#I'm so sorry but that image has me in STITCHES

[the-cat-and-the-birdie]

Dis why Hobies jeans so tight

[ozzgin]

Is it just me or can I imagine a yandere with a darling who’s immune system and possibly everything about them just screams weak and pathetic, BUT their darling is actually very strong mentally and has and will create the most fucked up, batshit crazy inventions from what used to be harmless to something that can help them escape and possibly destroy everything in its path.

But at the end of the day, they become sleepy koalas who hug whoever is near them and fall asleep :)

This could be a request or rant, whatever you can think of! I just wanted to see how different yandere writers would interpret this small imagination of mine <3

But as always, stay safe and take care! everyone needs a break some time to time~

Sorry, but the moment I read the Darling's description, I instantly thought of Dr. Finkelstein from Nightmare Before Christmas. You know, Sally's inventor. 😭 So let me quickly write this down while I'm in my Shelley vibes, because I like the idea a lot. With a little twist, if you don't mind. :)

Yandere! Monster x Inventor! Reader

A frail inventor, and their affectionate rag doll that has been carefully stitched together for the purpose of a caregiver. An artificial existence, trapped within the confines of your lonely tower. Or so you might think.

Content: gender neutral reader, monster romance, obsessive behavior

"I ought to be thy Adam, but I am rather the fallen angel..." [Frankenstein]

You dangle an old, rusty bell for a good minute before leaning back in your chair. The barely audible chimes are quickly swallowed by the loud, mechanical groans of the gears and engines occupying most of this room. No matter, his ears are good. You picked them yourself. And surely enough, within moments, the door to your laboratory opens and someone cautiously walks in.

A tall, slender man. Or rather, something meant to resemble a man. The skin is a clumsy patchwork of blues and grays - you're no talented seamster, sadly - gathering together the body parts in what feels like a parodic attempt at mimicking God and his image. You gaze at the creature approaching you with a tray of tea and sweets. Scarcely your best work, if you must adhere to honesty. Regardless of the quality of your labor at the time of creation, you are proud of the result. How could you not be? You know this man better than you know yourself. Every organ, every artificial nerve cord, every blemish and stitch of his body was placed according to your intentions. A masterfully detailed project that took you years to complete; not an easy feat considering the lamentable state of your health.

"Here's your deadly nightshade tea." The man places a small, porcelain cup on the desk. "Do let me know when I should take you to bed, (Y/N)." You wave your hand dismissively and stretch out your limbs. "Not yet. I am almost finished", you respond, returning to the mound of metal scraps and pipes before you. "Can I ask what you're making?" The pale creature lowers himself to your level, a curious smile plastered on his face. "It's a mechanical heart", you reveal boastfully. "Like the one I have?" You run your hand through the creature's hair affectionately. "Almost. I'm testing out a different way to build the valves, for a more efficient pumping cycle." You continue to explain the intricacies of your novel mechanism, occasionally sipping on your tea. "Who knows, you might have a sibling in the near future."

The man's smile drops in an instant, and his sunken eyes widen at your statement. "What? Am I- am I not enough?" You glance at the creature as he becomes increasingly frantic. "Don't speak nonsense. If it comes out alright, I'll upgrade your own parts as well. I'm a disciple of scientific virtue, of continuous improvement." Nonsense? Vile treachery! You might've chiseled the brain that throbs within the walls of his skull, but his mind is his alone, and you seem to lack a fundamental understanding of his feelings and thoughts. His ardent confessions of love are met with mockingly pitiful grins, in the way a parent soothes a needy child. Even now, your eyes reflect nothing more than sympathy towards his protest. A childish tantrum is what you're most likely thinking. You've no time for emotional bagatelles. He can read you like an open book.

You simply won't understand. There is no place for a stranger in the life he's crafted with his very own hands: you, and him, and the evening tea with a side of butterscotch biscuits, and the bedtime talks, and the stripped branches of the decaying tree that rap at the windows on stormy nights. You might be the Inventor, but he is not just a mere, humble servant, a rag doll to be tossed around or toyed with. As you will soon discover, after all.

You awaken in the midst of night with your temples burning from a much too familiar headache. Although it's not just the pain that has disturbed your slumber. You can hear rattles and thuds coming from the upstairs laboratory. An intruder? Oh, your creations! The sound of glass breaking and metal scraping sends you into spiraling despair. You fumble to reach the nightstand, patting the surface in search for the bell and keys. You shake the handle in a panic, unable to find anything else in the darkness.

The chaotic rustle abruptly stops, followed by descending footsteps. You hold your breath as the chamber door opens, but it's none other than your creature. "Another flare-up? Shall I bring you some medicine?" the man asks with monotonous courtesy. "What have you been doing? What's all that noise?" you demand, agitated, but upon lifting yourself off the mattress you discover your legs are numb and uncooperative. The man hurries to your bed with a worried frown, and you hear the familiar clatter of the keychain coming from one of his pockets. "Have you taken my keys? Cease this foolishness at once!" Indifferent to your reproach, he places a firm hold on your shoulders and forces you back down, tucking you in effortlessly.

"You must forgive my impertinence." he says in a pleading tone. "I do not wish to impede the works of your genius. As your partner, however, it is my duty to prevent you from making mistakes." You furrow your eyebrows at his words. "What mistakes? My invention was flawless!", you argue fervently. "Indeed it was, but not its purpose. What need have you for another being?" It is the creature's turn for a passionate speech. He stands up with a confidence you don't recognize and continues: "You should know by now that I am fit to perform any role. That of your servant, your caregiver, your lover, or anything else you may desire. You can resume your tinkering starting tomorrow, but such blasphemies to our bond as the one today will not be tolerated." He straightens his vest and reaches for the door handle. "I will prepare some tea to help you rest."

Inconceivable. Your own creation, built with your own hands...Has something escaped your attention? His dialogue is deranged, tainted by madness. "Have I done something wrong?" you mumble to yourself, deep in contemplation. "Nonsense." the creature turns to face you briefly. "It was you who created me after all. Everything is perfectly splendid."

[vbecker10]

The Night Nurse (Part 4)

Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 5 / Part 6 (in progress)

Pairing: Loki x female reader (Y/N)

Summary: You are the newly appointed night nurse for SHIELD and you couldn't be less excited about it. You have been given the side task of finding out who is stealing supplies from the infirmary. Soon after you start, you learn Loki is the one who has been slipping in at night to patch up his wounds and you confront him about why he can't heal as quickly as Thor. He reveals a dangerous secret he is keeping from the team and you worry increasingly for his safety as the two of you become closer over the next few weeks.

Warning: You asked for angst so I shall give you angst lol but also... some mentions of blood, minor injuries needing stitches, arguing between you and Loki, you being super awkward and Loki being oblivious, some swearing, some smut, a pretty major injury towards the end but no one dies... a romantic ending was requested so of course there will be fluff and cuteness and whatnot

Smut!: Loki uses his telepathy for good finally, pants stay on but shirts are off (sorry but just a little lol... I also don't know what I'm doing lol I'm better at angst than smut I think but let me know)

A/N: ummm... this one is like 80% smut-ish and then 20% angst lol as my thanks for putting up with me 💚 also I have no idea how it got to be this long...

I'm so sorry @glitterylokislut , I hope this is turning out okay 🫣

@jiyascepter thanks for taking a first look at some of this! 💚

You stand in front of Loki, his legs still on either side of yours, his hand slides ever so slightly up and down your back. Your chest is close to his bare chest and you allow your thoughts to wander for a brief moment.

Loki's other hand moves to the side of your neck, touching you lightly in the same place it rested in the image that was in your mind only seconds ago. He pulls you gently closer, your fingers graze his back and he smirks at you. "That was a very interesting little thought you had, darling," he says as his lips inch slowly closer to yours.

"I was hoping you would like it," you smile nervously. Loki doesn't move any closer to you and you desperately think, kiss me.

He shakes his head no lightly, his lips so close you can feel his breath against your lips, "I want you to say it out loud."

You feel your skin flush up your neck to your cheeks as his eyes flicker from your eyes to your lips and back. "Kiss me," you say just above a whisper.

As soon as you say the words, his lips touch yours gently and you close your eyes. You try to deepen the kiss but he pulls away suddenly causing you to pout at the loss of contact.

"You simply requested a kiss my love," he grins, feigning innocence. "Do you want more?"

You nod and blush again when he strokes your cheek slowly, his eyes contact unwavering. You struggled with speaking your mind when you were intimate with your last partner. You knew exactly what you wanted but you kept your desires to yourself. Asking to be kissed or touched ofter made you feel embarrassed or needy since your ex rarely granted even your simplest request.

You can tell by the look on Loki's face that he is aware of how you are feeling. His fingers trace their way down your cheek to your chin then his thumb grazes your lower lip. "If you would like, I can continue to read your thoughts," he suggests an alternative.

Read my thoughts, you think quickly in response.

He smirks, his lips coming closer to yours again, "Tell me how to please you."

Thoughts flash through your mind and Loki responds instantly, his lips crashing into yours fiercely. One of his hands moves to the back of your neck while his other hand grips your hip. He pulls your body flush to his then slides his hand down. You giggle in surprise when Loki squeezes your ass but his lips never leave yours. His hand stays on your ass for a moment then slides up to your lower back, under the fabric of your shirt. His fingers graze your skin lightly, goosebumps spread across your back from the contact.

Loki breaks the kiss and chuckles in response to your frustrated whine. "I'm sorry, Y/N, but I have just realized how unfair this is," he says and you tilt your head, unsure what he is talking about. "Here I am, without my shirt and you are still fully clothed," his fingers skim the neckline of your scrub top.

You giggle and shake your head, "I'm not letting you put your shirt back on." You run your fingers down his perfectly sculpted chest, feeling his muscles move when he laughs again.

