I’m A Little Over Half-way Through And Really Enjoying This Book.  The Short Stories Are Based On

Well, crap.  Raven is a great comic with lots of action, drama, and humor.  I would be very sad to see it end.  If you can’t or don’t want to buy it yourself, check it out from your local library!  If they don’t already have it, please recommend it.

Raven the Pirate Princess is Sinking

I despise doing posts where I ask for help, but here we are.

About two years ago I started a new creator owned project.  It began as a spin-off of Princeless, but the reality is this - Raven The Pirate Princess is its own thing altogether.  I knew this from the first issue and if you’ve been reading, so have you.

Sure, the first few issues of Raven: Pirate Princess had that heroic lady feminist banter for which Princeless has become known both among its fans and detractors.  I mean, Raven had this scene:

and issue 1 had this scene:

But perhaps much more importantly, the first issue of Raven had this:

but that wasn’t where that ended.  This is a book about a community of diverse queer women actively claiming their place in the world and taking what’s theirs.  It’s about Raven, who is desperately in love with her childhood best friend Ximena

It’s about Ximena, a girl who was held captive for years by a pirate king who pretended to be her liberator.  Who fell in love with the pirate’s daughter, only to be left behind by that father when she outlived her value.

About Sunshine, the thief that chose the wrong target and ended up falling in love with a woman already hopelessly in love with somebody else.

It’s about Katie, the bisexual second in command who’s motivated by honor…and occasionally beating the snot out of a dude or two

Oh and in case I forgot to mention, Katie is also incredibly muscular:

And Jayla, the asexual science genius who’s tired of being treated like a little sister

and Cid, the deaf engineer who quietly keeps the ship running

and of course, these two:

The socially awkward poet and the angry sword fighter who couldn’t stand her who have somehow become these two:

But here’s the thing: this comic is failing.  It has a very dedicated and exuberant but at this point SMALL fanbase.  Today I had a hard conversation with Action Lab about the reality of the numbers on this book versus what it costs to produce this book and, suffice it to say, Action Lab isn’t ready to cancel the book, but they aren’t ready to greenlight year 3 either.  After Year 2 #13, Raven is set to go on the shelf until numbers can support continuing it.

This is where I need your help

If you care about this book full of queer pirate ladies and you want it to continue, we need to find a way to spread the word about it.  We don’t need to sell single issues (it would be nice) but ultimately we need the trades sales that back up the continuation of this big YA Pirate/Revenge/Adventure/Romance thing.

Digital copies can be bought instantly right on Comixology: https://www.comixology.com/Princeless-Raven-The-Pirate-Princess/comics-series/46971

You can buy the physical volumes on amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/bookseries/B01BF7U91Q

In fact, if you’ve already purchased volumes 1-4, volume 5 is available for preorder there right now! 

Maybe you’ve bought all the issues already.  Thank you!  If you still want to support Raven, you can review the books on Amazon or other retailers, you can share, reblog or retweet this post.  You can tell a friend about the book! 

If you have a comics review site or, say, a blog where you talk about LGBT media, contact me for review links or interviews.  Please, help us save our ship.

That’s quite a weekend!

Day 8 Fav Quote. http://gailcarriger.com/books/sas/ #julybookchallenge #bookbabesjuly #bookchallenge #instachallenge #july #bookstagramchallenge #bookphotography #book #booklover #bookstagram #instabook

Yeah, that looks like my year, too.

For yesterday’s @guardian review

@ladythmpr (Just in case you need another reminder!)

Have you taken your medication today? Do you need a refill soon? A new script or referral? What about a phone background to remind you? This kitten’s got you covered! 👌 

Please add your signature to support Sen. Duckworth and all women who should not have to choose between their families and their careers.

“She will also be the first senator that U.S. Senate rules will punish for giving birth. If she takes any maternity leave, she will be barred from voting or sponsoring any legislation. And even if she doesn’t take leave, she’ll likely be forced to miss voting times because her nursing infant will be barred from the Senate floor. Really.“

Tell your senators to follow the precedent Mitch McConnell set in 2016 and wait until after the inauguration to select a new Supreme Court Justice.

