#reflecting on bookbinding

[sits-bound]

One year of fanbinding!

I keep thinking "I'm really new at this still" but I guess after a year, it's like, you don't have a puppy anymore, you have a dog. So now I'm in the dog phase of this hobby.

(I didn't make all of these, some were acquired in exchanges.)

In the past year, I have made around 54 books. (For the purposes of my sanity, I am not counting journals or sketchbooks, nor am I counting author/artist copies if the design was the same.)

54 books! In 52 weeks! That's basically a book a week!

Which binds are my favorites?

Ooh, that's hard. I tried to limit myself here, but these all are very special to me.

And I can't choose just one of these:

Honorable mention goes to this one, but I didn't design the typeset, so I can't take all the credit. But I do love the cover.

What's my favorite part of making books?

It's not surprising to me that typesetting is my favorite part. I designed a book for a local museum in 2007, and loved the process. Before that, I wanted to work in editorial design (I had a few jobs doing that in and after college, but that was in the olden days.)

I enjoy the part of physically creating the book too, but I find it a bit more frustrating. I'm not detail-oriented enough to make sure everything is perfect, and then I get frustrated when an endpaper is glued on slightly crookedly, or my text block isn't perfectly square. (Not that I have anyone to blame but myself!) That said, holding a completed book in my hands is the most satisfying feeling, after actually reading said book. I feel so smug when I'm reading a book I created.

I have a lot of imposter syndrome when it comes to the actual designing of covers. I know my strengths lie in manipulating existing content instead of creating it from scratch. So I need to stop comparing myself to other creators, and just do my best. We all have different styles, I tell myself.

What's next?

I'd like to learn how to sew endbands for once and for all. I have tried and given up in disgust so many times. I have watched so many videos and read many tutorials, and I just need someone to come to my house and show me in person.

I also would like to try to learn how to draw, a bit. I know I'll never be great at it, but I've also never tried to learn. I will be off work for a few months later this summer/fall, and I'd like to use that time taking some classes. Even if I could just draw designs to use on my covers, I'd be happy. I don't expect to be able to draw things or people.

I wanted to take up this hobby for a long time before I actually did it. I read through @armoredsuperheavy's guide like eighteen times before I worked up the courage to actually use it. So my advice to all of the people who tag my posts with "i wish i could do this" and "i want to do this"…do it!

[sosnastudios]

I Sing the Salmon Home: Poems from Washington State is an anthology of poems collected by Rena Priest inspired by the cycles, spirit, and wisdom of salmon. The book is bound bradel-style in salmon parchment drummed over mirrored boards, depicting salmon as they transform on their journey from saltwater sea to freshwater waterfall. The edges are graphite, with the top edge gauffered in the style of salmon scales.

Salmon parchment made and naturally dyed by the binder. Board. Original text block. Hook Pottery endsheets. Reflective mylar film. Graphite edges. Embroidery thread.

Part of the Guild of Bookworkers Traveling Exhibition: Night Circus, opening in Boston, MA in October, 2024.

[alexlibris-bookart]

A grand black leather journal with a polished brass plate at the heart of its cover. Crafted entirely by hand tools, with unwavering attention to every detail. Hard to surpass in craftsmanship next time.

Measuring 10" x 13", holding 700 pages within. A custom creation, made to last for centuries.

[adwendoodles]

tentatively final book cover design for my beloved @pearlescentpearl's fic, first rule of birdwatching club

[eowyn-igneelcheshire]

needed a journal asap, didn't want to go to the store, so I made one myself!

