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[ajay3bee]

Dark Drabble.

[ajay3bee]

We're looking into issues causing site slowness and error pages. Very sorry, will let you know as soon as we know more!

(17:48 UTC March 28, 2024)

We had to restart a database, so the site will continue to be slow or non-responsive as it recovers. Please be gentle with the Archive, and stand by for further updates.

(17:58 UTC March 28, 2024)

Doing the gentlest possible thing to help out our database server: taking the Archive down for a bit. No need to panic, we'll be back as soon as we can!

(18:03 UTC March 28, 2024)

[ajay3bee]

Our Systems volunteers have written up a great behind-the-scenes look at last year’s DDoS attacks against the Archive. Why not check it out and show them some love?

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A post shared by TJC [danielle krysa] (@thejealouscurator)

Aging Gracefully

[ajay3bee]

Peter, bursting into the room: You two are having sex! Natasha, not looking up from her book: Really? Maria, why didn’t you tell me? I would have put my book down.

[ajay3bee]

It’s a cruel jest to say to a bootless man that he ought to lift himself by his own bootstraps

[ajay3bee]

The haunting sculptures of slaves in a lake in memory of African ancestors who drowned as they were being transported across the Atlantic Ocean as slaves. Ghanaian artist Kwame Akoto-Bamfo Project portrays Africans who were imprisoned, kidnapped or coerced into slavery. #Africa

[ajay3bee]

I did not know that.

[ajay3bee]

Listen to your elders

So last week I posted abut the importance of downloading your fic. And then three days later AO3 went down for 24 hours. No one was more weirded out by this than I was. But while y’all were acting like the library at Alexandria was on fire I was reading my download fic and editing chapter eight of Buck, Rogers, and the 21st Century. And also thinking about what I could do to be helpful when the crisis was actually over.

So first off, I’m going to repeat that if you’re going to bookmark a fic, you really need to also download the fic and back it up in a safe place. I just do it automatically now and it’s a good habit to get into.

But let’s talk about some other scenarios. Last October I lost power for over a week after hurricane Ian. Apart from not having internet or A/C I did find plenty to do, I collect books so I had plenty to read, but maybe, unlike me, your favorite comfort reads aren’t sitting on a bookshelf. So let’s do something about that, shall we?

In olden times many long years ago around 1995 we printed off a lot of fic. It was mostly SOP to print a fic you planned to reread and stick it in a three ring binder. And that’s totally valid today too, but you can also make a very nice paperback with a minimum amount of skill and materials.

Let’s start with the download; Go to Ao3 and select your fic, we’ll be working with one of mine. This method works best with one shots, long fic tends to need a more complicated approach. Get yourself an HTML download

Open up the HTML download and select all then copy paste into any word processor. Set the page to landscape and two columns, then change the font to something you find easy to read, this is your book, no judgement. This is all you have to do for layout but I like to play a little bit. I move all the meta, summary, notes to the end and pick out a fun font for the title: 

No time like the present to do a quick proofread. Congratulations, you’ve just created your first typeset. On to the fun part.

Now you’re going to need some materials:  8.5x11in paper ruler one sheet of 12x12 medium card stock (60-80lb) scissors pencil pen or fine tip marker sheet of wax paper white glue two binder clips 2 heavy books or 1 brick butter knife

You’ll also need a printer, if you’re in the US there is almost a 100% chance your local library has a printer you can use if you don’t have your own. None of these materials are expensive and you can literally use cheap copy paper and Elmers glue.

Print your text block, one page per side. Fold the first page in half so that the blank side is inside and the printed side out:

use the butter knife to crease the edge. Repeat on all the sheets. When you’ve finished, stack them up with the raw edge on the left and the folded edge on the right. I used standard copy paper, because you’re only printing on one side there’s no bleed to worry about. Take the text block and line everything up. Use the binder clips to hold the raw edge in place.

Wrap the text block in the wax paper so that the raw edge and binder clips are facing out. I’m going to use my home built book press but you don’t need one, a brick or a couple of books or anything else heavy will work fine.

Once the text block is anchored down, take off he binder clips and get out the glue.

You can use a brush but you don’t need one, smear some glue on that raw edge.

Go make a margarita, watch The Mandalorian, call your mother. Don’t come back for at least an hour

In an hour smear some more glue on there and shift your brick forward so that the whole book is covered. This keeps the paper from warping. While glue part 2 is drying we’ll do the cover. Get out your 12x12 cardstock

Mark the cardstock off at 8.5 inches and cut it. Measure in 5.5 inches from the left and put in a score line with the butter knife (the back edge not the sharp edge)

Carefully fold the score line, this is your front cover. You have some options for the cover title, you can use a cutting machine like a cricut if you have one, you can print out a title on the computer and use carbon paper to transfer the text to the cardstock. I was in a mood so I just freehanded that beoch. Pencil first then in pen.

Take your text block out from under your brick. Line it up against the score mark and mark the second score on the other side of the spine

Fold the score and glue the textblock into the cover at the spine. Once the glue dries up mark the back cover with the pencil and then trim the back cover to fit with your scissors.

Voila:

I’m going to put this baby on the shelf next to the Silmarillion.

The whole process, not counting drying time, took less than an hour.

If you want to make a book of a longer fic, I recommend Renegade Publishing, they have a ton of resources for fan-binders. 

[ajay3bee]

Cant have fucking shit in Detroit

[ajay3bee]

[ajay3bee]

Y'ALL THAILAND APPROVED SAME SEX MARRIAGE AS OF 7 HOURS AGO!!!!!!!

[ajay3bee]

Natasha: [stops kissing Maria] What do you think you’re doing?

Maria: What do you mean?

Natasha: I mean, your hands!

Maria: … They’re on your waist!

Natasha: I know! What am I, a nun? Put them somewhere useful.

[ajay3bee]

Image created by: @msdanvers (AO3/Tumblr) / msdanvers-art (AO3)

[ajay3bee]

Felt that it’s important to share videos like this too.

[ajay3bee]

Bellatrix slowly put down her book finding, as expected, heavy lidded amber eyes which met hers in challenge.  She shuddered as a pink tongue made its leisurely way along the outstretched leg, before weaving its way around delicate toes. Bellatrix: “Hermione! Mr. C is doing that… that thing again!” Hermione: “He’s grooming himself Bella.  Cats do that.” Bellatrix: “But Pet, why does he have to perch on the couch and do all that noisy sucking and slurping right next to my ear when I’m trying to read?” Hermione: “Yeah… do you know, I have no idea.  Cats just do that.”