Category: Crowdfunding

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“And Seek (Not) to Alter Me: Queer Fanworks Inspired by Shakespeare’s ‘Much Ado About Nothing'” – Now Available in Our Webstore!

Did you miss our crowdfunding campaign for And Seek (Not) to Alter Me: Queer Fanworks Inspired by William Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing”? Was there merch you wanted that you didn’t get? Have you been eagerly awaiting it’s arrival in our webstore (haven’t we all been?)? Well YOUR TIME HAS COME!

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—twists 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 artworks and stories—some featuring original characters, some characters from the play—that show Shakespeare’s work in a whole new light.

And now, you can get your very own e-book copy from our webstore! Only $9.99 for 16 phenomenal stories and 20 gorgeous art pieces!

We’ve also listed four merchandise items from the original crowdfunding campaign that we have extras of – if you want ‘um, you’d better grab ‘um, because once these extras are sold out, we will never be making more!

Art Prints of the Front Cover

(featuring the gorgeous artwork by Gio Guimarães in all it’s colorful, queer glory!)

Art Prints of the Back Cover

(featuring even more of Gio Guimarães‘s wonderful work!)

“Taming My Wild Heart to thy Loving Hand” Bookmark

(with artwork by Alicia Matheson and the signatures of our contributors!)

Bard Dux Sticker

(created by Alessa Riel)

Don’t Miss Out! Visit Our Store Today!

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Do You Tiktok?

Well, now we do too! We’ve actually had the account for ages, and we’ve batted around a lot of ideas for how to use it without implementing any of them, but now we’ve posted our first video there. Long-term, we hope to post there regularly; at the moment, if you use Tiktok and want to give us a follow, expect intermittent posts: unboxings, asks answered, slice-of-life, book gushing, readings, and of course ducks (always ducks!), that kind of thing.

Our account is here!

And our first video? Why, here of course! It’s a video of me (Nina Waters, the Press owner!) unboxing the patches for the crowdfunding campaign for She Wears the Midnight Crown and He Bears the Cape of Stars. The merch was produced by Alchemy, featuring artwork by Reship KMN (Tumblr | Twitter).

@duckprintspress

Duck Prints Press Unboxes: Patches for “He Bears the Cape of Stars” and “She Wears the Midnight Crown.” Art by Reshipkmn, Manufactured by Alchemy.

♬ original sound – duckprintspress

Have something you’d like to see a member of the Press talk about in a video? Let us know and we’ll see what we can do to make it happen!

We’ll also be cross-posting videos on Instagram and YouTube, so even if you don’t have Tiktok, don’t worry – you’ve got options to make sure you don’t miss out!

Oh, and here’s a pic of the patches – they’re so beautiful and sturdy! I can’t wait to send them out to everyone.

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Coming Soon: Only 3 Days Until We Release Our First Erotica Title!

We are so excited to finally be sharing the first title from Duxxx Prints Press, our erotica imprint! You already knew we print diversity – but did you know we print (or, in this case, digitize) desire, too? Our first title is a short story by the amazing Aria D. Leren.

Title: Heated Desperation

Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Erotica, Modern

Rating: Explicit

Relationship: mlm

Teaser:

Desperation and not a small amount of panic had Soren pounding on the door of Quinn’s apartment at ten-thirty in the evening. He was sweating under the softest pair of pants he owned, and his shirt felt like it was slowly strangling him. The plans that he’d had for Quinn to come over to his house the next morning was gone, replaced by the need to have the alpha wrap his arms around him and never let go.

There was no answer at the door.

Soren growled and knocked louder. Any nosey neighbor who poked their head out would be able to smell, in seconds, exactly what was wrong, but he could worry about that when he wasn’t crawling out of his skin. He raised his fist to knock again, his other hand adjusting the strap of the bag of essentials he’d brought with him, when the door finally, blessedly, opened.

“Soren?”

*

You know you gotta read it! This title will be released on our website on July 25th, 2022, and will cost 99 cents for 4,000-or-so words of steamy A/B/O mlm heat smut! Make sure you follow us so you’ll be among the first to know!