"Well then you will need to remove yours," he tugs lightly at the bottom of your shirt.

You bite your lip at the idea. The last thing you imagined when you were getting ready for work this afternoon was that Loki would be seeing what you picked out while you were half asleep. You think, trying to remember which bra you had grabbed from your mostly empty drawer. Tomorrow is laundry day so you were also down to your last few pairs of panties.

He kisses your forehead, pulling you from your thoughts. "Do you think at this exact moment I am concerned about whether or not your undergarments match each other?" He chuckles and you instantly feel silly for letting your mind wander. "That black lace set you are thinking of would look just as sexy on the floor as a mis-matched one, I assure you. Although I think you should buy a green set for next time," he smirks.

"I have one," you giggle and picture the emerald green lace bra and panty set you bought recently.

He hums softly in approval and kisses your neck as his fingers slide under the hem of your scrub top.

"Loki," you sigh his name in response to his hands sliding up your back inside your shirt.

His hands slide back down and then he grips the bottom of the soft fabric. Slowly he raises it, lifting your top up over your stomach and your chest. You close your eyes briefly when he pulls it off over your head and you open them when you hear it hit the floor somewhere behind you.

Loki's eyes roam up and down your body, a lusty grin spreads across his lips. "You are beautiful, princess," he says in a low voice as his eyes focus on yours again.

You blush and look down at your body. Ahh, I did wear my oldest freaking bra today, you think suddenly becoming annoyed. I have so many pretty ones.

He smiles and hooks one finger under the strap then moves it up and down, his finger brushing your skin. "If you do not like it, I will glady make it disappear," he offers with a mischievous smile.

You nod quickly and your bra vanishes in a puff of green mist. Another thought pops into your mind without warning.

Loki laughs, "It is not gone forever, love. I will bring it back when we are done, I promise." He kisses your nose, "Your mind wanders to the strangest places at the most fascinating moments."

You laugh, "I told you it was weird in there."

Loki smiles and shakes his head then stands from the table. You take a small step back but his hands settle on your waist. He picks you up easily, turns and lays you on the exam table on your back. A quick image of the exam table collapsing under your combined weight pops into your mind.

"Focus," he chuckles. "I do not think you need to concern yourself with the table, these were built to support super soldiers." He puts his knee on the edge of the table and as he climbs on top of you, it creaks loudly. "On second thought, perhaps I should do this," he waves his hand towards the metal base and the braces become thicker. "Just in case."

You giggle, "Good thinking."

Your eyes lock on his as he lowers himself onto you, your fingers dig gently into his lower back as his lips find yours again. You open your mouth slightly and he pushes his tongue in, moving it against yours. One of his hands grips the side of your hip as you shift to wrap your legs around him. He bites your lower lip as soon as the thought enters your mind.

"Loki," you sigh his name and he kisses your lips softly before kissing your cheek then just below your ear. His lips travel to your neck, biting your skin lightly as he moves down towards your collarbone.

He lifts his body away from your chest and looks down at you for a moment before smiling at your thoughts. You bite your lip to stifle a moan when one of Loki's hands cups your bare breast and his palm rubs against your nipple. He shakes his head at your silence. He removes his hand from your breast and runs his thumb across your bottom lip, freeing it from your teeth. "I want to hear you," he says, his lips close to yours.

He keeps his eyes on yours as he lowers his lips to your breast, taking your nipple into his mouth and sucking lightly, causing you to moan and arch your back towards him. He releases you with a smirk and says, "Just like that, beautiful."

You nod quickly, agreeing to his request.

His fingers slowly massage one of your breasts and your hands move down his body as his hips press down into yours. You moan breathlessly when you feel how hard Loki is and he whispers your name as he kisses your chest. His lips move to your other breast, kissing you softly then taking your nipple back into his mouth. He looks up, his lips still on you and he smiles against your skin as you think of where you want Loki's lips next.

He kisses between your breasts and slowly begins to move down your stomach. You slide your hands up his back as he moves down your body. Your fingers brush against the large gauze bandage on his back and suddenly your thoughts turn.

Loki's lip pause and he pulls away in confusion, his eyes trying to connect with yours as your fingers trace the tape on his back absent-mindedly.

"Can you die even though you're a god?" you ask him, looking at the bandage on his cheek as he shifts to be directly above you.

"Yes," he answers quietly.

You nod and he tilts your chin so you are looking him in the eyes.

"What happened, love?" he asks. "Where did your beautiful mind just go?"

You are quiet for a moment and Loki lets you search for the words on your own instead of slipping into your thoughts. "I'm afraid," you tell him in a whisper.

"Of what?" he asks, concern spreading through him as your clothes and his reappear on your bodies in a green flicker.

"Of losing you," you admit as he sits up. "I can feel myself falling for you more each day and the more deeply I care for you, the more terrified I am that something will happen to you. We still don't know why your magic is failing or how to fix it."

"Y/N, I promise you will not lose me, I have only just found you and I do not intend for this to end. We will find a way to mend my magic and I will heal as I used to," he says as he pulls you into a hug. He presses a kiss to your lips in an effort to try and reassure you.

You put your arms around him tightly but don't feel any comfort in his words. "You can't promise me that," you say as you rest your cheek against his chest. "You're going to keep training with Thor and keep going on missions and... and you're going to keep getting hurt." You touch his bandaged cheek lightly as you lean away from him. "Your magic is healing you slower and less completely each time you are injured. The last stitches I gave you even left a small scar."

"Y/N..." he says with a worried expression.

"I've seen horrific injuries on this job, bullet wounds, stabbings, burns... I've lost people I've tried desperately to save for hours..." you shake your head. "I can only continue to work here because I've learned to distance myself from my patients. I'm not friends with any of the SHIELD agents or the Avengers on purpose, Loki," you tell him.

"I don't know if I can wait here terrified that you're going to come back to me hurt... or that you won't come back," you feel the same tightness in your chest that you did when you waited for him to arrive tonight.

He kisses your forehead softly and you look up at him, tears threatening to fall.

I hope you liked this!! Please like, share and comment if you did 💚💚 Please let me know if you want to be added to my taglist!

@soubi001 @mochie85 @lokiswife-dark-fox-queen @animnerd @cabingrlandrandomcrap @icytrickster17 @lokisgoodgirl @mischief2sarawr @stupidthoughtsinwriting @mjsthrillernp @holdmytesseract @lulubelle814 @goblingirlsarah @alexakeyloveloki @siconetribal @lokidokieokie @kneelingformyloki @jiyascepter @eleniblue @loreniscrying @muddyorbsblr @alyeskathewave @loz-3 @firedrakegirl @javagirl328 @princess-asgard @morally-grey-variant @soulpiercing @km-ffluv @glitterylokislut @biodegradable-glitter-fest @wolfsmom1 @simone818283 @hopefuldreamers-world @talesofadragon @meg81589 @rcailleachcola

[little-miss-dilf-lover]

hi! i hope you’re well. I’m back again with a request. i was thinking tan and reader being good friends and both having feelings for eachother. the reader is a nurse so tan often gets fixed up by her after missions. most of the times he comes over at a reasonable time and texts or calls before hand but not this time. he comes over unannounced around midnight scaring the reader awake. after realising it’s tan she’s quick to scold him abt getting injured so badly and being there so late. she gets her medical kit and cleans, bandages and if needed stitches his wounds while he’s sitting on the counter of her bathroom shirtless while she’s checking his wounds basically standing inbetween his legs. after finishing up they realise how close they are to one another. and one thing leads to another and they..?🤭💓

hii honey!! love love it! thank you for requesting, hope you like it. the image is too fitting to pass up💌

TWO AM WAKE-UP CALL.

tangerine x nurse fem!reader — fluff/ misc

word count. 444

warnings. a couple blood mentions

Being a nurse has its perks, of course, like any job. But what you never expected was the amount of irregular visits you'd get from a particular assassin friend of yours.

But tonight was different to most. You were startled awake by erratic knocking at your front door, the loud noise echoing through your place. 

And once you peek through the peephole, you see who is on the other side.

"Fuck," you gasp, looking at Tangerine through the gap of the open door. "What happened?" you ask, looking at his hand clasped over his bicep - blood seeping through his fingers. 

"Stabbed," he says simply, walking past you - heading for your bathroom.

"Oh my god, oh my god," you mutter, closing the door behind you. "Didn't get followed, did you? Oh my god, this is so bad— careful, watch the floor. You're dripping everywhere."

He mutters a 'no', far too agonised, face crumpling up as he pushes the bathroom door open. 

You collect your medical bag and immediately follow after him, joining him in the small room. He was already sitting on the edge of the counter, bloody shirt disregarded in the sink - his helpful self making it easier for you. 

"Sorry, should've called first," he shakes his head, diverting away bashfully. 

You softly hum as you slip on some gloves, visually assessing the slice in his upper arm. "It's okay," you nod, trying to reassure him. "I like being awake at two am cleaning blood," you joke.

Though, Tan doesn't seem impressed with your attempts at lightening the air, instead rather embarrassed.

"I'm sorry," you sympathetically frown at him and turn your attention back to his arm, cleaning the skin around the wound. "I'm kidding, it's okay, really."

He only nods, turning his eyes back to you as he watches you mend him - his focus eager, unbeknownst to you. 

"Thank you," he mutters, gaze still on your face, looking down at you standing between his knees. 

"It's no problem," you momentarily smile up at him and continue wrapping the bandage around his bicep - being mindful, not wanting to hurt him further. "You have to be more careful out there... don't want you dying on me."

"You don't have to worry about me. Not letting that happen," Tangerine reassures, slipping his free hand into yours - pressing a kiss into the latex on the back of it. His head cocks to the side sweetly, looking at you with warmth in his eyes. 