Vote.  Vote your entire ballot.  Vote to protect yourself, your family and friends, your community, and your country.  Yes, it’s that important.

People need to fully understand what RGB’s death means. It’s not just a vacancy on the supreme court that could be potentially filled by a conservative Justice - that’s an awful thought, but that’s not the main problem. 

The problem, is that this is EXACTLY the opportunity Republicans have been looking for for decades. If a conservative nominee is pushed through before the election, and I’m hoping it won’t but if it does, that will lead to a Republican majority in the Supreme Court. And you can bet your life, literally, that they will work to roll back every progressive law they can. 

The concept of a separation of church and state is already a joke in this country, but it will get so much worse. 

But more than that? Even if a nominee isn’t pushed through… 

The vacancy RGB left behind will motivate Republicans to come out to vote in droves. 

THAT is what everyone needs to understand. This is a once in a life time opportunity for the Republicans. You think you don’t want to vote for Biden because he’s not exactly who you want? Because he’s not progressive enough or liberal enough? 

What about all the Republicans who may not support Trump, but want a Republican majority on the Supreme Court? The ones who may not like him, but would be willing to deal with him for four more years if it means controlling the Supreme Court for the next 40?

It’s awful and unfortunate that RGB died so close to the election. Throughout her life she worked tirelessly to fight for equality. Don’t let her life be in vain. 

Now more than ever, it’s important to vote. Everyone. Down the entire ballot. 

I’m lucky enough to live in California, a historically Blue state. But those of my followers who live in Red states, you especially need to call your representatives in the Senate and tell them to postpone any nomination. Cite Mitch McConnell’s own actions in 2016. Anything you can do to add pressure. Remind them who they really work for: you, their constituents. 

We cannot give up the fight. We can’t. Your vote matters. If it didn’t, why would the GOP be trying so hard to take it away? Make sure you’re registered. If you want to mail in your ballot then drop it off at designated polling stations instead of the post office to ensure it’s counted in time. 

I don’t have many followers so I don’t know who will see this, but please, reblog this. Spread the information. RBG’s death will galvanize Republicans out to vote en masse. We can’t afford to be apathetic or disenfranchised. We can make a difference, but not if we don’t bother to try. 

@one-time-i-dreamt @thebibliosphere

[swoon] My hero!

I was well over 20 when I *started* reading fan fiction.  One of my best friends finally convinced me to try it, and I’ve been addicted ever since.  I’ve been active in science-fiction/fantasy/gaming/furry and various other fandoms for decades.  I have seen everyone from infants to senior citizens having fun at conventions.  The idea that fandom could have a use-by date or age range is laughable.

Reblog if you’re over 20 and still read/write fan fiction.

I’m curious!

Discriminating against people based on their religion, ethnicity, skin color, or anything else is just as wrong in the QUILTBAG community as it is anywhere else.  The ways some members of a religion use it to justify doing terrible things to other people is horrible, whether that’s Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, atheism, or anything else.  However, that does not mean that the religion itself is horrible, or that all of its followers should be blamed for those people’s actions. 

anyway here’s your reminder that lgbt muslims exist and islamophobia shouldnt be tolerated within lgbt communities!

shout out to lgbt muslims living in places where our identities are still criminalised. 

One of the soap vendors at my local Ren Faire has a big sign, “SOAP,” outside of their shop.  There are bars of soap displayed prominently.  The person handing out samples usually says, “Would you like a sample of soap?” or something similar.  

They also have a chalkboard where they tally the soap eaters for the day.  There are almost always at least 10-20.  On a hot day, when people have been hitting the beer booths heavily, they can get more than 50.

The market for this card may be larger than you think.

I’m still reeling over the fact when I went with my friend to a renaissance fair, there was a lady who was handing out samples. My friend took a bite of it and all I heard was

“My lord that’s soap”