[lantes-blog]

IT'S DONE. MY BOOKBOUND PHYSICAL HGCZ GOLDEN ERA. if you have read hgcz read it NOW. literally right now you can find it at @hotguycomiczine it will change your life

i've been working on this since january (mostly due to the budgeting issues involving printing), and i believe have just narrowly completed this in a shorter timeframe than the actual zine (sheer embarrassment for taking so long was a great motivation). and YES i found out there was an official physical edition in production about 90% of the way through

i did draw a new cover and design a book jacket for golden era! i've never done something like that before so it was a great challenge

genuinely, hgcz might be one of the greatest pieces of art to ever come out of a fandom. i absolutely loved like. everything about the overarching story and all the details that went into this i could ramble on for hours. i have so sososo much more respect for everyone who worked on this now that i tried creating smth adjacent. this whole project, especially as a fandom related collaborative effort, is just incredible to me

bonus content under the cut!

hgcz cover notes:

there's a lot of stuff i tried to put into the golden era cover

i really liked the original wormtime cover, so the colors are very inspired by that

photograph meant to show the duo at the beginning of Golden Era, for the contrast with isjasz's polaroid by Legacy

hg is angling the camera to catch himself first and foremost, cg being in there is almost an afterthought. he's still a prideful guy!

speaking of which, they're angled away from each other as they're still not fully working together as a team

cuteguy and hotguy designs a mashup of several creators (particularly tibby-art for cuteguy and chrisrin for hotguy)

cg's eyes are visible but hg's visor hides his

hg's scars are also slightly visible as reflections, including a harsh reflection across his left eye. hmmm..

my hotguy and cuteguy refs for the cover. you can see which other artists from hgcz i took inspiration from i think

i had. so many issues. with the physical pages. sometimes my spacing would be off and some parts of the comic would get cut off and i'd have to go buy them again (i don't have a color printer). and i couldn't afford to buy all 172 pages at once so i split the trips up biweekly. anyway it was just a whole process. i ended up with so many offprints i had enough to bookbind an extra hgcz scraps book.

also where i did sketches and thumbnailing

some pics of the book in progress

[justheblueberry]

handbinding of A Study in Scarlette by kittebasu

There are people who want to live forever, and then there is Shinichi, who just wants to live a little longer than this.

this bind has been in my head since i first read the fic like, three years ago. i dreamed up so many ideas for it, for so long, and now it's finally done! the typeset was actually done in early 2022, back when i was still using google docs, but it went through a few iterations because i was just. so. fiddly. with every aspect of this book. it needed to be perfect (as close to perfect as i, an amateur bookbinder out of my depth, can get) and it had to be absolutely over the top, to reflect the insane amount of love and care that the author put into the fic itself.

the first time i read this fic, i barely knew what detective conan was, much less all of the intricate plot details; i was just along for the ride, but by the end i was completely invested. i went back and watched through the anime as well as a few movies (it took me six months) and then read the fic again. and then a few more times. kaishin and the world of dcmk has utterly gripped me. it's 100% this fic's fault and i love it so, so, much.

i went through a few iterations of visual designs and i'm really happy with the little details i managed to squeeze in.

the entire color scheme is based around red, because 1) it's a murder mystery, 2) for scarlette shinamoto (and the title of the fic as well as the original holmes novel it references), and 3) the irony of "lady red" actually being red. the secret fourth reason is that i think red/gold is a super sexy color combo.

i sewed the textblock with red thread to reference holmes' "scarlet thread of murder".

another detail i love is the five yen coin bookmark, it was one of my first ideas and it turned out even better than i thought.

i wanted the endpapers to evoke a sense of the white marbled floor of the ballroom, with the glow-in-the-dark kaitou kid caricature being the luminol on the floor, and the little pops of red looks like blood that's been mixed in. i lucked out in that the other side of the endpaper was like a lavender-purpley color, i like to think of it as a little wink wink nudge to the color of the actual Lady Red.

the chapter pages got a few reworkings, but i'm happy with the illustrations i ended up doing for each of them. the chapter titles are one of my favorite things about the fic, each one has so much meaning packed into it and flows so beautifully, and i wanted to put as much care into making them pop as possible.

the cover was a linocut carving i designed and carved, which i then printed onto the bookcloth, and ironed on htv on top.

i also threw in a couple of my drawings of my favorite scenes.

