apparently ppl don’t know about waifu2x??? despite its… concerning name it’s literally the most convenient website i’ve ever come across as an artist
it allows you to resize artwork without it becoming pixellated. this is a MASSIVE help if you, for example, make lineart too small or something. it works best with things that 1. have no textures 2. have smooth lines 3. have cel shading, but it still works really damn well for things that don’t fit that profile
here’s an example:
normal size
2x in paint
2x in waifu2x
so like, there’s that. go wild
Original:
Photoshop scaled:
Waifu2x scaled:
It’s legit!! Tell your friends!
waifu2x-multi is the newer version. It allows for rescaling multiple pictures at a time and to scale them up to 10x the original size.
To reiterate many of the comments and reblogs, also look up and contact local and state Democratic Party offices as well as local progressive nonprofits in your area—MANY of them have volunteers just itching to drive you.
a lot of my friends have been noting that none of the “get out there and vote!” posts actually have any resources attached to them, so they’re great for motivation but if you don’t know how to vote they can really stress you out. so i compiled a list of resources that hopefully can help!
Here’s the most confusing bit! Figuring out who you’re voting for. Don’t know who’s running? Ballotpedia is a godsend. The page in the link looks very confusing, but all you have to do is click your state in each of the right-hand boxes. Those will take you to a page that will explain who from each party is running for the Senate and the House. Ballotpedia will also tell you if your state has same-day voter registration. If you’ve missed the cutoff to register, you might still be able to do it on election day, so check that on your state’s voting page!
Polling places can be crowded and the wait can be long to vote. Don’t freak out! Bring a book or some music/podcasts to listen to while you wait.
If you can’t make it on the day, you still have options! Find your state on this Ballotpedia page and click to learn more. The page it takes you to will have links and information on how to get an absentee ballot in your state. If you plan on absentee voting, hurry! The deadlines to apply and vote are usually sooner than the actual election day.
Most of all, remember: this election could swing the house and the senate, giving Democrats more control over new laws and legislation for years to come. You’re not a bad person if you can’t vote, but it’s a lot easier than you might think!
Let’s get out there and change the world!
Also, if you enter your address in Ballotpedia, it’ll be able to give you a specific list of all the races that’ll be on your ballot, including things like local and state legislative elections (state legislative elections are important not only because they affect life in your state, but also because the state legislatures will be redrawing the congressional districts in 2020, and we don’t want more gerrymandering).
That said, if it’s too overwhelming, the most important candidates to focus on are those running for the Senate and House of Representatives.
Also, if you’d like more info about the candidates, such as what their positions are, check out BallotReady!
I’m sure you all knew this post was coming. First off, let us apologise for taking so long to respond to questions regarding Kohske’s now rather viral comments on Twitter on the subject the overseas piracy of her works. Kiel and I live the world apart (I’m Down Under and he’s in the US) and we both have mounting personal obligations that don’t allow us as much time to post these days. This is a very important matter, though, and we absolutely have opinions on the issue – especially with the backlash Kohske has been receiving. Please read on.
Kohske has frequently stated in the past (in both Japanese and, to the best of her ability, in English) that she doesn’t want her work shared illegally through scans or scanlations because of the impact it has on her earnings. This time her plea, in English (above), went viral and has been met with some considerable nastiness. Comments telling her she’s only complaining because her work is bad and doesn’t sell (it’s consistently a best seller for Shinchosha and has been for years), that she took a huge hiatus and therefore doesn’t care about her series anyway (she suffers from a chronic autoimmune disorder and has been very open about how it continues to affect the status of the series and her life in general), right through to the suggestion that it is only her responsibility to ensure international publishers do the right thing by her title (if you’ve had experience in the publishing field, particularly when dealing with foreign releases, you’ll know how incredibly difficult it is to exercise any manner of control over your work when two publishing houses have all the power in the matter – Kohske has touched on this in the past as well). And, of course, the usual “if you don’t like it, then don’t be a mangaka”, and so on. Most of these comments seem to have come not from fans of the series or of Kohske, but from people who followed links to the tweets seeking an argument on the topic.