"I just worry about you, that's all."

And without a second to think otherwise, he cups the sides of your face, bringing you in for that much-awaited kiss. 

[luminouslywriting]

Hi,

I hope you’re doing well after your surgery and I wish u the best, hope you feel better soon <3,

You’ve opened a can of worms here and I NEED to hear about Hambone and his dirty talk, I’m sorry, he just gives off such feral vibes (in the best way)

<3 u

This gif is actual footage of me attempting to get my brain and thoughts under control while coming up with a suitable answer for you haha. Sorry if it's not the best....I split my stitches tonight and started bleeding again—so that means I'm back to taking it easy!

That being said, my requests for MOTA and BoB are open and I love spam, so keep sending your asks/requests in!

More under the cut, cut for length, mature content below:

-Hambone Hamilton III? This man right up here? Filthy mouth, filthy thoughts, constantly swearing during sex and the foreplay haha

-It's not JUST the swearing though....it's the way that this man so explicitly can just whisper what he's going to do to you and what reaction you're going to have while you're in the middle of a group dinner date, dancing, or at his parents' house okay??

-He's very very very descriptive in an almost crude (though it's certainly lovable) way. And yes, this in and of itself is a turn on because when those vivid images start to flood your mind, there's just no stopping it

-Is almost more rough with sex because of it?? Like he's just getting warmed up and promising you that you'll be screaming his name within the next few minutes.

-He wants the neighbors to hear and understand just how loved and cherished you are—in the dirtiest way haha

-It's not degrading though—he'd never dream of calling you any of those rough names or things that aren't very kind....

-However, he's into the whole "you can take it" sort of encouragement and telling you exactly what you're going to look like by the time he's done with you

-And heaven forbid you're eating any sort of food in his presence—because he's going to take that and run with that. He'll slide up to your side and start whispering about how you can fit so much in your mouth and he'd love to see—THAT'S ENOUGH HAMMY, WE ARE AT A POTLUCK!

-Also just starts telling you quietly about how hard you make him and how he wants to take you into the nearest car or room and discipline you for making him feel this way (I'm sorry, the brat taming has made a reappearance, but this man is a dom okay??)

-Perfectly verbose in the best and the worst of times—timing is not this man's forte

[maniculum]

Bestiaryposting Plan

So the poll is still running, but I think I'm safe in saying there's sufficient interest, so I'm going ahead and typing up a "how we're going to do this" thing, which I will schedule to post after the poll ends properly. As of the time I'm writing this, over 500 people have voted for the "yes I want to draw things" option, and I had been expecting to get maybe a dozen, so we definitely have enough participants. Let's get started then:

Our Source

I had originally planned to translate an Old or Middle English bestiary, but haven't been able to find a good one -- the best option I was able to dig up only has thirteen critters, which I feel like isn't enough to really have fun with. I was debating the idea of translating a Latin one -- this would have been far more time-consuming since my Latin is terrible, but also I do need to practice it, so I figured it evens out -- when I found a solution that doesn't involve me spending hours and hours on translating.

It seems that when Aberdeen University created their digitized version of the famous Aberdeen Bestiary, they released it under a Creative Commons license. (Assuming I'm reading their copyright policy correctly; I'm not a lawyer.) It does not seem to specify whether the transcriptions and translations they attach to the scanned images are also covered by Creative Commons, but since all of those are already freely available online through their website, I can't imagine they would have a problem with me posting them here as long as I provide attribution (which I am hereby doing right here on this post) and am not using it for commercial purposes (which I am not).

The Aberdeen Bestiary is missing a few pages, but there exists a very similar manuscript, the Ashmole Bestiary (they're sometimes called "sister" manuscripts), which is not missing those pages. And I happen to have a translation of the Ashmole Bestiary in hardcopy on my bookshelf, so I can just use it to fill in the gaps. Edit: whoops, the one I have is the Bodley Bestiary. They are in the same bestiary "family", though, so it still works well enough. (I think that should qualify as "fair use", since I'm only taking excerpts and not using them commercially.)

The upside of using the Aberdeen Bestiary is that it means when I round up all the art of each critter, I can include their very nice illustrations alongside the reveal of what animal was being described.

The downside of using the Aberdeen Bestiary is that since it already is free online, people might be tempted to "cheat" by looking up the entries and finding out what animal they describe. For that, please see the next section...

Guessing the Animal

Guessing what animal is being described is not the point of the exercise. (Feel free to have theories and whatnot, but please keep them to yourself so as not to influence the artists.) If you see an entry and think, e.g., "oh that's describing a raccoon"*, and then you create a picture of a raccoon... well, you could have done a perfectly good raccoon at any point and didn't need this framework to do it. So just don't worry about what animal is meant, and do your best to draw (or paint or stitch or whatever else) based on the description! You're not getting ranked on accuracy and there are no prizes forthcoming, so... just have fun with it.

*Example chosen as something that will, for obvious reasons, definitely not be in a 13th-century European bestiary.

Edit after starting to type these things up: some of these are going to be super easy to guess, though, to the point where I don't know how possible it'll be to block out prior knowledge. Sorry about that.

General Procedure

I'm going to schedule a post every Monday (I'm thinking of queuing them for 6pm Eastern Time) with a new entry. It will be the translation of an entry from the Aberdeen Bestiary with all references to the animal's name replaced by a randomly-generated nonsense word. (Henceforth to be referred to as "nonsense-names". I'm Googling* each one before using them so I don't accidentally generate one that actually means something.) These posts will all be tagged maniculum bestiaryposting, so you can follow that tag if you want to make sure you see them.'

*Later Note: Did you know that if you search dozens of nonsense words within a short span of time, Google makes you prove you're not a robot? Repeatedly?

Anyone who wants to draw the critter being described should do so. (You are encouraged to describe your thought process re: why you've depicted it the way you have.) You can put it in its own post, or reblog the description with an image, or however you want to do it. Then tag your art with the nonsense-name I've given to the animal.This will let me and others find it. (You should probably employ copy/paste there to make sure the spelling is the same, since nonsense words are hard to spellcheck.)

A week after posting the bestiary entry, I'll go through that tag and round up all of the art contributed. Then I'll put the images in a big post (or series thereof, considering how many people might participate), along with an @ and a link to your original post.

If you want...

to not have your work included in the round-up post

to have only a link to your post included and not an image

to have me include a link to your website / other social media / etsy shop in addition to or instead of your tumblr

to have other information included alongside your work

anything else along those lines

... then just say so in your post and I will follow your instructions to the best of my ability.

I will also include, at the end of the round-up post, an image of the creature as depicted in the Aberdeen Bestiary and what it is actually called.

All posts I make on this will be collected at https://maniculum.tumblr.com/bestiaryposting so that people can look at previous ones without scrolling through the tag.

Various Notes

I'm going to trim out any religious digressions in the original entries -- bestiary authors had a habit of adding stuff like "and the raccoon is symbolic of god in such-and-such fashion, which teaches us...", and I just don't think that's relevant here.

The entries will also be presented in a random order. This is because they're sorted into categories in the original text, so if I don't change the order we're going to get stuck with, e.g., a few months of All Birds All The Time.

You should all be aware that the animals described are not guaranteed to be, you know, real. There are several entries describing animals that straight up do not exist -- some of which are mythical creatures familiar to most people, others of which are extremely obscure.

Explanations of the animal's name within the entries will be redacted.

If other animals are mentioned within the entries, they will not get replaced with nonsense-names. Originally, I was going to make the switch globally, so that if, e.g., the entry for "raccoon" read "a raccoon is about the size of a possum", and the random generator had decided that a raccoon was a balzikhear and a possum was a flunggrish, the "raccoon" entry would now read "a balzikhear is about the size of a flunggrish". However, I decided that it will cause more problems than it solves to obscure any comparisons to other animals -- so the name-switch is now localized only to the specific entry. A possum is a flunggrish only in its own entry, and remains a possum everywhere else.

I was originally going to do one post for every single entry, but there are a lot of them and they vary wildly in length & quality. So I've cut it down to exactly 52 posts, meaning that if I queue them up for once a week, this will run for roughly a full year.

Most of that cutting-down mentioned above was done by combining a bunch of the really short entries into categories -- the last half-dozen posts in this series will be group entries. You can choose to make art of any of them that strike your fancy, or do a group portrait, or just ignore them --I dunno, I'm not a cop, do what you want.

I did also directly cut some, mostly domesticated animals because there's a somewhat different approach to them based on author and audience familiarity.

So yeah, that should cover everything.

[cowgurrrl]

Pine Point

Pairing: rockstar!joel miller x actress!reader

Author’s note: 😮‍💨 (ps fic is named after this song)

Summary: You and Joel deal with the aftermath of your accident [4.7k!!]

Warnings: hospital settings, a very quick mention of a miscarriage not experienced by the reader, questionable Hollywood motives once again, quick mention of Ellie’s foster home situation, kinda angsty actually, arguing (oops), language, not a super cohesive ending

Joel stays with you all night and into the morning. You're not sure if he got any rest while sitting in the uncomfortable chair next to your bed, but you know that he never let go of your hand. Every time you woke up from a bad dream or because a nurse was prodding at you, the callouses on his hands helped remind you that you were safe. He asked questions about your injuries and what recovery would look like for you. He listened, watched, and even recorded the nurse's voice (with her permission, of course) so he could reference it later. You wonder if he did the same thing when Sarah was born. You imagine him, eighteen years younger, furiously scribbling down notes on the best way to swaddle his newborn daughter. The image makes you smile, and when Joel asks what you're smiling about, you shake your head and mumble, "Nothing."