this is getting way too long, so i'll end it here. i'll have a separate post detailing the process every step of the way, if anyone wants to take a closer look. this fic is kind of directly responsible for getting me into fanbinding, so it's safe to say it altered the course of my life. i now spend way too much time (and money) looking at book stuff.

kittebasu, if, somehow, you see this and would like an author copy, i would be honored to make one and ship it to you; i would be overjoyed to gift you with any art i have the ability to make, because the fics you wrote have irreversibly altered my brain chemistry, and being able to give back in any capacity would be a dream. (thank you.)

a few postscripts:

i am not selling any copies of this fic. partially because i believe in the gift economy of fandom as well as firmly keeping fanbinding a hobby that will stay unmonetized, but also because it took me months (years, if we are counting when i first finished the typeset) to finish this and i do not have the strength.

however, if you are also a fan of this fic and would like a copy, i honestly, fervently, encourage you to give fanbinding a try! renegade publishing and its discord server are an absolutely wonderful and free resource. i knew nothing about bookbinding and had zero materials when i first started, but i've learned so much thanks to the lovely people there. if you're still apprehensive about getting started, i'd be willing to share my typeset of this fic as well as answer any questions about the making of this book if you DM me.

[satansemployee]

Fanbind of "Rebuild your Seawall (brick by brick)" by @deheerkonijn & @roselightfairy

I am so so happy to be able to share with you the complete project, and I really want to thank both Deheer and Roselightfairy for giving me permission to bind their work!

This fanfic has a special place in my heart and I'm happy to be able to give it a proper place on my bookshelf. I think it resonated with me a lot in ways that other depictions of depression never have- it really reflected my experience of depression as the gutting feeling of something that you've never experienced, yet you feel is the right way things should have been, and you never stop longing for it. If you're at all in the mood for some introspective fanfic, I highly reccomend it.

Much more unnecessary details under the cut and how the entire binding experience went, and as always thank you to the @/renegadebindery discord server without whose members I would be doing nothing at all!

Okay so! To say that this book is rounded and backed would be an insult to all bookbinders in the world but there was a sincere try at it, and it didn't really come out, but it did just enough that there's a real noticeable roundness at the spine which I am OBSESSED with. I WILL be trying to do this again with every single one of my future projects.

This project actually originally started as a way to use a ton of scrap materials I had that would have been more noticeable on a bigger project. The textblock was printed on alternating cardstocks because I didn't have enough of a single type left, and many of them are a bit faded because my printer was running out of ink. I actually kind of like the effect, but I wish the title illustration came out more defined and less foggy, since it was already pretty blurred as a file. This is also the first time I put in a bookmark! It looks different in the pictures but it is almost IDENTICAL to the colour of the endpapers, which was a wonderful gift my mum brought home from a trip. I love it in contrast to the more minimalistic cover pattern, even if those blues clearly do not match.

This is also the project with which I discovered the magic and miracles of using wheat paste to adhere the endpapers to your covers instead of glue and oh my god. I was blind this whole time. Wheat paste goes on so smooth and uniform and gives you SOO much wiggle room to adjust things. I am never going back go endpapers with pvc ever again. It does have the side effect of being very moist and it did warp the textblock inside a bit, but that's very much my fault since I keep using cardboard instead of actual press board for my books since press board is so uncommon here. And hey some might say using professional material instead of substituting medical gauze for fraynot might help your book be better but what do I know. I am just an idiot who made the mistake of letting glue dry WAYYYYY to much TWICE on the same project. (Once before rounding; once after making the cover and forgetting cardboard warps when glued. I am very bright).

Making the title graphics was also so rewarding yet so so so difficult. Mostly because I've been overwhelmed by my life so it took me ages to sketch out a design I did like. And when I finally had it, and I asked my aunt to borrow the machine she uses to print on fabric, we had to keep delaying for different reasons that kept coming up. But I'm SO glad to have a proper cover on there. It's difficult to keep being proud and happy of it since it's been so long since I was done with the actual object, but honestly it's really satisfying to have a book with your OWN, personalized cover on it. I'm also very proud of the nautical theme inside- in general I put a lot of care in making the textblock feel coherent.

