys being in a space that is really mostly Billy’s. He picked the calm green color for the wall and he arranged the shelves and he’s the one who adds and adds evermore books. 

When Steve enters the room he hurries over the cool wood to the worn down carpet that’s in front of the shelves because their cat Nikki likes to lay in the sun there. He grabs Silence of the Lambs and hurries back over the cold floor towards their bedroom. 

When Billy sees him and the book he’s holding he groans, “No.”

“Yes.”

Steve steps over the sleeping cat in the middle of the room and makes his way towards his place in Billy’s tattooed arms. 

“C’mon, we’ve gotta reread them before the new one comes out,” Steve drops the book on Billy’s chest and then settles next to it. “I’ve let you read me books about goddamn killer clowns and exorcisms and so much murder, Billy, so much murder . You can read me this one again.”

An exasperated sigh later Billy grabs his reading glasses that he denies owning and slides down further so he can hold the book comfortably around Steve.

Under Steve’s ear Billy’s heart is beating steadily and with the vibrations of his voice it’s such a soothing sound that Steve falls asleep when they barely one chapter in. 

“I want to tell you the circumstances in which I first encountered Hannibal Lecter, M.D.”

---

Steve wants to draw the line when it comes to their kids. Sure, Billy’s an adult and can choose to freak himself out by reading terrifying stories, and Steve might indulge sometimes too, but he does not want to deal with their kids crawling back into their bed because they’ve started being afraid of the Tooth Fairy thanks to Dad’s bedtime stories.

Billy huffs when he voices that opinion, “I’m not going to read them Red Dragon . Actually, you are the only person ever to want to read Red Dragon as a bedtime story.”

“Not the point! The point is you can’t read them horror at all. Normal kids don’t know about Pennywise or Rosemary’s baby.”

“Yeah, whatever, I’m not gonna read them those either. Not yet anyway.” He looks way too contemplative at the thought. 

“Hey, nah, you’re not reading those to them ever. They’re too young and they will always be too young for those stories,” he says while he walks another line across the fluffy carpet of their bedroom.

“You’re not making any sense, you realize that, right babe?” Billy’s openly laughing at him now.

“I don’t want them traumatized!”

“They won’t be traumatized. I’ll let them know it’s a story, and if they end up scared I’ll just show them your bat to prove that Daddy will protect them should any of the monsters from the books decide to become real.”

Billy’s sitting cross-legged on their bed, flannel sleeping pants on his legs a stark contrast against their white sheets. Somewhere at the back of his mind Steve makes a note to get out the thick duvets and covers like he always does when Billy goes from sleeping in underwear to stealing Steve’s trousers. 

“Very funny.”

Steve somewhat knows that’s the actual issue. That he doesn’t want their kids to ever even have to guess that there are actual monsters.

“They’re tough little shits, you know? Delilah told me the other day she’d punch a cashier for me.” Billy looks too proud of that one, and if Steve weren’t too preoccupied with protecting his children’s innocence he’d probably dig up just why she’d even offer to attack a cashier.

“They asked for a scary story, Steve. I’m really just giving them what they asked for.”

“I don’t care,” he pushes his hands against his sides and faces down Billy. “I’m not letting you read our kids horror books!”

“You’re doing your mom-pose again. Are you gonna threaten me with a towel next?” Steve fucking hates that Dustin took a liking to Billy and told him all about when Steve used to babysit.

“Anyway, it’s horror for children, relax,” Billy snorts. “Promise you, you’ll be more scared by it than they will be.”

“No. Read them fairytales.”

The smirk he gets in response should’ve warned him.

It takes exactly two days until the question comes in the middle of the afternoon. Steve is grading tests and Billy’s on kids duty until they have to head out to visit Max in the evening.

“C’mon, do you guys wanna hear a story?”

It’s a rhetorical question really. Both of their kids love books as much as Billy does and they’re on top of the couch with him in seconds.

Billy starts to read and Steve grows horrified. 

About half an hour later their kids are busy looking at the pictures in Billy’s old fairytale book and Steve pulls Billy with him into the kitchen. 

“What the fuck was that?”

“A fairytale, Steven.”

“ She was murdered .”

Steve knows vaguely that the book is a translation of the fairytales Billy’s mother used to read in her childhood, and the ones she in turn told Billy, which doesn’t explain why there was murder in it.

“I mean,” Billy looks way to smug. “She tried to murder Snow White.”

“They made her dance. Until she died. In red-hot shoes. What the fuck?” Steve really doesn’t remember any of this from the Disney film

“So you don’t want to know what happens in the original Sleeping Beauty story either, huh?”

Steve comes home two days later and finds both Delilah and Luke in bed with Billy. They’re all cuddled up, one kid on each side of him; he’s got his left arm wrapped around Delilah, her tiny frame swallowed by the tattooed muscles while Luke is lying on his chest. 

Billy’s also holding a book. It doesn’t look like a fairytale book. Neither the fucked up Grimm one nor the normal, childfriendly Disney stories. Steve is going to divorce him. 

"What are you guys reading?"

