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As you've asked for asks!:

Do you have any quick-and-dirty book/fic binding methods a terrified-of-failure novice could use to bang something out to get over the first collywobbling step of Actually Doing The Thing? (this may be something I've been meaning to ask for ages)

yes! I absolutely do! in my opinion the best quick-and-dirty bookbinding method is a no-glue pamphlet: you don't have to mess with glue or measuring or cutting anything, all you need is your text, some paper, a needle and thread. you can use the same needle to punch holes if you don't have an awl.

this is going to be a little long but that's because I'm going to write out some fairly detailed instructions for an A5 sized pamphlet. If you don't want detailed instructions and think you can glean the necessary info from photos, just skip to the photos! I've also linked tutorials.

for preparing the text to printing, in whatever software you use (word, libreoffice, gdocs, whatever) make sure your document is set to page size A5. make it look readable. then save as/export that document as a straight-paged PDF. now go to the bookbinder JS tool (https://momijizukamori.github.io/bookbinder-js/), and upload the PDF. source manipulation: none printer paper size: A4 display unit (you can ignore, or choose cm if it gives you anxiety that it automatically displays points) printer type: select single-sided or duplex accordingly* rotate paper: ignore flip on long side: check if you are printing duplex and if your duplex printer flips the paper on the long side page layout:  tick folio page scaling: original page positioning: centered ignore the rest flyfleaf: ignore signature format tick: standard signatures. in the length drop down, this depends on the type of pamphlet you are doing. for folio i generally find 4-5 pages per signature a comfortable thickness. if you have 6 whole A4 pages you can still do that as a single signature or you can split it into two signatures 3 pages each. wacky small layouts: ignore this signature info click the generate preview button to see what your PDF looks like imposed! I love this step especially when I'm doing quarto (A6) or octavo (A7) sized books generate output - click this to generate an imposed PDF

for A6 and A7 sized books the instructions are much the same, except for these you make sure the page size is A6 or A7 in your software, and then you choose quarto or octavo instead of folio. for signature length drop down I keep signature length to 1 for octavos typically and 2 for quartos, as this still refers to sheets of paper, and for octavo 1 sheet of A4 paper will turn into 4 smaller sheets in one signature once folded and cut.

*if you don't have a duplex printer you will have to manually turn the paper to print on the other side. I cannot be arsed with this so I bought a printer capable of duplex printing (I didn't have a printer anyway). if you already have a printer check what it can do as you might be surprised and go from there.

now to the pamphlets! you don't need a cover - I have one for the long stitch pamphlet but for the saddle stitch one I didn't bother and just made sure the first page had a title on it. you can always take a different piece of paper and print a cover on or or just use coloured cardstock and create a simple cover, but a cover is not necessary unless you're doing a long stitch pamphlet. all you need to do is to punch holes and start sewing. there are a few different stitch types below, I wouldn't say any of them are more difficult or easier than others, but they do look different so...pick one you like the look of and go from there?

pamphlet stitch (uneven number of holes) I haven't ever done a pamphlet stitch but here's a tutorial for how to do it: https://www.starpointestudio.com/simple-pamphlet-stitch-book-step-by-step/

saddle stitch (uneven number of holes) I realised that what I was thinking of as a pamphlet stitch is actually saddle stitch, as in this A7 pamphlet:

here's a tutorial for how to sew saddle stitch: https://www.bookbindingworkshopsg.com/saddle-stitch-bookbinding-tutorial/ here's a video tutorial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWHkY5jOoqM (sealemon has a lot of bookbinding tutorials and I know many people who like her videos, I used her tutorial for coptic binding way back when I first made a book but I can't otherwise vouch for the quality as I haven't used her videos)

french link stitch (even number of holes) in this one I used french link stitch which I typically use for thicker textblocks that i'm not planning to use tapes with as the french link gives it some robustness, I used it here because I had never done it before and wanted to try it out. I am planning to take these stitches out and re-sew this pamphlet with a cover now that I've found a suitable piece of transformer fanart to use as a cover:

french link tutorial. it's quite long but it has a colour coded bit towards the end that shows how the thread is supposed to link which i find very helpful to visualise: https://www.handmadebooksandjournals.com/bindings/french-link-stitch-binding/

here's a video tutoral from DAS bookbinding (he is my go to for techniques and he has the most soothing Australian accent as well, though fair warning not all of his videos are for beginners): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4ZPdbaM-Ws

long stitch (even number of holes) for this one I used long stitch and I had a cover. this one is my favourite variation because I can make these pretty and simple covers and the stitch looks nice on the outside as well, so this one scratches the 'i want to make a book' itch for me.

here's a tutorial that also includes a how to on a cover that is different from my cover: https://lccprintmaking.myblog.arts.ac.uk/files/2020/06/Long-Stitch-Tutorial-A4.pdf DAS also has a video tutorial for long stitch but it's like three videos long, maybe watch it later :'D  here's one I haven't watched but seems decent: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XnignTL_wDQ

you can use saddle stitch for this kind of pamphlet as well, that's what I did for dozens of ships and hundreds of souls (https://ashmouthbooks.tumblr.com/post/681587080267202560).

I hope this helped!!