After this experience I do think I'll order some proper board since I want my next project to come out as good as I possibly can. Though I am still on the ledge about what my next project will actually be. Maybe in the meantime I'll stick to figuring out a logo and name for myself.

And maybe next time I'll remember to take some decent process pics too!

[bluejayblueskies]

Bookbinding Year in Review 2024

Another year, another reflection on all of the books I've bound this year! I didn't have as prolific a year as last year, but I still bound quite a bit.

Starting off with some overall stats:

Total books bound: 30 Total books gifted: 26 Total words bound: 1,116,840 Average words per book: 37,228

I bound quite a few blank books/journals this year, and I ended the year with a few very large binds, so there are some outliers skewing this average 😂 Additionally, despite binding about half as many books as last year, my total words bound is approximately the same (likely because so many of last year's books were short pamphlet binds).

This year, instead of doing pamphlet binds for Binderary (a bookbinding marathon event hosted by the Renegade discord server in February), I did 15 Malevolent-themed journals in conjunction with @shadow0haven and sold them at Invictuscon in March, with profits going to charity. Though I probably won't be doing it again (it took a lot out of me), it was a lot of fun!

[ID: Three journals laid side-by-side. The leftmost journal is yellow with a black spine and has artwork of Blob John on it. The middle journal has a black spine and painted-style artwork of John (depicted as a large monster with a large white pallid mask) and Arthur (depicted holding a lighter with his eyes covered) on it. The rightmost journal is black with a gold spine and a gold metallic painted Yellow Sign in the middle. All three journals have gold ribbons and black elastic closures. /End ID]

About half of my bound books this year were for Binderary. I also bound books for Fandom Trumps Hate, Renegade bookbinding exchanges, Big Bang events, and Fanfiction Writers Appreciation Day. One of my most experimental book designs from this year was from the Rusty Quill Big Bang, where I went all-out on a hockey-themed book.

[ID: A hand-bound book open and standing up with the spine facing the viewer. The highlight of the picture is the spine, which has a hockey lace threaded over it so that the spine looks like the front of a hockey skate. The spine beneath the lace is open so you can see the paper and stitching. /End ID]

I've been experimenting a lot with different book styles and binding techniques this year, trying to stretch myself, try new things, and use the skills I've acquired to think and work outside the box. I did that with the above book (combining coptic and sewn board binding styles). I also learned some new techniques, such as creating covers using cutting machines, doing different styles of endbands, trimming edges (easily the most frustrating part of the binding process 😒), and painting edges. One of my favorite aspects of this hobby is, as the Renegade server calls it, FAAFOing, or "fucking around and finding out," so even when something doesn't work out 100% perfectly or the way I envisioned it, it's just a learning experience for the future ✨

This year's fandom that I bound the most for (excluding "no fandom") was back to my roots with the Magnus Archives. I got to bind one of my own fanfictions as part of a Fandom Trumps Hate gift, which was a pleasure to do. It was my first exploration into the world of creating stenciled covers using my Silhouette, and I'm delighted at the cover designs available to me now.

[ID: A hand-bound book photographed from the front. The book has dark green bookcloth, a decorative red and gold ribbon along the left side, and a gold painted cherry blossom design. The title and author name are also in gold and read, “Ten Thousand Flowers in Spring” and “bluejayblueskies.” /End ID]

My favorite bind from this year is currently a secret (it's an exchange gift!), but my second-favorite is a Rusty Quill Gaming bind I did of knifemartin's fic Due North earlier this year. I tried marbling for the first time for it, which was a tricky yet rewarding process, and I'm thrilled with the aesthetics of this book. An honorable mention is Aftershocks, another RQG fic by knifemartin that allowed me to indulge in my love of wingfic.

