zineovator

[zineovator]

If you are a person with Thoughts, I implore you to keep a journal if you aren't already doing so.

Historians fuckin love journals and diaries. And history is happening now.

Okay this doesn't apply to just helpol people, but this post is also for the journaling/selfpub people too, and everybody else who wants in. I just so happen to be a helpol and journal writing blog so yes!

I am not a professional, nor am I a historian. But I have worked around them, and my discipline of choice (librarianship, archiving and information sciences + either law or psychology) when I will be of college age is very much interconnected with the field of history.

And let me tell you a perspective that some of you might not be aware of, but— people whose job is to preserve history, especially sociological history, absolutely cherish actual firsthand accounts from people of the time periods they are studying or compiling material for. No matter how "insignificant" you may be as a person in this lifetime, there's probably some weirdly dedicated future historian who would study your writing as part of their niche. We're seeing it with Tumblr posts, we're seeing it on fandom forums, and everywhere on social media, it's not new. Now I implore you to do it in hardcopy format too; that is, you write that shit down. Write it where it cannot be easily destroyed. Write it where it can be preserved, if not to help others in the distant future, then for yourself.

As we know, materials the likes of self-published zines, diaries, journals, daily writing notebooks, and even zibaldoni or commonplace books, as well as written notes on pre-existing mediums like marginalia and annotation can provide or develop insight to the way a person thinks or how they perceive experiences, internal and external information, human interaction, and events that shape their life. Their existence, the condition of the society and world and the cultural zeitgeists during their life will likely alter and intertwine with the way they write and detail their experiences. It doesn't just appear in the way somebody's slang or diction changes, but in what each word entails in their sentences.

Written accounts of daily life share more than just mundanity, and something as simple as a grocery list or even recalling what you did at university is already so much material to work with, because the material is each account of your day. Many factors come into play with your grocery list, or what you do at school. You might not question it, but in the eyes of a historian, something as simple as "I went to my 9 am lecture and ate the cold buffet food at the university cafeteria bc I don't have my paycheck yet " can generate so many questions and inferences. What is so ordinary to you may be deeply intriguing to others. And this is true for the field of social sciences, especially history. Firsthand written accounts are priceless pieces of human history because human life has hidden connections to almost everything. Which is a Lot.

And in some way, if ever your writings are found, they could help those who try to share or form a narrative on society as it existed in your time— in our current time. It could help us now, as we traverse some MAJOR global shifts in culture, politics, societal dynamics and much more. You do not have to be a perfect person to create a journal that details YOUR life. It doesn't have to be grand, or groundbreaking. You do not have to make all your entries the best or worst times of your life. You do not have to make everything perfect philosophical passages or beautiful works of prose and poetry. It just has to be true to what you think, true to yourself, and most importantly, it has to exist outside of your mind and placed somewhere you can look back on.

"but what if what I say is problematic or weird?" — It's your journal, and your journal is being written in this era of human existence. Contrary to puritanical belief, problematic thoughts are allowed to exist, and it's good to write them down as a reminder, if you really want to foster change in yourself. Many things that are okay or problematic now may not be seen that way in the future, but some common truths may remain with slight alterations. This is a constant as cultures and cultural exchanges shift and occur. You are providing an opinion of what ideas or concepts are seen as acceptable (to a degree) or believed by people during our time. And if it's only something you personally believe, well then my friend, you will be an anomaly worth figuring out.

"What if they think I'm weird?" — with how the world is seemingly crumbling apart now, I'd say get weirder. You're not being weird enough if you are worrying about it. Our current time period is liminal and terrifyingly unpredictable, everything we know and that remains unseen is ever changing. I'd be more surprised if you aren't losing your mind about everything right now. Be as authentic as you can about it. Depending on what flavor of strange you are, your thoughts might become part of an interdisciplinary subject.