But even if one doesn’t agree with Kohske’s personal stance on scanlations, the abusive messages she has received are vile.
No artist should be bombarded with harassment
or lectured like a child for simply expressing the desire that their work be consumed legally.
Others noted on the massive gap between the legal release of GANGSTA. in English (and some other languages) and the legal Japanese release of the title. The most recent volume won’t be available in English from Viz until next year, and the main story is now several chapters ahead. Fans looking to enjoy these most recent chapters in English have no legal options to turn to yet. Such a gap is fairly common and by no means limited to GANGSTA.,however, in this day and age where titles in,
for instance,
powerhouse publications like Jump come out the same day in multiple languages, fans are struggling with releases for series that don’t “keep up.”
If fans genuinely want to read legally available chapters of GANGSTA. in English without having to wait for a volume release, we need to let the companies involved know. Viz Media is unlikely to pursue something as time-consuming and expensive as fast digital releases for a series like GANGSTA. (which is from a smaller publisher and not with the same audience or sales league as, once again, much larger publications) unless people are vocal about wanting it. Companies are willing to investigate ways of getting you to pay for titles if they know they’re viable – so they need to know it’s viable. Tell them you want digital releases of GANGSTA., be it in an email, a tweet, a hashtag, a letter, whatever works for you. (Our master licensing post is always available if you’re unsure who publishes GANGSTA. in your country.)
Does that mean they’ll start doing it? No, there’s no guarantee they’ll listen, but the best way to get what we want as consumers is to be vocal and consistent about the content we love and want to purchase. It was the “pre-built fanbase” that GANGSTA. had at the time of its licensing that helped Viz market it initially –
we’re all still here and we still love the series, so
why not let them know?
As for whether or not it’s moral to consume scanlations when an artist has explicitly asked you not to do so, well,
at the end of the day
that really is down to each of us as readers. All Kiel and I can say is that we respect and support Kohske’s wishes on this issue and hope those reading this will do the same. Please purchase legal copies of her work when possible and let Kohske know that her appeals to manga fans (especially this one) are not in vain. – FYG
PS: For those newer to this community, please note that we have a list of trustworthy stores that supply Viz’s English volume releases, and our Monthly Comic Bunch posts generally include shopping links.
god this is a big ask but I really wish there were like….. a site where you could plug in your state/district/whatever and tick some boxes on issues you prioritize and then the site would give you a rundown of the potential candidates in your area and where they stand on those issues in like….. clean simple bullet points. gimme the cliffnotes, I literally do not have the time or energy to comb through god knows how many articles and shit to figure out who to support, just tell me what their stance is on X, Y, and Z, and that’s gonna have to be enough.
It goes through who’s on your ballot and explains things like that based on your address.
this is really great. it gives you bullet points on what each candidate has said and done on each issue.
very illuminating, frankly, seeing the candidate’s own words and actions. for instance, under ‘defense/veterans’ the republican candidates almost always say something about a well-funded military, and the democrats almost always say something about getting veterans the medical care they need. makes it pretty obvious that republicans don’t care about soldiers once they’re done with them.
Free Graphic Novels (DC, Marvel, Image, etc), Music, TV shows, and music on HOOPLA.
Free music that you can KEEP on FREEGAL
You are PAYING for all this with your tax money – USE THEM. Most likely systems will have all 3 or 2 out of 3, so if you aren’t sure call your local library’s reference/information desk and how you can get set-up or started.
Hey, highkey from a library worker:
Overdrive has a new mobile app called LIBBY I find it easier to use. It’s the same content as Overdrive just better for mobile. Overdrive and Libby both let you send items to your kindle as well.
“Authors retain all rights to works posted on BetaBooks, and can add or remove content at their discretion. BetaBooks makes no claim to any of the work posted on the site.”
Stressed, Depressed, and Story Obsessed 