[ID: Two images of two different hand-bound books. The leftmost image shows the front cover of a book bound in black cloth with the fic name "Due North" and author name "knifemartin" painted on with silver paint in a fancy sans serif font. There is also a rectangular cutout showing off blue and green marbled paper beneath. The rightmost image shows the front cover of a book bound in shiny gold cloth with the fic name “Aftershocks” and author name “knifemartin” painted on vertically on the righthand side with silver paint in a blocky sans serif font. On the lefthand side, there is a 3D white angel wing that has been constructed from individually cut-out paper feathers. /End ID]

I have some fun plans for the upcoming year, as well as a resolution to bind more for myself in 2025. I really enjoy doing events and gifts and exchanges, but it does have me putting a lot of projects I want to do off to the side, so I'm going to make more of an effort to focus on those in the upcoming year. Time to finally make a dent in my to-bind list! 💪

[boin-de-bindery]

Borrasca - C.K. Walker

This is a /r/nosleep story published in four parts in 2015, with a subsequent fifth part shared by the author on their blog.

Morbid choice for a first bind—it's not dissimilar to Manacled in terms of dark content—but as a tale I read back in my creepypasta phase and recently rediscovered, I thought it'd be fun to have a physical copy for my shelf.

The case is bound in green bonded leather, courtesy of an amazing local store that has a plethora of bookbinding supplies. Gold adhesive backed vinyl for the cover text, while the corner-guards are from a random Amazon seller.

The text block is bog standard A4 printer paper. Body text is in Noto Serif 12pt with titles/headings/pagecount in Bahnschrift. 59,000 words and 387 pages total.

Reflections on mistakes and lessons learned under the cut with more pictures.

I learned a LOT about typesetting, booklet printing and using a Cricut in making this. I still made a few silly mistakes with my next projects, but not so many as I did with Borrasca.

It's a rookie's first bind and it shows—the text block fits rather badly in the casebinding, because I goofed and made the spine support too wide. This doesn't look too bad from the front or the spine, but in opening the book the textblock shifts rather awkwardly.

I also scuffed the leather in parts, and totally misstuck the title on the spine. This is before I realised what transfer tape was for 🫠 Having the title running from bottom to top is novel, but I didn't want to risk gumming up the cover further by fixing it (not to mention my horror at the thought of repositioning everything by hand).

I'm pretty happy with the handsewn headbands though! I followed chezlin's tutorial and used tissue paper to secure the twine to the spine before sewing on embroidery thread. While the thread used was a little too thick, the headbands add a nice touch.

I had no idea what to put in the copyright page, ahaha. I've put a template together now, which does a better job at identifying the resources used and linking to the source material.

[wisewitchbindery]

Reflecting on 2024 ✨

Wow, what a year it’s been! 2024 was the year I started bookbinding, a craft that allowed me to meet so many incredible people in the fanfic and bookbinding community. I’m beyond grateful for all the support and inspiration I’ve received from you all. 🙏📚

This year, I’m especially proud of learning an entirely new craft and completing some incredible projects. One highlight was creating Invictus by greyanawrites, which was a huge milestone for me. I also had the pleasure of experimenting with new techniques, like painting fore edges, trimming my own text blocks, and designing typesets. These techniques opened the door to even more creative possibilities! 🎨✨

Of course, there were challenges along the way—whether it was overcoming creative blocks or finding balance between this hobby, a full-time job, and other responsibilities. But every hurdle has been a lesson, and I’ve learned so much about perseverance and staying true to my creative vision. 💪🏼

Although I’m newer to Tumblr, I’ve already felt so much gratitude for the artists and writers who generously share their work within this fandom. Your creativity has been a huge inspiration in my bookbinding journey. I can’t wait to connect with even more people on this platform as I continue creating and growing. 💖

As I look ahead to 2025, I’m beyond excited for what’s to come. I have big plans to continue creating, experimenting with new bookbinding techniques, and sharing more behind-the-scenes glimpses into my process. I can’t wait to bring you all along as we dive into the next chapter together! 📖✨

What were your favorite moments of 2024? I’d love to hear your reflections as we all gear up for an even better year ahead! Let’s keep inspiring each other and making magic in 2025! 💫👇

[ikrutt]

Do you have any cultural/historical influences you draw on when worldbuilding?

