zerosconsort

[zerosconsort]

"Are you okay" NO. THERE ARE LITTLE FICTIONAL BITCHES IN MY HEAD. AND THEY'RE KISSING.

[zerosconsort]

Zero's Book Binding - A Court of Thorns And Roses Series

OK - so this is my first real rebind. Up to this point I have only bound my own text blocks. No one is surprised - I do enjoy picking the harder option first. My friend group does a Summer Solstice Selebration - which is a secret Santa gift exchange as far from Xmas as possible. My person loves the ACOTAR series, and I figured I could technically make the books for around our spending limit for gifts.

There is a lot of existing inspiration for this series on Pinterest and Etsy - so for the research part of this bind I really just...spent sometime shopping. I am a frugal bitch, so I'll be honest- most of the posting for a 'custom binds' of this series feel GROSSLY OVERPRICED. Perhaps that is because I personally have the skill to make them myself, so the cost to me feel exorbitant but girl? 500$ for a set of 5 books? Kiss my ass.

I did purchase the pack of thr SVG images from the series- the wolf, the raven, the flower - because I a) did not have time to do it myself and B) if someone else already put in the time I can save a little time at the cost of a small coffee.

I made the covers in Canva. The book cloth for this was from Amazon, actually - the same type that I used for my Hawkeye bind. It worked really really well, was very thin, and comes in a bunch of colors. You can get 3 A5 books out of 1 roll with some left over. I used Siser vinyl and, honestly, I think that's the fucking vinyl to use going forward. I was SO worried about weeding the complex graphic, but this was cake. It took FOREVER, but that was not the vinyl's fault.

They look really good. Even if they just sit on her shelf, I think it's a pretty good gift. And hey, now I have a set of covers if I wanna do this again. Some close ups - they don't match, but they are my favorites outa the bunch.

Was this less than the spending limit for the gift exchange?...... yeah, sure, totally.

[zerosconsort]

Clint would absolutely wear hoochie daddy shorts. This is not up for debate

[zerosconsort]

Well would you look at that.

I'll make a real post for them this weekend, but....they fancy.

My workspace yesterday. First time renimding paperbacks and it's a-going

Not pictured: the typset I'm printing and the covers I have cut.

I have this week to finish this rebind. Guh.

[zerosconsort]

Two down, three to go....

The weeding for this vinyl is

killing me

My workspace yesterday. First time renimding paperbacks and it's a-going

Not pictured: the typset I'm printing and the covers I have cut.

I have this week to finish this rebind. Guh.

[zerosconsort]

Ghost being unsure if soap’s into him.. so he shyly gives his theory a shot.

(Pt. 1 is just ghost in undies from a back view after his shower up on P >w<)

[zerosconsort]

My workspace yesterday. First time renimding paperbacks and it's a-going

Not pictured: the typset I'm printing and the covers I have cut.

I have this week to finish this rebind. Guh.

[zerosconsort]

[zerosconsort]

bad stony doodle

[zerosconsort]

So for members of bdsm Dungeons, it's a rule that you don't approach other members if you see them on public for privacy reasons. They might not want people knowing they're a freak.

That said, it's normal to make friends in that space who you hang out with, outside of kink stuff. When that happens and people asked where I met my friend, my go-to line was "Spin-class," which is a very funny joke if you know me even a little. Very not my scene.

Well, funnily enough, while I was working at a homeless shelter, we had a very similar rule because of the homeless stigma. If a guest from the Shelter sees you outside of work, you don't acknowledge or approach them. They can approach you, but you don't tell whoever you're with where you know them. The guest gets to decide if they want to share that info.

Smash cut to me being out with a friend I met at the dungeon a very long time ago. I bump into a guest from the shelter who approaches me to chat. My friend asks how I know the guest, and without thinking, I blurt out "spin class" before remembering that's my go to lie for how I ment dungeon friends. These two proceed to have a conversation, neither fully understood.

Friend: ooohhhh okay i get it. Spin class! Me too. Stopped taking that class a while ago tho.

Guest. Oh for real? That's sick man, good for you! You got a good set up now?

Friend: The best!! I've taken up wood working so my furniture is all custom. Got plenty of space to do "spin" at home. It's coming together.

Guest: Hell yeah brother!!!

Friend: was really good to have my own space during the rona, but man it's lonely! I kinda miss the group dynamics.

Guest: Yeah, i heard that from my homie when he got out of "Spin class!" But it's for the best.

Friend: it can be, but its not for everybody. Can be safer to Spin in a group.

Guest: i know that. Lost a few homie to "spinning" alone. At least at the "class" you got other eyes on you.

Friend: I'm sorry to hear that! You know some elements of "Spinning" are risky but you never think anyone would get hurt. So, my buddy here still a real hard ass for safety?

Guest: oh man you dont even know. They revamped our whole fire escape plan.

Friend: Oh shit! They did that back when i was in Spin class too!

Guest: still improving the system i guess.

Friend: they still keep a bunch of robes outside in a shed so people who get out can cover up?

Guest: Yes!!!

Friend: Did you know it's their fault we have a 30 second rule!

Guest: Damn really!?! Makes sense tho, if there's a fire you gotta get out fast!

Friend: Yeah, I Never gave it much thought before they brought it up, but yeah the last thing you want is a fire when you're all tired up!

Guest: Yeah, that's true. I didn't know they came up with the rule, tho. I do like having the space between the beds clear...

Friend: Yeah it's so annoying when people block the path with their shit.