Want to make sure you don’t miss your chance to get this new title? Sign up for our erotica mailing list!

Want to read it RIGHT NOW, FOR FREE? Back our Patreon or ko-fi at the $10 or $25 level, and it (and more than a dozen other erotica stories written for our backers) are yours!

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For those who may not have seen…

The crowdfunding campaign for our anthologies She Wears the Midnight Crown and He Bears the Cape of Stars has ended, and we’re funded!

A huge, HUGE thank you to everyone who helped spread the word, all the authors and other contributors, and of course to everyone who backed!! We couldn’t have done it without you.

Wondering what comes next? Well…

…we finish editing!

…we order merch!

…we fulfill all our orders!

…we publish the e-book versions on our website!

…and we keep working on publishing more queer books, queer anthologies, queer art, and more!!

(Missed the chance to back the campaign? Well, the books will be available on our website as e-books in – probably – November or December. And, you can always support us monthly – and get lots of awesome perks for doing so! – by backing us on Patreon or ko-fi! Backers get sneak peeks, behind-the-scenes access, exclusive stories, a say in determining themes for future anthologies, and more.)

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Only 48 Hours Left to Back “She Wears the Midnight Crown” and “He Bears the Cape of Stars”

We’re entering the home stretch on Duck Prints Press’s third crowdfunding campaign. She Wears the Midnight Crown and He Bears the Cape of Stars are anthologies of wlw and mlm stories that share a common theme: masquerades, the queerer and more unusual the better! The 18 stories in each anthology – 36 stories total if you get both books! – are set in many different times and places and genres, and feature diverse queer and genderqueer characters…and every story has a happy ending!

First you’re hearing about it? You can learn everything you could want to know by checking out our campaign page, visiting our website, and/or reading the updates we’ve posted throughout the last month!

Contributor Spotlights:

Merchandise Spotlights:

Also – did you know? Patreon and ko-fi backers at the $10 and $25 level who also back the Seed & Spark campaign will get a campaign-exclusive bonus (on top of all the other awesome benefits our monthly backers receive, like free stories, access to our Discord and backer blog, and more!)! So, consider becoming a regular Duck Prints Press supporter; be an even more awesome person, and get even more awesome stuff!

After July 15th, 4 PM Eastern Time, you won’t be able to get these books in-print again – so back now to make sure you don’t miss out!

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Contributor Spotlights: Sanne Burg and Alec J. Marsh

Welcome to She Wears the Midnight Crown and He Bears the Cape of Stars, two brand-new anthologies that share a common theme – masquerades – but tell different types of stories – wlw in She Wears the Midnight Crown and mlm in He Bears the Cape of Stars. These collections are the latest titles from Duck Prints Press, the indie publisher founded by fans to publish original works by fan creators, and they’re crowdfunding NOW, only on Seed & Spark!

Curious about the collections? Well, here’s a sneak peek of the works of two of our creators!

He Bears the Cape of Stars Contributor Spotlight: Sanne Burg

Biography: I am a Dutch author (born in 1995), and my preferred pronouns are she/her. I’ve been weaving stories for most of my life, but so far they have mostly been fandom-related. This story is my first original (non-Patreon) publication, and I have previously written erotica stories for DPP’s Patreon.

I studied English language and culture, literary studies, and history, and decided early modern English magic is simply too intriguing to let go, but unfortunately the job market disagrees. I have a steady job but enjoy some hobbies outside of that. My hobbies include bouldering (and talking about bouldering), hiking, researching magic, discussing fandom (most notably Supernatural, The Witcher, and Our Flag Means Death), reading, and occasionally writing. I am also a massive fan of the Efteling and will try to get you to visit if you ever visit the Netherlands.

Links: Archive of Our Own | Instagram | Tumblr | Twitter

Story Title: The Summoning Circle

Teaser:

“This is awkward.”

Jamie’s head snaps up, eyes falling on a blurry shape in front of him. “Wha–”

The shape slowly solidifies into something resembling a man – short, dark hair, stubble on their cheeks, sharp cheekbones, flat chest, a tall and wiry stature visible only because they’re just in boxer shorts and a white tank-top.