Carolina, being the goddess that she is, stops by your house to get you a clean change of clothes before stopping by her own house for Ryan. Joel helps you change into sweatpants and a flannel button-up from your house. He recognizes it but doesn't say anything or try to take it back; he actually smiles when he pulls it out of the bag. "Looks better on you," he mumbles as he kisses you and tugs the fabric over your shoulders, shaky fingers buttoning the shirt closed for you. The air seems lighter, and the hospital less stuffy in the morning light. Your body is still sore and aching as you sit on the edge of the hospital bed, but you're in better spirits. You're ready to go home and put this all behind you.

"Hey there, stranger," a gravelly voice says, and you turn to see Carolina wheeling Ryan into your room in a wheelchair. Your tear ducts betray your better mood, and you immediately burst into tears at the sight of him. He's bruised and swollen and stitched up, but he's alive. You step off the bed with Joel's help and bend to hug him, sobbing into his shoulder. You think Carolina and Joel exchange hugs and cheek kisses, too, but you can't see through bleary eyes. Ryan reaches up and smooths your hair down like he does and has done every single time he's ever held you while you cried. For some reason, the gesture makes you even more emotional. "I knew I looked bad, but I didn't think it'd be enough to make you cry." He says, and you laugh.

"Shut up," you sniffle as you step back to look at him, carefully wiping tears from your puffy face. Ryan grabs your hand and kisses the top of it. "Besides, I look like shit, too."

"Never." He smiles, and you take a deep breath. You look up at Carolina and swallow thickly. She looks exhausted, her hazel eyes more brown than anything under the hospital lights, and her lips are cracked from pulling at the skin all night. You stare at her, and she stares back, and something unspoken passes between you. Joel keeps you upright, and Ryan holds your hand in his as you hug her as tight as you can and fight more tears. She rubs your back and gently rocks you back and forth like a baby. You've always said Ryan and Carolina were your Mom and Dad friends because they are so parental and nurturing, but it feels especially true now.

"I'm so sorry." Your voice catches in your throat, and you feel her shake her head.

"You have nothing to be sorry for. You're not the one who ran the red light." She says.

"But, I should've been paying attention. I should've seen him coming. I should've,"

"You're both safe. You protected Ryan the best you could and brought him home to me. There is nothing more I could've asked of you, okay? "

"He could've died," you say. Carolina says your name quietly, like she's scolding you, and pulls your face out of her neck, her hands framing your face. Ryan squeezes your hand, and you pinch your thigh with your other hand to stop crying.

"This was an accident. You didn't get in the car thinking someone was gonna hit you, right?" She asks, and you shake your head. "But when you did get hit, the first thing you did was check on him. You did everything possible to make sure he was taken care of because you are a good fucking friend. Maybe one of the best. So, I don't want to hear you apologizing because I should be thanking you." She hugs you again, not hard enough to hurt but enough to make you feel like she's pressing all your broken pieces together again. 

You could probably count on one hand the number of times she's hugged you like this. Once when she and Ryan got married, and you managed to keep her divorced parents from fighting the whole night with copious amounts of liquor and strategic pulls to the dance floor. Once when she had a miscarriage about a year before they had Elizabeth, and you flew home early from shooting in Maine to be with them. You weren't supposed to see them for another two months, and she broke down the second you stepped into their bedroom. And once, when your childhood dog died, and you couldn't make it home in time to say goodbye. Pieces of each of you that you never thought would ever come close to resembling what they used to have been meticulously pulled back together by each other. You can't go back and stop the accident from happening, but slowly, you can let yourself be put back together. 

"I love you," you whisper, and she kisses your temple.

"I love you, too." 

After a few more minutes of crying and hugging, Carolina and Ryan go home. You promise to come over and see them once you feel a little stronger, but they don't rush you. Joel hands you a tissue once they're down the hallway, and you smile before taking and wiping it under your eyes and nose. 

"Feel better?" He asks, and you nod. You step into him and rest your head on his chest. It's partially so you can be close to him and partially because your body hurts too much to stay upright anymore. 

"Thank you," you say. He kisses the top of your head and tucks your hair behind your ears so he can see you clearly.

"You don't have to thank me."

"I want to," you look up at him, and he smiles. Your phone buzzes on the side table, and you reach for it, but Joel stops you. His smile has dropped, and he suddenly looks worried. You furrow your brows and glance between him and your phone. "Joel, what's up?"

"Mel called this morning," he says, and your heart immediately sinks. "Um, she asked if you and Ryan would be ready to do reshoots in two weeks." You nod and bite the inside of your cheek before laughing. You feel crazy standing there, laughing so hard that the ache in your chest blossoms into sharp pain. Joel says your name softly, and you shake your head.

"I just had the scariest experience of my life, and the only thing she called to ask about was my fucking reshoot schedule?"

"I told her to wait."

"No, that's not how it works with her. She needs an answer immediately, or she doesn't get auditions, and if she doesn't get auditions, then I don't work, and she drops me," you scrub a hand down your face and take a deep breath. "I'll call her when I get home."

"What're you gonna say?"

"I'm gonna say yes."

"What?" He asks. "You just said this was the scariest experience you've ever had, and you wanna just go back to work?"

"I don't have a choice. The entire schedule gets thrown off if we don't go in and do whatever they need us to do. Thousands of people are relying on us so they can make money to feed their families. If I say no, production gets halted, it takes longer to get the movie to screens, and we lose money," you shrug. "And they'll put makeup on the bruises and stuff. It'll be like it never even happened. Just how they want it."

"You don't have to go through with this. I'm sure Mel would understand." He insists. 

"You don't know Mel, then," you say. "I'll message her later. It's easier to just shut up and do it than fight about it."

"But-"

"It's fine, Joel. Please, just drop it." You blame your brain pulsing against your skull and the searing pain in your knees for snapping at him. It's not what you wanted to say, but you're so tired. And angry. And in pain. You pull away from him and sit back down on your hospital bed as a nurse comes in with your discharge paperwork. She's incredibly cheerful for ten in the morning. It almost hurts your head having to listen to her describe different types of infection and how to prevent it. Joel nods as she speaks, obviously taking in every piece of information he can and clutching the paperwork to his chest. 

"Other than that, I think you guys are good to go. Do you have a way of getting home?" The nurse asks you.

"I'm takin' her back to my house," Joel answers, and you have to bite your tongue before you say something about him speaking on your behalf. The nurse leaves you with a wheelchair so you don't have to walk all the way to the car, and you look at Joel.

"I can take care of myself,"

"I know you can," he says as he begins gathering your things around the room. "I just wanna take care of you, too." He's being incredibly kind and helpful, you realize that, but that does nothing to stop your frustration with the whole situation. 

Mel will always be Mel, this much you concluded years ago. But Joel butting into your professional life feels like a step too far. You know this business like the back of your hand. He doesn't. It's unfair for him to try to tell you how to deal with your agent when he doesn't know the repercussions. He doesn't understand just how many people are relying on you and Ryan to come back to set for a few reshoots. It would literally waste hundreds of thousands of dollars in studio money to push this back. Answering the nurse's question without consulting you first did nothing to make you feel better. 

Joel seems to notice the silence filling the space between you at the same time as you because he turns and leans down so he can look you in the eye. All your things are stuffed into the huge bag Carolina fished from your closet, and the hospital room looks identical to when you arrived. Joel takes a deep breath and grinds his teeth as he thinks.

"Please, let me take care of you." He says quietly, his tone gentle and borderline begging. Nobody's taken care of you during a sickness or an injury since you left your parent's house. Especially after you started becoming more famous, you didn't want anyone to see you in that vulnerable state and exploit it. People like you are expected to suck it up, keep going and hope it'll go away in a week or two. 

This is different. This is letting Joel assume responsibility for you for at least a few days, something you're sure you'll feel horrible about after the fact. This is staying at his house, eating his food, and sleeping in his bed because you're too wobbly to do those things alone. This is trusting him way more than you ever have. But he wants to. He told you he does. He took notes on how to change the bandages on your fucking stitches. He obviously cares. So, why does this feel so hard? You sigh and swallow your pride, and nod.

"Okay."

Joel's house is not what you expected it to look like. Most musicians you know stick to a very sleek, very boring black and white theme for their homes. White couch, black coffee table, white rug, black piano, white walls, black art. It's typical and almost a running joke between you and your friends each time you end up in a musician's house, but Joel's is different. His house looks lived in with scattered shoes by the door, backpacks slung over chairs, and colorful art on the walls. Some frames depict vast Texas landscapes or longhorns mean mugging the camera, while others are just abstract, bright paint splashes. There are smaller ones, too, with Ellie's loopy signature at the bottom. The couch is oversized and plush, with pillows and blankets nearby for movie nights. Report cards and family pictures hang on the fridge via silly magnets from different states and countries. You realize it feels like a real home after your first night.

You've gotten into a routine by the third day at Joel's house. Joel will wake up before you, sneak out of bed to make breakfast, and gather the pills you need to take to get through the day. Sometimes, he brings it to you, and other times, he helps you down the stairs and into the kitchen. You'll drink coffee and eat breakfast together as the sun slowly peeks over the Los Angeles skyscrapers. After you eat, he'll check your stitches and change the bandage to ensure they're healing correctly. Then, you'll just sit together and hold hands until one of the girls stirs awake, and you get to watch Joel be a dad. 

Sarah is the next one up every morning, but especially this morning, walking down the stairs a full hour and a half before school starts and giving Joel the rundown of her schedule for the day as he makes her breakfast. She asks how you're feeling and then makes sure her dad gave you your medication. You really can take it yourself, but watching them work together to make sure you're alright is sweet. They tease each other for a while before Joel checks his watch and curses under his breath, making his way to the stairs after kissing your and Sarah's foreheads. 

"I'm surprised he doesn't just yell up the stairs for her. That's what my dad used to do." You say as you sip what's left of your coffee, and Sarah shrugs.