Guest: Yeah there's not enough space between beds for people to be hording shit.

Friend: Yeah! I loved that they always got people to keep their area clear.

Guest: not gonna lie i hate being told to clean up but it is better that way.

Friend: Yeah... haha.

Guest: well it was nice chatting with you brother.

Friend: you too, man! See ya around!

Guest: see ya!

Me:

[zerosconsort]

hey, would you have any advice/point me in a direction for starting on binding paperbacks? your paperback binds are really inspiring but I don’t known where to start!

Hey! First of all, thank you for the kind words! I love making paperbacks. They feel like a quick win between more intensive hardcover binds.

Okay so advice…

I do my typeset the same way I’d do a typeset for a hardback. Just make sure you give yourself enough of a margin so you don’t cut into your typeset when you trim it (I use a guillotine for this step).

For imposing your pages for paperbacks, I suggest checking out part one of this tutorial by Tome Turner on Instagram. She is a genius and sets up 100-page signatures, which just means that you can simply cut the entire stack of pages in half and then put them together rather than in stacks of 8 or 10 or whatever.

For binding, I use the double-fan method. DAS Bookbinding has a great tutorial for this here — but lately I’ve been using my friend @maleekamolscreates’s amazing tutorial here.

Once I have a finished text block I can finalize the measurements for my cover. I use Canva almost exclusively for this part.

When it’s time to print, I use 48lb glossy photo paper. I then apply soft-touch laminate. I find running it through with a layer of card stock on top helps keep it from puckering. Then I run it through a second time to really smooth it out — but without the card stock. I always wipe my photo paper with a microfibre cloth before applying the soft-touch, as any dust or pet hair show up once it’s laminated.

After the cover is applied (again, refer to Mally’s tutorial) I wait several hours or better yet overnight for the glue to fully cure. When I guillotine the edges, I clamp down on the text block PLUS a second throwaway text block (if it fits) but offset the dummy text block to avoid the spine and therefore reduce the pressure which can crunch the spine.

I hope this helps point you in the right direction!Reach out if if you have any other questions!

Happy binding!

ETA I used this tip from @plor-bindery to score my spine for my Soup-pocalypse binds and it worked like a dream.

[zerosconsort]

Drunken bar shenanigans

[zerosconsort]

Zero's Book Binding - barton's halfway house for ex-brainwashed assassins

barton's halfway house for ex-brainwashed assassins by @kangofu-cb 

Fandom: Marvel - The Avengers

Ship: James "Bucky" Barnes & Clint Barton

Start Date: 02/03/2025

End Date: 05/11/2025

Pages: 211

Ok - lets get into it!

This bind is the first three parts of Kangofu-cb's winterhawk series. The farmhouse is the focal point for this fic, so I immediately gravitated to that idea. I really liked the idea of the house growing as it was lived in, from something Clint remember from his childhood to something good and new and a place he wanted to be. 

I built the chapter breaks using early 1900 illustrations. I had wanted to build out larger, multi page chapter headers using some old book illustrations - and this idea felt really nice when paired with a multi-fic bind about reclaiming something from the past.

The whole fic (at least these 3 parts) are all told from Clint's perspective, so like...had to go with the Fraction Hawkeye font. I know, personally, Fraction Clint is my favorite - and I wanted to have that little Clint flare through the whole book, as the chapter numbers and the drop caps. 

I got stuck on this idea of the old farm house becoming something new. The main image I had in my head, while they were remodeling in the fic - was of the old wallpaper. Something outdated and warn down that, over time, with love and attention and care, would get bolder and more modern.

Each fic has it's chapter numbers consistent - same shape and size, different location depending on the fic.

For my divider, I used a fence....... 

I know that technically it's a cross-buck fence and not a picket one, but I liked the metaphor of having a fence that requires more labor to build and fix then a simple, traditional one. I did make them white on the cover and spine, just to - you know - really get the symbolism in there. 

Bonus shot of the paperwork in chapter one from CarCrash, since I forgot to take one and mine is in the press right now.

CarCrash was my second winner for the @marveltrumpshate 2024 event. I was nervous when I first reach out - I had never made a book for someone I didn't know personally before. When they suggested CB's fic, I was pumped. I do love me some winterhawk - and I had not actually read CB's stuff before, so it was a pleasure to find another writer that I adore. 

If you haven't read @kangofu-cb's fics yet, you SHOULD! Thank you to @carcrash429 for bidding on me and donating to charity. You are both wonderful~

[zerosconsort]

those baby blues..

[zerosconsort]

Get Well Soon

i'm so happy to get to share this with all of you. that spread is gonna be may and aug's patron post cards, sub between now and july 31 to get simon's half.

[zerosconsort]

Welp i was given the go ahead to be able to post my art i did for the @sunshine-soap-zine

its an older piece but! some soap for yall

[zerosconsort]

Tea time ☕️ (Drew this over a year ago for the Sunshine Soap Zine. Some thoughts below)

For context, the zine funds meant for manufacturing and charity are gone: https://x.com/soapzine2024/status/1920663015017283887

This was to be my first ever zine, to celebrate a beloved character alongside fellow creators+fans, all towards a good cause. To have it all ruined by one bad actor is a massive disappointment. I hope customers will be able to get their money back and the charity donations met.

I kinda want to offer this as a print for those who wanted a physical copy, but I feel conflicted about having people pay for it… what do you guys think? Is there interest? If I do, I can also make prints of my other works. Let me know your thoughts, and please take care 🧡