They interrupt, “You summoned me, and you’re not even actually asking any questions?”

Jamie blinks and slowly gets back on with the program. “I… wait, but I-I tried to summon a spirit. You…”

“Not a spirit, no,” they say. “Hi, I’m Romaniel, I’m a demon, and judging by your silence, I’ve got some explaining to do.”

She Wears the Midnight Crown Contributor Spotlight: Alec J. Marsh

Biography: Alec lives in the Pacific Northwest, where they write romantic adult fantasy and self-indulgent fanfiction. They make candles inspired by their favorite characters.

Links: Etsy | Instagram | Twitter

Story Title: To Relish a Love Song, Like a Robin Redbreast

Teaser:

They turned to the left of the dais, where a handsome youth sat and watched the crowd. He wore white hose, a black vest and jacket, and brilliant black shoes tooled with iridescent-violet designs. 

No, not a youth. 

Beneath the tricorn hat and domino mask, the lips were too full, the shoulders too slim. 

The woman straightened at Tabitha’s approach and smiled. “Lady Tabitha, how nice to see you again. And where is Hal?” She had a pleasant, low voice, thick with a French accent. 

Tabitha smiled. “My husband isn’t allowed to see you again; we both know you’ll take all his money.” 

The woman’s smile was smug. “He was a most entertaining partner.” She slid from the chair with a languid grace, and the indigo lining of her coat caught the light. “Pardon my manners, mademoiselle.” Her eyes slid over Myrtle in a way that would be utterly indecent were she the man she masqueraded as, and Myrtle flushed at the sharp attention. No one looked at her that way. 

“My sister, Lady Myrtle Teynham,” Tabitha answered. “Myrtle, may I introduce you to Julie de Bellefonds, of the French Royal Opera?” 

Myrtle’s breath caught as recognition struck her. “Oh,” she said. “I saw you perform two nights ago. You were marvelous!” 

Intrigued? You should be! But, if you want to read the rest of these stories you’ll need to back our campaign, running now through July 15th, 2022!

Less Than Four Days Left in Our Campaign – Don’t Miss Your Chance!

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Contributor Spotlights: K. B. Vimes and Adrian Harley

Welcome to She Wears the Midnight Crown and He Bears the Cape of Stars, two brand-new anthologies that share a common theme – masquerades – but tell different types of stories – wlw in She Wears the Midnight Crown and mlm in He Bears the Cape of Stars. These collections are the latest titles from Duck Prints Press, the indie publisher founded by fans to publish original works by fan creators, and they’re crowdfunding NOW, only on Seed & Spark!

Curious about the collections? Well, here’s a sneak peek of the works of two of our creators!

He Bears the Cape of Stars Contributor Spotlight: K. B. Vimes

Biography: K.B. Vimes lives in West Virginia with his fiance and their six cats, four frogs, three lizards, and a number of fish. In his spare time he makes paper craft, takes long walks with his fiance, and visits state parks. He’s been writing since he was old enough to hold a pencil, and for years has told stories to anyone willing to hold still long enough to listen.

Story Title: A God Goes Walking

Teaser:

The lights were bright in an unnatural way, brighter than the stars that ruled the night and the sun that ruled the day, and the god was reminded of the tractors and other machinery used to harvest in these modern days. The slice of the scythe had been replaced with the dance of tractors and trucks, fields larger than ever before, humans further from their roots. He didn’t mind. Larger fields meant longer runs and more chases. The cars that whizzed by were not so different than the trucks the god saw pulling into his fields to transport the grain after it was harvested. 

He was so busy looking up and around him, so busy admiring the many works that humans had wrought with the energy given to them by their large fields of grain, so reliant on the fact that the humans avoided him by instinct, that he didn’t notice the young man in front of him until it was too late. 

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry!” the young man said from the ground where he had fallen. His coffee had spilled down the front of the god, and the god looked down at himself in confusion. Then he turned to the young man.

“Are you all right?” he asked.