This is a great question, and I'm afraid I can't point towards anything too specific. There are two main reasons for this:

The worldbuilding for Kalandakar exist mainly so I can do humorous drawings that reflect my own experiences with, for example, academia. Albeit in a roundabout and cartoony manner.

I wish for the concepts to be broad strokes and not inspired too closely by any one historical epoch or event. Mostly because I don't trust myself to write historical analogues with the nuance and sensetivity this deserves.

The backdrop of the Jar-Lorego storyline deals with topics such as classism, social inequality, colonialism and the clash of cultures at different levels of technological advancement. I haven't touched too closely upon this, but one of my goals is to write the meeting between stand-ins for indeginous cultures and colonial powers that doesn't result in assimilation or genocide.

My main goal, however, is still to develop these characters and their world, and just... see what happens.

Fadesi science and technology in the region is approximately at the level of Medieval Islam. I.e. Ma-Vireva would have access to steel, hydraulics and indoor plumbing, paper and bookbinding, sophisticated mathematics, navigation and astronomy, as well as a fledgling medical field with herbal drugs and rudimentary surgery. As of yet, there is no germ theory, steam power, electricity or firearms.

To kick of the storyline (Adreas being dumped in the desert), I have drawn inspiration from African trypanosomiasis throughout history. As well as the "white spot" phenomenon on 19th century maps.

See, unbeknownst to Adreas, there is a mysterious disease preventing the Fadesi from advancing into the Jar-Lorego, one which doesn't seem to affect the other two sophonts. After several research missions fail horribly (i.e. everyone dies), they send a Tenel and a Moskuan as a last ditch effort and/or for shits and giggles.

Regardless of the outcome, the university considers this a a win-win; either they'll be rid of the thorn in their side that is Adreas, or they'll have more information on the vast and unexplored desert. That is until Adreas starts putting together the pieces of the greater circumstances, and realize he can utilize this against the Fadesi to benefit Tenel and Moskuan society.

[pouroverpaloma]

How about 21 with Gale and Daphne/a Tav of your choice?

Here you go! This is Daphne and Gale, sometime in December (so between chapter 9 and 10 of tbtptw).

“How long did you say before we rinse?”

“Twenty minutes at least. I try to do thirty if I have time.” Daphne adjusted the towel wrapped around her head, securing it with a tug.

With a pale December Sunday stretching before them and nothing of import to do, she’d half-jokingly suggested they do hair masks. She should have expected Gale to respond with genuine curiosity. He’d watched, intrigued, over her shoulder as she’d mixed plain yogurt, honey, and a raw egg into an unappetizing goop, and then as she’d shown him how to slather it into his hair and wrap the whole thing in clingfilm before covering it with a warm towel. Just like Seventeen magazine had taught her to do in 2009.

“It keeps the moisture in,” she’d explained as she tamped the end of the plastic wrap onto his forehead.

“If it’s good enough for yesterday’s pork chops, it’s good enough for me,” he’d replied dryly.

Now they reclined on his bed, hand in hand, watching the reflections of the sun on the water dance across his ceiling. It struck her all over again, as it so often did these past few days, how relaxed she felt. Something about spending time with Gale just made the tension unspool from her shoulders.

“Penny for your thoughts?” he asked.

Her face went warm. “I was thinking about you, actually.”

“Oh?” She could practically feel his smile from beside her. “Lucky me.”

“I’m just— I’m so relaxed around you. I can’t imagine a time when I wouldn’t be.”

Gale snorted. “I will absolutely test that hypothesis, I assure you.”