[ashestodustdusttoashes]

CAUSE OF DEATH (See instructions and examples) by @floofyfluff

So, one morning I woke up to notifications of the first four chapters of this dropping. I opened the first one, went into a fugue state, and emerged hald an hour later with the design concept READY TO GO.

I typeset this fic as it came out (which is not the smartest or most efficient way to go about it, but I just couldn't help myself), and it was A BLAST. The last two chapters doubling the word count might have given me a pause, but no, I CRAVED THAT CONCEPT.

The format of this thing is pretty interesting, because it's like half an A5 or A6 but sideways? I had a lot of fun figuring out how to make it happen.

And for the cover design/materials I went with a reference that’s funny only for me: it looks A LOT like a late Soviet-era medical record. They obviously didn’t have a third of an American death certificate on the cover, but I needed that, because it’s pretty much title page/table of contents rolled into one. Oh, and I carved my imprint logo into a stamp for the back cover, and found an actual stamping pad, because why not.

I went for that even heavier in the typeset, with each chapter being a box in the certificate, so first lines look like they were written into the box by hand. Ish.

And for the author’s notes I chose another reference — they are vintage prescriptions. A neat stack of them lives in a pocket cut into the back cover.

All in all, extremely proud of this project! And if my rabid rambling was not clear enough, let me quote Bigolas Dickolas Wolfwood: read this. DO NOT look up anything about it. just read it.

[ashestodustdusttoashes]

Calling myself out

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Someone has to have a stat block for a Zapato of Returning. Why can’t I find it?

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How to sew a front-bead endband! ✨

And you’re done 🙌

[ashestodustdusttoashes]

BEHOLD!

This is all from one manga mind you. & I ain't even finished reading it. :T

[ashestodustdusttoashes]

Sebastian Castellanos after losing his daughter and wife just to end up in a machine, TWICE, operated by a sociopath who wants revenge

[ashestodustdusttoashes]

Heard y’all like horses!

[ID: Illustration of a pale grey horse with a dark smouldering head from which a great deal of smoke erupts. The smoke climbs onto a very dark stormy sky, the colors slowly blending together. The foreground is made up of lots of dried prairie grasses.]

[ashestodustdusttoashes]

This April 1st, @bobaboard proudly presents our first ever Kickstarter:

✨The Fujoshi Guide to Web Development✨

Join us for a fun and educational adventure sure to hold the interest of even the most "no studying, only studs" fans.

The secret? Hot fictional men, of course!

If you're new to @bobaboard's April 1st traditions, you might wonder: Is this just an elaborate joke?

As long-term fans know, it’s elaborate, it’s a joke, BUT it’s also a 100% real, high-quality product you can buy. Check out the full pitch and back us at the #FujoGuide Kickstarter page! Keep reading for more!

Since the very beginning, we have championed the weirdness of fans as the best antidote to the blandness of the corporate-driven web. But pointing out this weirdness is not enough: we must nurture and empower it.

But how do we hold fans' attention in a world full of distractions? Well—

But jokes aside, there's no joke: with your help we will make #FujoGuide an amazing teaching tool that will (cough) "fill the gaping holes" in current educational materials for web development.

To fix the web, what we have now is not even close to "good enough." Here's why.

While teaching fannish "baby coders," we noticed existing materials fall into two categories:

jargon-heavy, complex guides designed for professional developers

oversimplified, nostalgia-driven tutorials filled with outdated approaches

…and not ONE hot man in sight!

Instead, #FujoGuide aims to put modern web development techniques into the hands of a fannish public, speaking directly to their needs WITHOUT talking down to them.

We love web development, we love fandom, and we believe that, with the right tools, they'll also love each other.

But words can only do so much. To support #FujoGuide and learn more about Version Control, our first—bold!—choice of topic, head down to Kickstarter and (cue YouTuber voice) smash that "back this project" button!

This whole project was created by a small team of fannish people over the course of just two months (yes, really)! The amazing quality of what you see is testament to their infinite talent, passion, and patience. Applause pls (on the credits doc).

And with this… our 30 days countdown begins! As the month progresses, we'll teach you more and more about our new beloved self-shipped blorbos. We know you'll come to love us as much as we do.

Also if you aren’t already, follow our mothership and main project @bobaboard.

[ashestodustdusttoashes]

An informational comic I illustrated for my comics 2 class about drag!

[ashestodustdusttoashes]

Rainforest Horsehair Mushrooms

Marasmius crinis-equi

22/02/23

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Choose Your Alignment stickers

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Im sure the servant girl is charming.

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Know your puppies!

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I *BELIEVE* in the power of the peets 🐾🙌✨

[ashestodustdusttoashes]

!!!ATTENTION TO ALL CUSTOMERS!!!

Recently there have been news regarding new Joja Pillow Cases having some serious design flaws that resulted in several major incidents. Sadly, we have to inform you that these are true. Joja Pillow Cases, indeed, have some incredibly dangerous mistakes that were made during their production, - they are actually murder cases. We are sorry. We promise that those mistakes will never, ever be made again unless it's convenient.

Join us. Thrive.

[ashestodustdusttoashes]

Stardew Valley, void chickens