"He doesn't yell very often. It scares Ellie. Besides, she wouldn't wake up even if he did." She says nonchalantly, and you immediately want to stuff the words back down your throat. 

"I'm sorry."

"For what? You didn't know," she shrugs, and you shake your head. "In the wise words of Hank Miller," she says before assuming a slouched posture and putting a hand on your wrist. "You're too hard on yourself, darlin'." You laugh at her Texas accent but still can't shake the feeling that you keep getting this— your relationship with the girls— wrong. 

"Well, your grandfather sounds like a very smart man."

"And he's right, y'know," she says, looking at you with those beautiful brown eyes. You wonder if she can see right through you like Joel can. "The whole time you've been here, you keep apologizing."

"I only apologized once this morning."

"Yeah, to me. How many times have you apologized to my dad?" She asks, raising her eyebrows, and you sigh. "It was a family decision to have you come stay with us. Three out of three Millers voted yes. I promise it's really okay."

"It's not that." 

"Then, what is it?" 

"I don't... I've never..." You struggle with the words. "I've never dated someone with kids, and I don't want to overstep or make you guys feel like I'm taking your dad away from you. I don't know how to do this, so I keep saying things and then just feeling stupid or like I messed up. Like I should've remembered the thing about Ellie's foster homes." You don't know why you're disclosing all the information to an eighteen-year-old, but she seems receptive. 

"Ellie doesn't want any of us to treat her differently because of her past, and I'm pretty sure if you tried, she'd rip you a new one. The fact that you're even trying makes such a difference. My dad has dated... some really not great people he never even told about us. But not only do you know about us, you care about us enough to freak out about us, which is totally unnecessary, by the way," she says. "My dad, Ellie, and I are a team, and we have been for a really long time, so we were a little worried when he told us he was dating again. But he's so happy. Like annoyingly happy." You both laugh at that and feel the weight on your shoulders ease off. 

"And Ellie and I kinda agreed that as long as you made my dad happy, we'd find a way to be happy for him, but you make it pretty easy. I like having you around. We both do."

"Yeah?" You ask, and she hums with a big smile on her face. You bump her shoulder with your own and smile too. "I like having you around, too." 

"So, no more worrying about us, okay?" 

"I can't guarantee anything, but thank you. I really appreciate you saying all that." 

"You're welcome." She says as you wrap an arm around her shoulder and kiss her temple. Joel walks back into the kitchen with a knowing look but doesn't say anything, and you wonder how much he heard. A groggy Ellie, still in her pajamas, trails behind him and blindly reaches for the orange juice in the fridge. 

"Oh, motherfucker," Ellie mutters as she sloshes around the last inch of orange juice. She holds up the mostly empty container and gives Joel a deadly serious look. "This is child abuse."

"That ain't child abuse," Joel says, already halfway to the garage. Ellie rolls her eyes before landing on you and softening.

"How're you feeling?" She asks, and you laugh.

"Better after watching you fuck with your dad."

"He's easy to fuck with," she says as the garage door opens again and Joel's footsteps get closer. "Watch this." 

"Here you go," Joel says, handing Ellie a new container of orange juice. She furrows her eyebrows and looks at him.

"I didn't ask for this."

"What? Yes, you did."

"No, I didn't."

"Oh, my God, Dad's losing it." Sarah chimes in. Joel looks confused and like he's genuinely trying to remember if Ellie asked for it, and you can't stop the snort from leaving you.

"You little shit," Joel says, making Ellie laugh. Then, in the blink of an eye, Joel tickles Ellie, and her screeching laughter fills the kitchen. You and Sarah laugh, too, especially when the laughter turns into squeaks. Ellie tries to slip out of his grip, but he picks her up, hauls her over his shoulder, and makes for the backdoor. 

"Joel Miller, do not throw your daughter in the pool!" You yell, and he groans before turning back around and dumping a still giggling Ellie on the couch.

"You win this round, kid," Joel points in her face before kissing her cheek. "Alright, we're gonna have to leave for school soon. Can you be ready in thirty minutes?" 

"Yes, I'm not Sarah."

"Hey!" Sarah shouts as Ellie runs back up the stairs to get dressed, giggling the whole way to her room.

As you and Sarah talk about school, Joel puts eggs, bacon, and toast on a plastic plate for Ellie to eat in the car, forever worried about her missing meals. He takes a little longer than he needs to so he can watch how you two interact, his eyes twinkling in the sunshine. You and Sarah have been friends from the jump, but you have to admit that there's something a little more sacred about her letting you into her space. You and Sarah do your best to ignore his puppy dog eyes, but when Ellie comes downstairs with her backpack slung over her shoulder, she makes a face.

"Why do you look like that?" She asks, making Joel quickly snap out of it.

"Why do you look like that?"

"That's so funny. Did you come up with that yourself?" She rolls her eyes. Joel does a squeaky, high-pitched voice to mock her as he grabs his keys from the counter. He walks over and pecks your lips before walking to the front door.

"Alright, Miller bus is leavin'! Let's roll out!" He yells. The girls bid you a quick goodbye before chasing after him, leaving you completely alone in the house. 

After putting your dirty dishes away, you venture through the house now that you feel a little stronger. You start at the fridge, looking through all the little pictures and magnets deemed worthy of being seen daily. You decide that your favorite is the one of Joel, Tommy, and the girls at the Grand Canyon. It looks like it was taken a few years ago based on the babyish plumpness of Ellie's face and the braces on Sarah's teeth as she smiles. Joel is squinting in the sun, but he's so completely in his element in the desert with his family, hands on the girls' shoulders. It's pinned to the fridge with a Washington, D.C. magnet depicting the Lincoln Memorial. 

As you glide through the house, you keep finding new favorites. Many other celebrities you've met either don't hang up their family photos because they run the risk of ruining the aesthetic of their home or because they don't want people to see them. Joel, however, has massive frames holding multiple pictures of his family throughout the years. A picture of a much younger Joel with a baby strapped to his chest sets you back on your heels because of just how little he looks. He can't be older than twenty-three as he poses, one hand on baby Sarah's back and the other holding a diaper bag. You watch them grow alongside each other as you move down the wall. 

You see pictures from an elementary school career day where Joel and Sarah pose with different tools. Pictures of Tommy, Joel, and Sarah lined up for what looks like a Fourth of July parade when Sarah was a toddler, her chubby hands latched to her dad's as she sat on his shoulders. Then, suddenly and without warning, a round little face framed with wavy brown hair enters the pictures, but it feels like she was always meant to be there. There's a framed photo strip of the three of them making goofy faces at the camera and pretending their dad isn't cool as he kisses their cheeks and rests his head on Ellie's shoulder. You feel almost emotional looking at the worn photos and seeing their love for each other transcend a camera lens. Though, a buzzing in your pocket stops you from thinking any more about it, and you roll your eyes as you read a text from Melanie.

Heard what happened. I'm so sorry :( I got all those pictures from the crash taken down 👍 Still good for reshoots in two weeks?

You sigh and type out a response as the front door opens and Joel walks back in. 

"What're you doin'? I thought you'd be in bed." He says, and you shake your head.

"I wanted to snoop, and I'm responding to Melanie about scheduling." 

"Oh, good. When are you gonna move reshoots to?" He asks as he walks over, his keys still jingling in his hands from dropping off the girls. 

"I'm not moving them."

"What? I thought you were gonna try and change it." He says as you press send on your message confirming the dates and look up at him, confused. 

"I never said that." 

"We talked about it at the hospital."

"Yeah, but I never said I'd change the time just because you didn't agree." You say, and he scoffs. You tuck your phone away and cross your arms over your chest while he searches your face like he's waiting for the punchline to a joke he's never heard. When it doesn't come, he shakes his head.

"Wow." He breathes, and you furrow your brows.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"Something."

"I just can't believe you didn't even try to fight her on it." He says in a frustrated tone, and you give him three beats of silence to rethink what he just said. 

"Melanie can be a bitch, but she's also responsible for my career. If I fuck her over, I fuck myself over." You say when he doesn't backtrack.

"Is that what she told you?" 

"Joel," you warn, but he doesn't stop.

"If you keep goin' like this, it's gonna kill you. Do you realize that?" He asks incredulously, and you throw your arms up.

"We are in entirely different worlds when it comes to our careers, so can you please stop telling me how to run mine? I don't get on you this much about your job."

"Because I don't work myself to the bone like you do."

"You're right. You don't," you snap, and he takes a deep breath. You're not quite sure where to go from here. You don't know if this counts as a fight, but you know you feel bad. "I already confirmed. I can't change it now." You say softer than the harshness that took over your voice moments ago.

"Okay," he nods. "Then, 'm comin' to set with you because we both know that if somethin' goes wrong, Mel isn't gonna do shit to help you." He says, all of his frustration pointed at your manager now, and you want to argue that what he said isn't true but can't find the words. You think it's because, deep down, you know he's right, but you won't say it. Not now. So, instead, you just nod and unclench your jaw.

"Fine." You say as you pull out your phone to add an addendum to your previous confirmation. Joel walks into the kitchen and puts his keys on the counter before leaning against it, arms crossed over his chest. Once you're done typing, you look up and stare at him, watching the gears in his head shift.

"I really thought the car accident would've made you wanna slow down or, at least, take the time to recover. Make you see there's more to life than just work." He scoffs, and you bite your tongue so hard you taste blood. You move from your place by the photos and reach the bottom of the stairs, fighting tears, before you turn to him. He hasn't moved, but he's watching you.

"I hope you know that was a really fucking shitty thing to say to me. I would never take something like this and spin it against you because I care about you."

"I do care about you."