He squeezed her hand affectionately—right over the most callused pads of her fingers. This is why she usually gave him her left hand to hold; the manual nature of her work meant that everything from the cuticles to the palm of her dominant hand were work-hardened to hell. His soft, well-tended skin scraped against every rough patch and bump, made even more prominent by the dry winter air. Daphne stiffened, an embarrassed noise escaping her.

“…as it seems I already have,” he continued morosely. He rubbed his thumb in soothing circles over hers, brushing the toughened spot where she usually gripped her tools.

“No! No, you’re fine,” she rushed to clarify. “My hands are just kind of a mess. Bookbinding is one of those art forms where the art marks you right back, you know? Sorry they’re gross.”

She laughed, but he didn’t join her. For a moment, he was silent on the bed next to her, contemplative.

Daphne turned her head to look at him. He was already studying her, his face almost comically serious under his towel turban. Without a word, he lifted her hand to rest between them on the pillows.

He rolled onto his side toward her and cradled her upturned hand in both of his, analyzing it—analyzing her—with the same inescapable focus he’d shown all the way back during their first outing in Bjorn’s Hold. As though she were an artifact he’d just dug from the earth.

“You can tell so much about objects from their wear,” he said, soft but authoritative. “How they were used, how often, even how they were cared for.”

“Are you going to analyze me like a Roman coin?” she interjected, trying and failing to deflect his attention. Instead, he traced a gentle line along the divot between her thumb and forefinger.

“You hold the beeswax in this hand when you wax your thread,” he said. He found the small callus there, where she did indeed pull her thread through her fist when she waxed it. Her breath caught in surprise.

Gale’s touch skated onto her palm and up onto the base of each finger, where her skin was raw and angry from overuse. He frowned.

“I know, I know, disgusting,” she winced.

“Has one of your presses needed oiling? The very old one with the wooden handle?” he asked.

Oh. What?

“It’s, uh, the guillotine, actually,” she stammered, taken completely off-guard yet again. “It takes this expensive silicone-based lubricant, and we’re out of money for the year but I had to get enough blanks cut for our J-term class—”

Her voice died in her throat as he leaned forward and brushed a kiss to her palm. Then another, and another. Five in all. He settled back onto his side, his warm eyes still serious as he met her gaze again.

“Every cell of your body is as dear to me as my own,” he said. She wrinkled her nose incredulously at him, but he just grinned. “What a privilege it is to know the weight of your hand in mine, and what a privilege it is to know what makes it yours. Every new detail only lets me adore you more thoroughly.”

She didn’t have his way with words, but she could absolutely kiss the breath out of him. So she did, rolling onto him across the bed and crushing their lips together until his glasses were on sideways and both their hair towels were thoroughly disturbed. They would definitely have to wash these pillows. She didn’t care. There was a happy flush rising in his cheek, and she cradled it in the palm of her hand as she ducked to kiss him again.

[ohmightydevviepuu]

fanbinding: a bookbinding archive, of sorts

i'm learning a new style of bookbinding and struggling with it and decided to play with an obsession of mine, which is finding pulled-to-publish fics. my goal is eventually to re-bind the trade paperback versions to match.

here are my first three:

decided to start with some big names in publishing--the office eventually became Beautiful Bastard by Christina Lauren; head over feet became The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood; knives & seasoning was recently published as Knives, Seasoning & A Dash of Love by Katrina Kwan.

these books were completed as part of BINDERARY 2024 hosted by the renegade publishing guild. these are flat-back casebindings covered in homemade bookcloth. the covers are printed vinyl and are taken from the original fanart(s) that accompanied the fics in their heyday(s). you can see that in the case of TLH and KS&D that the authors stayed with their favored fanartists in the published works:

i'm not sure if the office reflects the published cover version or vice versa, since i am not 100% sure who created the cover art that was part of the copy i found.

[butterfly-lies-chase-them-away]

Can you do an headcanon about the perfect Holiday gift for each Keanu's character,please?