She Wears the Midnight Crown Contributor Spotlight: Adrian Harley

Biography: Adrian Harley is an almost-lifelong North Carolinian and a fantasy fiction aficionado who didn’t start delving deep into fandom until adulthood. They are an editor of research by day and an aspiring novelist, also by day. They go to bed early. They have short stories forthcoming in OFIC Magazine and future Duck Prints Press anthologies. They live with their husband and a perfectly reasonable number of cats.

Link: Twitter

Story Title: So a Demon Walks Into a Party…

Teaser:

“Hey, hey. Tiffany. Look at me. I know this hurts. But you are so much better than him. I mean look at you! You are a killer in this outfit, to start.” Anna waved her free hand out of Tiffany’s line of sight and cast significant looks at the other women. They chimed in with compliments ranging from the superficial to the profound. Ah, Anna was the general of this operation. Malabrox felt a twinge in its being, almost like a conscience. This Anna perhaps could have been a worthy adversary, or even a worthy summoner. A shame that it had to kill her.

And then Anna looked at Malabrox, straight on, and the weight of her eyes on Malabrox felt so much like a command that Malabrox had to check with all its magical senses to make sure the woman hadn’t cast a spell. “Come on, doesn’t she deserve better?” said Anna.

Malabrox could have disappeared. Malabrox could have wiped everyone’s memory. Malabrox could have leapt on Anna, right then and there, and eaten her soul in a single gulp.

Instead, Malabrox said to Tiffany, “Yes. You have…” What was a good compliment for a human? What was the best thing a human could have? “You have a delicious soul,” it said.

Intrigued? You should be! But, if you want to read the rest of these stories you’ll need to back our campaign, running now through July 15th, 2022!

Laughs, Love, Life, and Unlife, All in Two Awesome Collections!

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Contributor Spotlights: A. L. Heard and Lex T. Lindsay

Welcome to She Wears the Midnight Crown and He Bears the Cape of Stars, two brand-new anthologies that share a common theme – masquerades – but tell different types of stories – wlw in She Wears the Midnight Crown and mlm in He Bears the Cape of Stars. These collections are the latest titles from Duck Prints Press, the indie publisher founded by fans to publish original works by fan creators, and they’re crowdfunding NOW, only on Seed & Spark!

Curious about the collections? Well, here’s a sneak peek of the works of two of our creators!

He Bears the Cape of Stars Contributor Spotlight: A. L. Heard

Biography: Ashley, pen name A.L. Heard, fandom name jhoom, is a 35 year old teacher, writer, and mother of two little boys. She’s been writing fanworks since she discovered fanfiction.net back in her middle school days; the platform has changed and the writing’s improved, but Ashley ultimately still spends her free time writing about characters she adores in worlds she’d like to explore. Her first novel, Hockey Bois, was published in 2021. In between writing projects, she works as a language teacher in the Pittsburgh area, plays hockey, and plays trains with her sons.

Links: Archive of Our Own | Discord: jhoom#6351 | Tumblr | Twitter

Story Title: Masquerade on Melchor

Teaser:

Masquerade on Melchor!

You are invited to join the Royal Family in their celebration of the

upcoming nuptials of Lady Vensel, Crown Princess of Melchor,

to Lord A’velle of the Wanydean Nebula.

This invitation permits entry for one guest to the Royal Masquerade.

Formal attire and mask required; dancing shoes recommended.

Come experience a night you’ll never forget!

Andrean reads the invitation one more time, hoping to gleam something new from the familiar words now that he’s actually on Planet Melchor. Nothing. This is… not Andrean’s usual heist. On first glance, it’s straightforward enough: get into the palace, sneak past security, steal the crown jewels of Melchor. It’s everything else about this job that makes it challenging. The extreme lack of information about the palace and royal family. The masquerade ball and the hundreds of guests pose obvious issues. The fake identity he’s traveled here under. The unbelievable pressure of having to pay for the invitation and get the funds to continue his career…

It’s a lot.