"Then, let me do my fucking job and stay out of my way." You walk up the stairs with a little stomp in your step. It feels very juvenile and petulant, but you're pissed and embarrassed. Who is he to dictate what you do and when? It's none of his fucking business how you run your own career. Who is he to make you feel bad for working? To fight with you about something that doesn't concern him? 

Still, even as these angry thoughts spiral in your mind, you cry the second you close the bedroom door behind you. The physical pain, nightmares, arguments, and guilt eat you from the inside out. And as you sit in that big house overflowing with love so real you can feel it in the floorboards and the man who showed up at the hospital for you downstairs, you feel completely and utterly alone for the first time since you signed your name on that stupid contract. 

[asexualbookbird]

Top 5 craft projects you made?

IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER!

We have Beeby, the Minecraft Bee! It was announced and I KNEW I had to make one haha I made each minecraft pixel one centimeter I think? And used that as a guide. There's a felted heart inside too :)

THE MOMOFUKU MILK BAR BIRTHDAY CAKE, for my sisters birthday in 2020. So no I didn't even get to taste it. It took me like three days. It was fun and very impressive and it looks VERY COOL!

HOT OFF THE PRESSES WE HAVE TINY BOUND BOOK EARRINGS (LOCKED TOMB STYLE) This was a gift and the reason this ask has been sitting in my inbox. The recipient has opened them , gift has been GIVEN! lots of fun! I couldn't find hi res images of the entire cover spread so I scanned them myself! Got my math wrong and had to trim the book parts after they were bound! Used silver plated earring because nickel allergies are no joke. Would do again!

Someone on instagram is making these giant piped flower pieces and it looked so fun I tried it myself. This was my first (and so far only lol) attempt and I think it came out cool! It was a lot of fun and I DO want to do it again, but I've never so much as piped a flower in frosting so it's a new skill I have to learn. I'm still looking for one of those. Stick things. That cake artists use to make frosting flowers. The only place I've found one is Hobby Lobby and well :/ I'd really like to make a larger piece of lilies for my mom!

AND FINALLY! MY FIRST BIG CROCHET PROJECT! THE RADIANCE BLANKET! This was in a mart maxim magazine that was sent to our house and I said WOW I WANNA DO THAT so my mom bought me the pattern and about ten rows in I was struggling and noticed. Oh. This is an Intermediate pattern. I'd only ever made amigurumi at the time, so all I knew was single crochet and slip stitches LOL it was an ambitious first project but I learned a lot! This is on my moms large queen sized bed so its BIG! Took me about a year to finish, with a long break over the summer because it was too hot to work on it.

THANKS FOR ASKING SORRY IT TOOK SO LONG HOPE YOU HAVE A GOOD DAY!

[scandalouslamb]

Do you ever think abt how gaul was originally an obstetrician? I’ve never seen in discussed anywhere but that detail chilled me to my core when I read tbosas. sorry this is sooo random but I needed to share that with somebody. Kbye:3

I actually think about this surprisingly a lot! I was so sad that they didn’t include that detail in the movie when she’s stitching up Snow!

It’s actually one of those throwaway lines in the book that really make the character for me! (the other one being Festus Creed dogfighting line)

The way she talks about the parents wanting reassurances about their kids futures and her being unable to give them any (Ch. 16):

To me, her words characterize her as someone who wants certainty and control, and despite all her claims that people are born ruthless and bad, she still needs to influence people to get them to reinforce her own worldview. Confirmation bias.

I just think that it matches so well with her character that what children might face in the future (and possibly shape them) makes her uncomfortable (but maybe I'm reading too much into it).

Also there's something to her talking about this while she's stitching Snow up that really reinforces a kind of creator-creation imagery to me. Like she's waiting to deliver him into the world reborn. Volumnia being the name of Shakespeare's Coriolanus' mother... There's something here that has to be at least partially on-purpose by Suzanne Collins. I'm not just making things up (unlike 90% of this blog).

Anyway, being brought into the world by Gaul of all people does invoke a sense of horror (also lol Snow's internal monologue in that scene). It's why I weaponize it in my Dr. Gaul-Pres. Ravinstill weird dynamic. (I headcanon that despite the Vickers' being the President and by extension his family's personal physicians. Gaul still comes out of obstetrician retirement to help with the births of all of the president's brother's progeny... which obviously includes Felix. I've been putting him through situations in my mind since his literal birth.)

I've mentioned her past as an obstetrician a couple times in my Pres. Ravinstill-centric fics as well. The above headcanon makes a guest appearance in one of them (In Your Image), and I definitely mention it in passing within Ave Atque Vale.

Umm, yeah, so based on the length of this response, I definitely think about her being a former obstetrician a lot!

Thanks, anon! I am always happy to hear anyone's random thoughts on tbosas, although I can't always promise to be as able to engage with them as fully as I have here considering my unique perspective as Ravinstill EnjoyerTM (and General 10th HG Mentor Enjoyer) gives me a strange range of things I have lots of thoughts about.

[maythedreadwolftakeyou]

WIP Wednesday

I'm still trundling along over here... my biggest project right now is the Hermit embroidery. Which I have been avoiding by doing all the other, smaller pieces I've posted lately, because I put WAY too many annoying tiny sections in this pattern 😭

Luckily last night I finally finished those two loopy blue sections , which I started like a month ago. Honestly I regret my shading/color selection here a bit in several ways, but it's too much to redo (and I'd rather die probably) so I will just stick it out. I don't think it will look BAD but not perfect. Oh well. Once the rest of the colors and thread are in it will look better, though it'll probably be another 30-40 hours of stitching even though what's left will hopefully be a lot faster.

I don't think I've posted any WIPs of this yet in part because I tried a different spray adhesive to attach the stabilizer to the back, and it left these gross looking dark spots on the front of the fabric. They won't be visible when it's done or anything but it annoys me greatly to look at them as I stitch. I'm so sorry ProStick Textile Spray Adhesive I will never forsake you again in favor of another 😭

Second thing I'm working on/avoided all my real work to hyperfixate on today, is I wanted to join in that flower-face trend... i thought since the original inspo image had the kintsugi-esque look plus cracked off parts it'd work really well translated to my stained glass images hahaha. I vectorize'd my Lavellan's whole face from a screenshot (so I can have an intact stained glass portrait of her too), and my intent once I've colored/textured/etc it to look like glass, go in and draw on top to look like it was broken/fell down/has plants growing through it now. I do very much suspect my artistic vision FAR exceeds my actual artistic talent here but yknow whatever, i'll see how far i get.

(Jacinth's screenshot was taken by the wonderful @i-a-w-v ♥︎)

[bosskie]

Draw Abe and Molluck kissing.

'You know, Abe, I always somehow liked you. I didn't name you the employee of the year for nothing. I designed Mudokon Pops look like you for a reason. I would still have enjoyed killing you, I wasn't even supposed to like you, so killing you including my own feelings toward you would have been the right choice. You, blue bastard, ruined my life but also saved it... I have dreamed of crushing you but now, instead of that, I feel another kind of desire of a crush. Kiss me, you schmuck!' Molluck told Abe after they had done their parts of the deal of helping each other.

I'm actually glad that you suggested me to draw that since I have been joking about Molluck and Abe turning from enemies into lovers but never said a word about it. So, thank you for giving me a reason to draw it! (Y) Yeah, what an odd couple they would be but hey, it's Oddworld! The best 'from enemies to lovers' thing I could still imagine (I know nothing about this stuff though, only the concept).

Frankly, I'm kinda surprised at how little Abe x Molluck stuff I have seen, just one 'spicy' drawing... (I don't know about fan fiction, I don't read it.) So yeah, I personally like this ship. It's not easy to explain why but it just has depth, is odd but 'makes sense'... It's just would be quite interesting in general.

I basically had two ideas for this but I chose this one since I got this 'from enemies to lovers' idea, and well, now I 'came out' with it. I wasn't sure about where to draw them but they are somewhere at Nolybab where the sun doesn't shine, underground I mean. Molluck's name has been cleared and Abe could meet his mother, and it was all thanks to their collaboration. They were reluctant to work together at first but their relationship developed during that, and Molluck let his softer side come out more. This is idea is basically behind this Molluck x Abe thing. I know, it can sound so odd but it's not the first time if I'm odd for something I like; I have heard it for so many times already. Oh, and yeah, maybe you also noticed that Abe has no longer his stitches; it makes the kissing easier too. (Y)

And yeah, this came out more 'proper' than I planned but it's still 'quick-ish' since it's not fully rendered and looks kinda sketchy. This was also challenging to draw and I wasn't' sure of how to draw them kissing, like I didn't want it to be 'too intimate', so something simple enough. I hope that this looks okay at least. I just felt really bad about my drawing skills last night out of nowhere, so I just wish that my art doesn't look like Slog shit. I just kinda don't like how this came out but that 'better image' I have inside my head feels 'too intimate'... Just didn't feel like going 'too far' with this. Also yeah, I used a bit different style here since I'm still trying to figure out my way to do digital art, even I have done it for so many years... It's just that it feels like I'm never pleased with my art style; it makes difficult for me to feel like I had any artistic talent... I'm still always just trying my best.

Let's just say that posting stuff like this in public is difficult for me, even I still would like to post stuff like this... I don't even draw proper self-ship stuff and I rarely even draw it, even I think about myself with Molluck every single day. I guess it's mainly due to my self-hatred, like why I would spend so much time on drawing something only I'll see. I just have never drawn anything as proper as this about me and Molluck. Maybe I should but I cannot help myself but think that it's waste... I'm sorry but I just feel so awful about myself... Last night was just another night when I asked Molluck to eat me... I'm so sorry for this vent but I'm just so tired of this and cannot be silent, pretend that I was okay when I feel like crying...

I still hope that my stuff is enjoyable, even when I feel like I should just delete everything here... It's just because I can see my stuff looking so awful sometimes. I just don't feel like I draw Molluck well enough; he is still challenging to draw... I think that I should end writing for now; I just feel so bad about my stuff right now...