Perfect Holiday gift for each Keanu Reeves' Characters Headcanon (John Wick, Ted Theodore Logan, John Constantine)

A/N: I hope I did this right, and I hope it's good for each character. I love this man so much 😩🤚

John Wick: John Wick, a man who has experienced so much loss and violence, would appreciate a gift that brings him peace and helps him move on from his past. Given his love for his dogs and his bookbinding hobby, the perfect gift for John Wick would be a beautifully handcrafted leather-bound journal. This journal could be customized with his initials and feature a dog paw print as a symbol of his beloved pets. It would give him a space to reflect on his thoughts and memories, perhaps even use it as a diary to express his feelings and find solace in the written word. Inside the book, you could slip a photo of his beloved late dog, Daisy, as a reminder of his past and the love he still carries with him and a candid picture of him with his new dog. 

Ted Theodore Logan (Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure): Ted is all about the music and has a deep appreciation for classic rock. The perfect holiday gift for Ted could be a vintage, limited-edition electric guitar, perhaps a Fender Stratocaster, in a vibrant and eye-catching color. To make it even more special, it could come with a personalized message like “be excellent to each other and party on dudes!”

John Constantine (Constantine): John Constantine is known for his supernatural and occult interests. The perfect holiday gift for him would be a unique, ancient grimoire or spellbook that he hasn't encountered in his extensive travels. It could contain rare incantations, spells, and secrets from various mystical traditions. To add a personal touch, a silver amulet with protective symbols, ensuring his safety on his dangerous journeys, would be included as well.

[greencreekwolf]

so it's a new year and i have a lot of feelings about that but at the same time also none. there's been a lot that's not great. this past year was the second year spent without one of the people i love most and i know i will never get used to that. a lot has stayed the same. im still lonely, still working at a job that feels like it's sucking out my soul, still struggling without the help i need, still forced to mask and for the most part stay in the closet, so yeah not a lot of good, a lot of hurt. ive been stuck for so long and i honestly expect the same of this year. BUT i don't want to give so much power to the bad that I can't acknowledge the good. i don't want it to get as bad as it did last night when i was contemplating doing something i can't take back. i gotta believe there's a way for things to get better and that i can get to that better. and in the meantime there's a lot im thankful for. my cats who bring me a comfort and companionship ive been missing for so long. my cousin who is hilarious and wild and makes me laugh no matter what. writing, something ive discovered brings me peace and happiness and helps me cope more than almost anything. i learned to bookbind which is fucking cool. i read so many fun books that changed my brain chemistry. i went to a concert for the first time in years and had so much fun. i went to a musical and it changed my life. ive already got tickets to more concerts and musicals to give me something to look forward to and just because if i don't decide to live my life it won't get lived which scares me more than anything. ive made friends here, true friends, who show me such care and understanding unlike anything ive known before. people who i can be honest and safe with, people who i can lose my mind with and talk about the wildest stuff and have such a good time with. i haven't had a lot of that in my life and im so grateful for it, for yall, for 911 because it made the creation of these relationships possible. there's a lot i still gotta work through, a lot i gotta learn to be open about and i guess this rambling mess of a post is my attempt at trying. so im glad im here, im glad it's a new year full of possibilities that im gonna take advantage of. and yeah i know sometimes there will be more days where i don't wanna be here at all but im well practiced at getting through those and i think i got a lot to stay for. ive kinda gone back and forth on whether to tag people or not, and honestly there's a bunch of you that i adore and am grateful for, but yknow my memory is shit and my brain is kind of shutting down from all this reflecting so i will leave this as is. BUT i do gotta acknowledge @spaceprincessem @shitouttabuck @hippolotamus @dr-shortsighted-owl @colonoscopys @giddyupbuck because yall have been some of the brightest spots of my year and have made each day easier and better and i love yall with all my heart (as well as everyone else not mentioned, my beloved moots, yall are precious to me) and i truly look forward to another year with all of you 💖