She Wears the Midnight Crown Contributor Spotlight: Lex T. Lindsay

Biography: Lex T. Lindsay likes cats, tats, and cool hats. When she isn’t shaking words loose or yelling about Captain America, she can often be found lurking in the woods. Find other sapphic love stories in ADD MAGIC TO TASTE (also from Duck Prints Press); UPON A TWICE TIME (Air and Nothingness Press); and CLOCKWORK, CURSES AND COAL (World Weaver Press). Occasional Tweets @LexTLindsay.

Links: Goodreads | Linktree | Twitter

Story Title: Tidally Locked

Teaser:

The life of a god was a lonely one most days, lonelier still when—

“I would like the next dance if you’re not otherwise engaged.”  

Ellie turned to face her would-be partner. She was a large woman—larger than Ellie who could rarely stand to manifest in a body that felt small. She wore a blue brocade corset and a matching gown of a deeper blue. On her face sat a mask of intricate silver filigree, a myriad of moving parts guided by so many gears twining together. 

Something about her made the night feel new again, and Ellie became conscious of the constant hum of prayer singing through her soul. 

Ellie’s head angled toward the floor, and she took the hand offered to her. 

Five Days ‘Til the Campaign Ends! Don’t miss your chance to get these gorgeous books in print!

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Contributor Spotlights: Rebekah D. Cook and Nina Waters

Welcome to She Wears the Midnight Crown and He Bears the Cape of Stars, two brand-new anthologies that share a common theme – masquerades – but tell different types of stories – wlw in She Wears the Midnight Crown and mlm in He Bears the Cape of Stars. These collections are the latest titles from Duck Prints Press, the indie publisher founded by fans to publish original works by fan creators, and they’re crowdfunding NOW, only on Seed & Spark!

Curious about the collections? Well, here’s a sneak peek of the works of two of our creators!

She Wears the Midnight Crown Contributor Spotlight: Rebekah D. Cook

Biography: Rebekah D. Cook is an author of queer romance and speculative fiction living in the Pacific Northwest with her spouse and two dogs. She is sad to report that she has not yet mysteriously disappeared nor encountered any cryptids. Her hobbies include spoiling the aforementioned dogs, drinking inadvisable amounts of coffee, and running unreasonably long distances very slowly. She’s secretly just a collection of loosely-related stories dressed up in a meat suit.

Links: Personal Website | Tumblr | Twitter

Story Title: Nice Girls Don’t Get the Superweapon

Teaser:

Ever since it became clear Mia’s negligible fire starting power wasn’t enough for her to make a go of it as a supervillain, Mia’s dream has been to become a top-tier henchwoman. It’s practically the family business, and anyway, sometimes a girl just wants to be the one setting off the explosions instead of watching them happen.

“Morning, Miller.” The greeting is punctuated by a sharp and wholly unnecessary knock on Mia’s desk.

Mia gives Brandon Pratt her most withering look. The man is epitome of corporate nonsense: all flash and smarm with no substance underneath. He’s also barely competent at his job and somehow manages to come in egregiously late any morning Doctor Bombardier isn’t in the office. Mia doesn’t understand why he hasn’t been fired yet.

“Barely,” Mia says with a pointed look at the clock.

“Lighten up,” Brandon says with a laugh straight out of a Hollywood satire of corporate corruption. “It’s Friday. Working hard or hardly working, eh?”

He shoots her a pair of finger guns before heading toward his office, and Mia valiantly refrains from setting his tie on fire.

He Bears the Cape of Stars Contributor Spotlight: Nina Waters

Biography: Claire Houck (she/they/he), pen name Nina Waters, fandom name unforth, is the founder and sole proprietor of Duck Prints Press LLC. She is queer, 39 years old, married to the lovely Lisa, and a mother of two. Claire has been writing fanfiction since the young age of seven, when she penned (well, two-finger typed and printed dot matrix) the timeless classic “the story of my littl ponies and the glob.” Since then, her spelling, grammar, and prose have improved immensely. She has written over three hundred short stories, a number of novellas, and 16 novels—some original, some fanfiction—including A Glimmer of Hope, which was successfully Kickstarted and self-published in fall, 2016. Before she became a full-time writer, Claire had a career as a professional grant writer and program evaluator, providing consultation services for the New York City Department of Education and other non-profit education organizations.