This doesn't really relate to the drawing, anon. This is just the usual stuff my condition makes me feel... But hopefully you like it and don't regret suggesting me to draw that kiss. I really liked drawing this still and that's probably why I painted this more than I planned; the idea of this drawing amuses me. (I tend to enjoy creating stuff in general but I rarely like what I created, the outcome I mean... Oh, and I don't really mind Molluck being with someone else than me. They are just different stories and I'm just glad that Molluck gets love!)

I just have difficulties with expressing love in public (even if it didn't relate to me, being about a ship like this), even I do have done it many times here, told you how much I love Molluck but, it still feels challenging... Like posting my 'Molluck love sculpt' was kinda scary actually but I still posted it, especially because I put so much effort on him. I don't even know what I was afraid of, I'm already used to people seeing me as a weirdo. Maybe I'm just afraid of love because this self-hatred just makes me even wish that no one loved me. But my heart still tells me that it's not true that I'm not someone to love.

Even I love Molluck with my whole heart, wish to hug and kiss him, enjoy his body every single day, it kinda scares me to be loved back... I know, it can sound odd but it's just that I don't see myself worth loving and just wish good for the others when I try to prevent them from loving me since I feel like I'm only waste of everything. My condition really makes me act and think like this. Even I realize how this is unhealthy and I imagine Molluck being confused about this behavior, it's still so difficult to feel like I'm someone to love... But the important thing is at least that I always imagine Molluck loving me, even it's difficult for me to receive that love. Even I do enjoy imagining that Molluck enjoys and loves me too, I still can feel like it's better for Molluck if he didn't... It makes me feel bad/sad but it just feels 'right' since I'm not someone to love...

These awful thoughts just don't wanna leave me alone... And if I sometimes do not vent to my posts, it doesn't always mean that I felt better. It can also mean that I feel like I should be just silent, I'm only ruining everything with my vent... It's just making me feel a bit less alone with this shit when I write this stuff here, and hopefully I can give some peer support. Also, if one day my stuff is gone or if this blog seems abandoned, you know why. I don't wish to bring more negative energy to here but I just cannot hide my condition; I'm just trying to save my life.

~ I really appreciate your tolerance and support!

[strangeaeonbooks]

So it was late at night and I was working on a small notebook for my fiance's sewing projects and I thought "why not record some of the process." So here is how to sew a text block for a case bound book:

Sorry ahead of time, some of the images got a little smudged by my fingers on my phone's camera, If you have any questions please ask!

Get your signatures ready. These are 6 signatures of 4 quartos (8 pages) coming to 192 pages.

Mark your holes on one signature, starting at the middle and I did one every inch from that middle point.

I used a straight edge to copy the hole marks along all of the signatures. **Its important to keep these signatures in the same order throughout the whole binding process** This prevents wonky looking sewing and will make your life easier.

Now puncture each hole on each signature using an awl or hole punch. I used an old pottery trimming needle.

Get your thread ready, wax if necessary, and start the sewing by bringing the needle from the outside of the book to the inside on the end of the signature.

Sew in and out of the signature til you reach the end.

Once you reach the end, repeat the process going the other direction.

On the inside of the signature, tie off your thread and push the needle/thread to the outside, pulling the knot you made out with them.

Now, bring the next signature in your stack over this one and enter through the first hole like you did with the first.

As before, go out of the signature on the next hole, but this time, instead of immediately going back in on the next hole, bring your needle down through the loop below and in front of the hole you just came through, around and up through the loop below and behind the current hole. Then back into the hole and over to the next hole.

Repeat this process til you reach the end and then add on your next signature. Remember, keep all of these signatures in the same order.

This time, and for the rest of the text block , when you exit a hole, pass the needle down and between the previous two signatures, then back up and through the hole you just exited. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe this is called a link stitch.

Repeat these link stitches with the rest of your signatures and double knot at the inside of the last hole, pulling the knot to the outside just as you did that first knot and presto! you have a text block ready for the next step! These were my first two case binding text blocks and I was surprised at how fast and easy they were.

As you can see, on this block I think I missed a stitch one of the early signatures (this block is upside-down) but live and learn right?

Edit: 8lottie8 has pointed out that what I called a link stitch is actually known as a kettle stitch! Thanks!

I'm still a novice at bookmaking and have a lot of projects in mind, it might be fun to bring you all along on the learning journey with me.

[telekineticmaniac]

My life has been whack lately and I really need to get back to the cosplay part of it — especially with how quickly Anime Boston is approaching. I think I’m gonna try to post some Link every WIP Wednesday (sorry I'm a day late over here on Tumblr) from now until then — wish me luck! 

I’ve barely started the “of the depths” set because I’ve been so busy, but I have been making some slow progress on embroidering all the fabric strips meant to wrap around his arms and legs. The markings on these wraps look curiously different in color depending on the lighting in the game (sometimes green sometimes gold), so to get that effect I’ve been combined threads of two different types of embroidery floss, and I’m satin stitching with that across an original Zonai rune pattern that I came up with based on all the symbols shown throughout the game. In these images the embroidery looks more gold than green but I hope to capture how green the threads can look in other lighting soon too! 

And side note, I’ve already gone through kinda an obscene amount of embroidery floss and bought a ton more and gave up on fitting all my new floss in one box. So I thought I’d take a picture of my little supply boxes whenever I do an embroidery update to show how much I go through and also see how many more times I need to add to my stash. Could just be a dumb idea, but could also be cool to see over time!

[neteyamb]

ashes to ashes: chapter four

pairing: loak x f!omatikaya reader

summary: as a healer, y/n had taken an oath to treat every patient with their best interests in mind. this hadn’t been a problem, until loak’s petty injuries become a routine. she has to swallow her pride and feign concern, feign kindness, and face the ugly hate that has been brewing between them for years. 

tags: enemies to lovers, slight angst, mentions of blood/injury

word count: 1.3k

notes: a little rushed cuz im leaving for the airport in literally twenty minutes but they kiss you guys

⁺˚*･༓☾ ☽༓･*˚⁺‧ ‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾ ☽༓･*˚⁺‧ ‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾ ☽༓･*˚⁺‧ ‧͙⁺˚*･

billie bossa nova

love when it makes you lose your bearings / it might be more of an obsession / you better lock your phone / and look at me when you're alone / won't take a lot to get you goin' / i'm sorry if it's torture though / that heavy breathin' on the floor / i’m yours, i'm yours 

nova – a star that suddenly increases its light output tremendously and then fades away to its former obscurity

it was debilitating, how loak had seen you for the first time. he so often had found comfort in your agitated manner and bitter tone, the two of you endlessly spitting hate at eachother in a vicious cycle; but just now, he had walked in on you talking to a man he didn’t recognize with relaxed features and soothing hands. it almost felt like he was invading, unwelcome and undeserving of the sight. and suddenly your hands were on him, foreign in their tranquility. fatigue clawed at his body as he stumbled away, but he was preoccupied; your delicate cheekbones and eased expression gripped at his chest. it was unbearable, agonizing, and loak felt antsy to get away. he all but ran from your hut, throat stinging with remorse. 

loak felt the urge to scrub the ghost of your touch off of him; rid himself of your clouding scent. he lowered himself into a stream despite the newly applied medicine coating his skin. he wasn’t ignorant to the way it washed off and left him in searing pain, but it was your fingers that put it there. loak scrubbed frantically with uneven breath, labelling the emotion that clung to him as disgust. 

✶✶✶✶

there was a large string of visitors pouring into the hut, fresh from the raid. uncertainty swam in your brain tauntingly, but there was no time to entertain it. it was hours before you and maiya sent the last of them off, both weary. as you collapsed into the seat beside her, your drained muscles screamed with exhaustion. after reveling in the stillness for some time, she slowly got up and brought an herbal tea to your hands. you glanced up at her and accepted it with gratitude.

“we did good work today, y/n. what you need now is rest.” looking down at the mug in your hands, you smile. you were relieved that your earlier argument hadn’t affected her attitude towards you, but your mind was elsewhere. why had loak left like that, disoriented and stand-offish? it made you suspicious, and slightly annoyed; his behaviour had been all over the place with you lately, and you didn’t have time to analyze the reason behind it. but still, the image of his shaking hands gnawed at your brain. finishing your tea with a final chug, you left maiya with an inattentive goodbye and went home.