Luke jumps up at the sound of his voice, pushing his little fist right on Billy's solar plexus as he goes if the huff of pain is any indication. Steve would feel worse if he couldn't practically feel the horror story in the air. He's momentarily distracted when he has to catch the small bundle of kid that throws himself into his arms from the bed, clinging to his neck and then planting a kiss on his cheek.

The easy affection could've maybe even made him forget about it if it weren't for Delilah who happily exclaims, “We’re reading Coraline , Daddy.”

“ Coraline , huh?” Steve is going to have to murder Billy. He can see the cover now and it’s enough to give him the creeps. He also remembers enough from when Billy read him parts of American Gods . It wasn’t particularly child-friendly. 

As if to prove his point Luke says against his neck, “Her mother has button eyes!” 

Billy very pointedly has not looked up, he’s fully invested looking at the still open page and running his hand through Delilah’s hair. There’s that stupid smirk on his face that Steve has hated since High School. He sounds smug when he speaks up, “Did you have a good day, honey?”

“Just peachy,” Steve answers through his teeth. He makes a mental note to stick his cold feet against Billy’s legs tonight in bed and to sign him up for the next supervision in school. 

Luke demands that Steve listens to the story with them and like a puzzle piece Steve fits into the formation of his family on the bed. 

Once he’s close enough Billy turns and smiles at him. A real, truly happy smile. The smile Steve would do just about everything for and the one he has to reciprocate. 

Billy kisses him quickly and sing-songs, “They like it.”

(When Halloween comes around and Delilah announces she wants to go as Coraline Billy is disgustingly self-satisfied.)

[itsmaferart]

Hi! I wanted to tell you how much I love your analysis on SxF, very on point and detailed! What a pleasure to read 😊 There's one thing I wanted to ask you about: translation and how it impacts the perception of a scene. I'm French-speaking native and I discovered the 'Honey trap' in French and then your analysis in English. Loid's reaction to Yor's punch is a bit more 'intense' in French. Not speaking Japanese, I don't know which one is closer to the original text. 'Off-balance' is replaced by 'faire perdre tous mes repères'. Which could mean Loid is 'becoming completely lost' in the French version. So at first I thought that Loid's feelings for Yor were more obvious to himself. Less 'covered' if it makes sense. My point is : do you think we could make wrong interpretation of a character due to a translation? How much differs our version of the dialogues to the original one? Looking forward for new analysis and care take 🌸

Ohh! Hello thank you very much! I appreciate the love that my analyzes have received!! They motivate me to continue!

The answer would be: Yes, the translation influences a lot in understanding the scene. This is a very frequent problem when trying to adapt a series/comic/book to another language. I understand that Japanese as a language is an ideographic language, so its writing represents ideas and thoughts, and is not a composition of precise words.

(I have to clarify that I do not understand Japanese at all. So like everyone I depend on translations, what little I know is from mere research. Any native or connoisseur of the language is free to correct me)

Said that. Sometimes it is very difficult to figure out exactly what is being said in a scene. Especially when they are abstract feelings, puns, expressions of the native language, etc. Since, while in one country something is a joke, in another place it is something that is taken literally xD ...In fact, recently I think there was a translation error in the manga. Where it was believed that Anya was going to get sweets from the Damiand but it turned out to be a specific cake (I didn't understand very well, I guess it's a play on words or something like that xD)... Even so, there is always a lot of support from the fandom to offer clarifications and interpretations. Especially for those who understand the native language

........

Regarding Twilight. I guess it's a complicated sentiment to translate, since Twilight himself has no idea what he was with himself. He felt lost and confused, perhaps the best way to understand it is "I'm not the same person as before".

He just didn't know what to do with Yor, with his feelings. But why would a genius at emotional readings fail so terribly? "The answer" is the simplest and the most difficult to recognize "He can't be cold and calculating in front of Yor and Anya, they cloud his judgment. They make him a common person, clumsy and even somewhat naive. They let out their most human side"

....

Regarding your original language. It may not be so far from what was intended to say: Perhaps they were more explicit. The sense that "Twilight is lost" seems pretty accurate to me. Although, as you say, it sounds like a deeper statement.

I guess someone who speaks Japanese would be the most accurate person to clarify how explicit Twilight was.

Still, I don't think these variations are that serious. Sometimes these changes favor the understanding of native people of another language, so these changes are made to better understand the expression.

Since if the translation were exact. The impact would not be the same. The important thing is to convey the meaning of the works. An example would be proverbs. Although the meaning is exactly the same, the words vary from language to language. This does not harm, on the contrary, it favors each reader because he feels the work "more endearing"

Perhaps in the case of your native language they used the most appropriate expression to imply that "Twilight is missing" for the love of his family, and this is confusing him

[ivan-fyodorovich-k]

Well, I can't remember exactly but I think I paid between $20 and $30 for my Franklin Library copy of the Decameron, and I think my Easton Press War and Peace was between $30 and $40. Both of them have some scuffing along the gilt page edges but structurally are perfectly fine.