Links: Archive of Our Own | Tumblr | Twitter

Story Title: To Sing a Song of Many

Teaser:

The agora bustled with the usual business of the day. A hawker offered what they claimed were freshly gathered mushrooms. A Priest promised that the penis charms they’d blessed were especially effective at warding off evil. A Hero struck a noble pose, as if she were cast from marble instead of merely flesh clothed in bronze and linen, while beside her the two members of her Chorus sang her story. Perhaps, if she adventured long enough and successfully enough, she’d be captured in marble in truth, as the once-King Azan was in the marketplace’s center; an artist sprawled at the sculpture’s feet to refresh the bright, gilded paint of his sandals. A melee of colors, sounds, smells, and movements could have captivated, begged to captivate, but Himeros couldn’t spare them the attention he longed to, because he had bigger concerns.

How on Gaia was he going to pass through the crowd to reach the other side of the town’s center without being accosted?

Behind Himeros, his Chorus shifted impatiently. All right, no, in their defense, the four men were actually calm, patient, along for Himeros’s quest  as observers and recorders and criers. It was Himeros’s jitteriness that made their normal weight-shifting, robe-swaying, and mask-adjusting seem loaded and imminent.

Truly, what was Himeros going to do?

Intrigued? You should be! But, if you want to read the rest of these stories you’ll need to back our campaign, running now through July 14th, 2022!

Only Days Left to Back – Read Our Campaign Now!

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“He Bears the Cape of Stars” and “She Wears the Midnight Crown” Merchandise Spotlight: Dux and Patch and Candle More, Oh My!!!

The Seed&Spark crowdfunding campaign for the paired queer anthologies He Bears the Cape of Stars and She Wears the Midnight Crown includes the two books, each of which features 18 stories of mlm and wlw relationships growing and changing during stories inspired by broadly conceived masquerades. In addition to this already fabulous offering, we also have a bunch of awesome merch on offering. We’ve already posted highlighting about the cover art, which is also featured on two lovely, frameable art prints, and about our bookmarks with art by Pippin Peacock and enamel pins with art by Miss Aceriee. Today, we’re featuring…everything else!

Dux Die-cut Stickers

Alessa Riel, our wonderful and hard-working in-house graphic designer, has worked her magic again making two distinct, quirky, party-ready dux! These two are featured on die-cut stickers being sold as part of the campaign!

These two cuties are being printed as die-cut stickers by Sticker Ninja. The wlw dux is approximately 3 in (7.5 cm) tall and 2.75 in (7 cm) wide; the mlm dux is approximately 2.75 (7.5 cm) tall and 3 in (7.5 cm) tall.

Patch

After hearing great things from others who worked with Reshipkmn, we approached them to do art for a patch, and the results exceeded even our high expectations!

This adorable piece will be made into a 100% woven patch by Alchemy Merch; it’s a 4 in (10.25 cm) circle, iron-on with merrowed edges.

Candle

Our campaign candles are being made by Speculative Wicktion, a small business that makes fandom-themed candles owned by author Alec J. Marsh, who is also contributing a story to She Wears the Midnight Crown.

Candles are 2 in (5 cm) tall and 2 in (5 cm) circular at the base, a lovely shade of blue, and scented with Midnight Waters, which Alec has described to us as “like sitting by a lake in a pine forest.” Also, they have glitter in them. SO MUCH GLITTER in them.

Other Merchandise

Tote Bag (21 in x 14.5 in x 7 in/53 cm x 37 cm x 18 cm) with our logo stamped on the side. (Customized by AnyPromo).

Charm Bracelet featuring seven charms (a book, a rainbow, a crown, a mask, a moon, a sun, and a star), hand-assembled by contributor and lead editor Nina Waters using decorative elements purchased from multiple Etsy sellers.

Box of Six Chocolates from Uncle Sam’s Candy.

Rubber Ducky (this one)

Bath Bomb (one selected from this collection based on your preference)

Lace Rainbow Mask (purchased from E-Bay)

All this, AND two amazing (and amazingly queer) books CAN BE YOURS!

Check out our crowdfunding campaign – ending in one week! – today!!