✶✶✶✶

you had recently taken up weaving on kiri’s suggestion, but after a few sessions with her, your uncoordinated fingers still only left behind a knot in the material. you were perched on the ledge of a branch, not far from your usual gathering area. you groaned, toes curling in frustration after another failed attempt at making a simple pattern. how is it that you could stitch up a wound so easily but not command a single string of yarn to do your bidding? tossing it to the side, you mutter a few choice words before noticing movement on the ground below. you assumed it was kiri, watching as blue flashed through the leaves. she was the only other person you knew to walk this area. you hurriedly climb down the treetrunk, hoping to ask her for a little more help in the craft. 

as you approached the navi, you see that is definitely not kiri. loak’s muscles rippled under the skin of his back as he took long strides, not stopping as he spoke. “walk louder, will you?” an annoyed frown passed over your lips. while your ears weren’t as refined as his, you really weren’t making a lot of noise. you nudge his shoulderblade with force, sneering. why did he go out of his way to be play nice if he was just going to be a dick afterwards? “what’s your problem, loak? whatever game you’re playing at, i’m not interested.” he abruptly turned to you, gritting his teeth. “for fuck’s sake! just leave me alone, y/n.” you laugh at the irony of his statement. “excuse me? you’re the one who won’t get off my back. walking into my hut all the time, following me, looking through my journal–what the fuck is wrong with you?” frustration was quickly seeping its way into your bones; this whole situation was way too out of depth for your usual petty fights. it was becoming too personal, too close. the words you threw at eachother now carried weight.

loak squinted his eyes, feeling defensive. “let me make it clear. you have nothing i want. you’re just waiting on the sidelines all day to put bandaids on the people who actually fight. don’t get mad at me because you’re incapable of doing any other job. even if you do, you’re stuck with it,” he snarled, tail whipping behind him as he loomed over you. your hands began to shake with rage. “seriously, what would your grandmother say? or are you already such a disappointment that she wouldn’t even be surprised?” loak’s fiery eyes flamed down at you, hand reaching to grip your bicep hard in warning. “that would make two of us,” he spit.

you aimed a punch up at his face. loak was able to dodge it, but not before your fist grazed his chin. he growled, shoving you aggressively into the ground and throwing a leg over your torso. the way his teeth were barred so close to your face should have had you scared, but you were high off the adrenaline; basking in the familiarity of the argument after so much recent unease. your skin practically glowed. you yank hard at his queue in a fruitless attempt to pull him off of you, but he was quick to make a grab at your hands, crushing them harshly above your head with his own as he seethed. your lips curled into your teeth as you hissed at him, his eyes dropping to trace the action. your breaths mingled for a fraction of a second, heavy with unspoken words, before he dipped his face down to yours. he was adamant about avoiding your eyes while his mouth moved against yours drunkenly, as if to say: this doesn't mean anything.

his heavy, clouded eyes analyzed you in a trance; suddenly wanting more, yet very aware of your stillness against him. he had to play it right. he nudged his leg between your own. when you began to kiss him back with equal force, he felt feverish. loak’s lips pressed into yours harshly, prodding your mouth open eagerly with his tongue. your teeth clashed together and you stuttered under the weight of his mouth. you raised your head from the grass and shoved back against him, biting at his lips. the sound of irregular, shuddering breaths passed back and forth between the two of you, as if it was a conversation in itself. it all felt like too much. you rip yourself away from the kiss abruptly as if you were burned, and his tongue instead travels down your neck. your breath comes out in hot puffs, brows knitting together.

he was everywhere, and your head was spinning. this wasn't supposed to be happening. you were supposed to confront him, push him around, make him feel sorry. that was always how it went, how it should be going now. you began to feel restless under his touch as his large hands detached from your wrists in favour of roaming your body. they glide down your waist, grip at your hips, caress your thighs. your eyes began to swell with frustration as you clawed at his back; you felt like you were jumping out of your skin each time you reacted to him. wordless conversations weren't enough. you take advantage of your free hands, roughly pushing him off of you before you could reveal too much. "get the fuck out of here, loak."

⁺˚*･༓☾ ☽༓･*˚⁺‧ ‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾ ☽༓･*˚⁺‧ ‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾ ☽༓･*˚⁺‧ ‧͙⁺˚*･

notes: i left for the airport and i forgot my laptop charger im going to kill ymself

taglist: @weasleytwinwheezes @mrslandryy

[delilahcalicocat]

"Stay back dear, it's bad"

Warnings: Blood, Mentions of Injury, Talk about injury, mainly fluff, small amount of cursing (not too much, just the words: Damn and Hell)

Pairing: Darby Allin & our lovely OC. Melody Moxley (Jon's little sister)

Summary: after Revolution, Jon Moxley's little sister Melody, Meets Darby, Only because she's working in Medical while she heals from her match on dynamite 2 weeks prior

WC: probably 1k or 2k-ish (I'm sorry)

Author's Note: I have a couple oneshots or drabbles, I'll be making. Refraining from the smut since my Brain is filled with a tooth-rotting amount of fluffy stories, and Original Characters. And I will not be making smut fics with gore in them, this is just a oneshot of Jon's sister meeting Darby after the match at revolution, since the image of him lying there has been like permanently ingrained into my head.

[Melody's POV:]

After a long night of tending to so many injured wrestlers, I found my worst case of injury. I had to watch the matches since I was taken off the card 2 weeks ago. I hurt my wrist pretty bad in a match with my older brother, but besides that. I'm having fun working in medical that was until revolution, after the main event. I was practically screaming internally, I saw a wrestler go through a panel of glass. So I got my glass removing items ready, it was going to be a long night I could tell.

But I stood outside the medical room as Darby walked by, he gave a weak smile and said

"Stay back dear, It's bad" He limped into the room before sitting down

"Well, I'm the Worker thats on right now. My co-worker clocked out 2 hours ago." I huffed out with a frown

"Wait. So you've been dealing with half the roster for over 3 hours?!" He said

"Yeah, such is my life." I replied

"Well Damn. You have it rough." He said

"Alright, enough Chit-Chat, we gotta get the glass slivers out of your back and stitch you up." I sighed, putting gloves on.

I started removing the slivers, they were in there deep, I also had a towel for every other second I had to wipe this man's back off, after 1 tedious hour of work, I got all the slivers out, they now sat on a tray, I counted 299 slivers of glass.

"How the actual Hell did you manage to get 299 Glass slivers in your back?" I asked him

He didn't respond to my question, but I continued on. I started to stitch his head up, and I had to wipe his head occasionally. But that's fine.

"You've probably lost more blood then my brother in his match." I said

"Who's your brother?" He asked me

"My brother is Jon Moxley." I sighed

"Oh, You're Melody Moxley?" He said

"Yeah I am, Former woman's champ. Until I got injured" I sighed again

"How'd you get injured?" He seemed curious about my story

"I got my wrist slammed against an exposed turnbuckle, then had said wrist get crushed by a chair." I said with a sigh

"Oh, Damn. That had to hurt" He said

"Yeah it did." I said, rolling my eyes

[Darby's POV:]

This girl, despite us meeting like an hour ago, she seems quite tough. I like her style and how she is with medical so people don't make the same mistake as her. But I am impressed that she works for medical, even having a broken wrist.

She seems quite chill aswell, I like her.

[Melody's POV:]

After 2 more hours of work, I finished stitching up his head. I let out a audible sigh, and put the Bloodied towelette with the, for a lack of a better word. Stained Glass slivers, that tray was gonna end up most likely in the Hazmat or Dangerous Bin in the medical Office.

I got him to stand up, and I walked him to the door.

"Go to catering and get some food, but be careful." I warned him

"Uh.. actually, I was wondering if you.. maybe wanted to go to catering with me?" He said

"Oh- uh.. sure" I said, a small tinge of pink flushing my cheeks.

I grabbed his hand and we went to catering, we sat down and chatted a little

"So whats your name again?" He asked

"Melody, Melody Moxley" I said with a smile

"I'm Darby, Allin" He smiled back

"Nice to meet you!" I smiled widely

The End! ♡

[snek-panini]

It's been a few weeks since I had new books to share, but I finally got photos taken of the newest ones so today's the day. Here, have a book:

This is Across Tides and Currents, a Good Omens siren AU by Sodium_Azide and @doorwaytoparadise (hi. I hope I tagged you right). My favorite thing about this AU is that, at its heart, it's about learning to communicate with someone who is so different from you that you can't even physically speak each other's language, and yet you've still got so much common ground that you find a way. It's way lighter and more fun than that description makes it sound, though, so go read it if that's your thing.

The cover on this is Lineco book cloth, scrapbook paper printed to look like leather, and blue foil htv. The foil was actually a nightmare to do. The first time I applied it, it wouldn't stick no matter what I did, and the bits that did stick peeled off as soon as I touched them. I had to peel them up very carefully, cut a new image, and try again. Thankfully it worked the second time but I don't know that I'll be using the foil type again unless there's no other way to get the color I want. The non-foil metallic was so much easier to work with.

More book photos under the cut!

I went with a coptic bind for this one for a few reasons. The first was that I wanted to try one on a quarto-size book to see if I could. I also wanted to try the mitered corners thing I did when I bound Strange Moons, and see if I could have the same effect on the interior. (That bit didn't work out so well; the front is fine but I mismeasured the inside and the lines didn't match up, so I trimmed some pieces of cardstock to cover that up. I really like the layered look though, so that's fine. It's quirky.) The third reason is that not long before I decided to bind this one, the authors published a new chapter after two years of no updates. That's the best possible reason to have to change plans, and the glueless bind means that if they ever do that again I can just redo the stitching to add more pages. Win-win.

Getting whimsical with title pages here. This took way longer than I thought it would, probably because I don't like graphic design and I did it in Word where I do the rest of my typesetting. Usually what I do is grab an image and put text around it or on top of it and then just play with fonts and sizes, but this time I drew the lines and then made the text follow them. This is the first time I've used the word art feature since...probably 2009? I'd forgotten how. I have no doubt there are better ways to do this but if I'd had to learn a new program at that point I'd have quit. And I do think it was worth it--it's cute and fun and looks about how I imagined it.

Couple of photos of the inside. Sorry the first one's blurry, I had someone trying to get my attention when I took these. The section break image came from rawpixel, I just made it gray instead of black so it's more subtle. The fic has very nice illustrations that I specifically got the artist's permission to print and then I failed to get any photos of them when I did my little photo shoot. They look very nice, though. I swear.

The last image is something I've started including in my latest books. I'm calling them "A Note from the Bookbinder" and it's basically just me talking about why I chose that story, the experience of reading it for the first time, stuff that's going on in the fandom, stuff about the process like the new chapter coming out as I was preparing to print. It's kind of...like marginalia? Part of fanbinding is preservation and that's linked to archival work, and something I know archivists love is marginalia and diaries. I don't like writing in my books and I've never found any fun in journaling, but sometimes that kind of context is important so I'm trying to add it. Someday, decades from now, I may not remember all the details, so I'm trying to preserve them. IDK, this got philosophical on me. Go read about mermaids now. Promise it's a good time.