In my experience, and you may take all this for what it's worth, a lot of those newer (as in since the 1970s) leatherbound prints of classics can actually be had for shockingly cheap. Easton Press has been selling a mail-order "100 Greatest Books Ever Written" series for about fifty years and if you go on eBay right now and type in "Easton Press" and sort price + shipping from low to high, you're going to find an astonishing selection of classic books like Moby Dick, Crime and Punishment, and the Decameron for around $30, sometimes less. In my experience usually the worst disaster to befall them is that some of the gilding has worn off.

Some of them cost more. I have yet to find good Easton Press copies of the Three Musketeers or the Count of Monte Cristo for less than about $50, and I can't find Dracula or Frankenstein for less than about $70. In my experience you don't start running into painful prices unless the book is a meme (Dracula) or until it's some kind of really lavish special edition with fancy illustrations, and/or a limited reprinting of a very famous edition, and/or some kind of niche thing where a relatively small number of lunatics are all competing for an even smaller number of copies. Or if you buy new. New ones are expensive.

If we were so inclined, we could go through that shelf of leather books I posted volume by volume and you (and anyone reading this) would be shocked at how many of those cost in the neighborhood of $30.

What follows is mostly conjecture and anecdotal from the last ten years of collecting books like this, shamelessly pillaging both used book stores and the internet. I say all this as someone who has pursued this interest in almost total isolation and so I do not have a sense of a community or its mores.

Leatherbound books made since the 1970s do not invariably appreciate in value, or even hold their value. I'm not exactly sure what is the market explanation for this but as far as I can piece together the market is fairly flooded with some leatherbound editions of classic books, particularly the Easton Press "100 Greatest Books" series. But they're still sort of a niche item. Because there are more of them than there are people to buy them, used ones are often cheap. Shockingly cheap. Too cheap for what they are. Your instinctive skepticism of this I think is perfectly rational and well founded but in this instance it is, in defiance of common sense, untrue. It should not be true that you can go to Barnes & Noble and find a copy of the Odyssey and other classics printed in China with garishly bright fake leather covers that are going to age as well as fake leather ages for $35, and then go on eBay or into a used book store and find an Easton Press copy of the Odyssey that was printed in the United States and bound in genuine leather on good paper whose edges and covers are gilt with actual gold for $30, but it is true. It's a little like furniture. Nobody can make good new furniture anymore, but used furniture, which is made better, is cheaper than new furniture. The sticker price is less than the intrinsic worth of the item.

I think some of the explanation has to do with the kinds of people who buy Easton Press and Franklin Library books and the reasons they tend to want them. A lot of people are trying to find leather books that are in perfect condition that have never been opened that they can put on a shelf and themselves never open. These people will pay premiums for books that have never been opened (you may notice as you search that a lot of books are still in their shrinkwrapping).

Because that is what people want, as soon as a book is scuffed or damaged in the slightest way, it is no longer perfect and loses the collector premium. But usually physically it's still a perfectly good book that just has a couple scratches in its gilding or there are kinks or fraying in the bookmark or it has a bookplate with someone's name written on it. To a normal person who just likes leather books and wants them, they're fine.

I would bet that virtually every used copy of a leatherbound Easton Press or Franklin Library book you see on eBay no matter how cheap has rarely if ever been read, let alone opened. Because they are almost universally bought by people who are weird about books only to be put on a shelf, they have almost invariably been well taken care of.

If a book is like, water damaged, or truly falling apart the seller should make that clear. But in my experience you can usually tell from the photos the shape that a book is in, and it's usually fine. Of all my Easton Press books, the worst problems I've ever had are on two volumes that I actually I bought in person for like $13 on which gilding rubbed off a bit, and then I have a Franklin Classics book (also bought in person) that had like... a paint stain on it? It looked like someone dropped a drop of white-out on it. I scraped it off, whatever.

Point is, if you just want to have good, well-made leather books because you find them inherently desirable, there are a surprising number out there for surprisingly cheap.

I also increasingly suspect some of it has to do with the niche that places like Easton Press fall into. Most people don't care about fancy books, and a lot of people who do care about fancy books I suspect are more interested in old fancy books and don't care for Easton Press and co. as a lot of what Easton Press and co. do is reprint old editions, and if you are already obsessed with fancy books and already spending lots of money on them and already know you are never going to open them, I suspect people veer toward just going after the older books. Again, this is me speculating from the outside.

Personally, I feel more reluctant to go out on a limb when I am looking at actual antiquarian books from like the 1930s and earlier, because it's hard to tell from photos how faded a spine is from sun exposure and how tight the boards actually are. Antiquarian books are a more byzantine market and the books themselves are far older, so they have had a much longer time in which to have been subject to disaster and it's much harder to explain the shape a book is in.

Can I ask who some of the publishers of your leather bound books are? I recognized a number of Easton Press from your shelf but rn I'm hunting a nice copy of a book and I'm not really keen on the EP and want to see who else might make a copy worth having.

What book are you looking for? Franklin Library used to be a thing, I have a couple of theirs… I think there’s one or two others that escape me in the moment