Journaling has many benefits to the person who does it, but in the long run it may begin to help others as well. It may not seem like much now, but note that the most famous journals to date are written by people who didn't really plan to send their unhinged musings to a publisher that will sanitize and sacrifice their vulnerability for marketability, even if they themselves were famous authors who did or have had works gain infamy and acclaim. Because yes, writers do write outside of the craft they show to others. In the form of diaries, studies, letters exchanged, postcards, and among other things of the wordy variety. And through these writings we tend to form strings of narrative on the society these writers lived in, and who they were as people of their time, and not just famous figures of literature— people who have opinions and knowledge, plus the firsthand experience of existing during the time periods of their life and who have given us valuable perspectives on the way they see things and the way they lived things, regardless of how historically accurate, morally sound, grammatically correct or whatever else they were.

And even I can provide my own experience for this! I've always kept diaries ever since I was a child. I've always loved art and have always made art. And I discovered this recently, but I never actually believed in the faith I grew up in even when I was a child, and I was always enamored with Hellenic Polytheism and witchcraft even when I wasn't practicing yet. And I wouldn't have known all this if my younger self didn't insist on keeping diaries and sketchbooks that I can now look back on. If I hadn't kept any written accounts of who I was, I wouldn't be able to tell you what makes me who I am now. My issues with severe amnesia and forgetfulness make me lose so much memory and perspective on my own past, and what a colorful past it was. Keeping journals helps me remember the details of my OWN life, that I had completely forgotten. It helps me now, as I use my journal like a second brain that remembers things for me and shows me that I am a person with personality, thoughts and feelings. That I am a person. The journals I own humanize me in my eyes.

And for historians to be able to humanize somebody, and humanize an entire era of society, to deepen the view of humanity through diverse voices, to prove that we are aware creatures who are surviving, suffering, thinking, loving, daring to defy the erosion of time and memory by writing, to show that we are here and we are alive, and we can communicate across eras is one of the greatest things we can do to preserve the memory we have now and those who have done the same in the past. And it is one of the most daring yet simple ways you can provide a message that goes "HEY THIS IS ME AND THIS IS HOW AND WHEN I LIVED" to people whose passion, job, and possibly lifelong goal it is to show that there is somebody like you, and everybody else who lived. And there is so much more to somebody like you.

–love, thio.

[zineovator]

10 HELLENIC POLYTHEISM JOURNAL/REFLECTION PROMPTS, from yours truly - long prompts edition

ᶦᵐ ˢᵒʳʳʸ ᶠᵒʳ ᵛᵃⁿᶦˢʰᶦⁿᵍ ᶦ ʷᵃˢ ᵉⁿʲᵒʸᶦⁿᵍ ᵐʸ ᵛᵃᶜᵃᵗᶦᵒⁿ ᵖˡˢ ᵈᵒⁿᵗ ᵇᵘʳⁿ ᵐᵉ ᵃᵗ ᵗʰᵉ ᵖʸʳᵉ

Icarus was told never to fly too close to the sun, but he, too, was reminded not to fly so near the sea. We all have had instances where we soared too high and fell grandly. But have you been so afraid to take a risk that it became the reason for your downfall or regret?

Even if you do not worship or actively practice with them, which deity, in terms of what they represent, their values and virtues, and even in personality, do you think you share the most in common with? Or alternatively, which one do you have the most affinity for?

In terms of hubris, man is blinded in two ways. Do you see so much of what you have that you forget you are lacking, or do you only see the absence of what you do not own, so that you cannot cherish what is there?

Spear to your throat, answer me: aimlessly yearn for the one who has long vanished, or slowly grow resentful of the one who stayed but changed?

Love exists beyond romantic and sexual connotations. Which of the seven forms do you find you embody the most? Which love is the one you give most wholeheartedly to others?

Xenia, the virtue of hospitality, is not merely to show excellent social graces, but as a mode of building community, care, and compassion for fellow man. How do you honor the spirit of xenia in your daily life? How do others do it for you?

Do you believe that the essence of the gods exists in every person you meet, that some people exist like mortal effigies of godly faces? If so, has any particular individual struck you or given you the energy of a particular deity? In what way?

Create a playlist for a particular epithet or title of a god you worship, focusing on that specific quality highlighted by the title given to the deity. For each song, either A) highlight a set of lyrics that connect it to the deity's epithet, or B) explain in no more than two sentences why this song was selected and added.

Out of the four cardinal virtues of Prudence (practical discernment), Justice (lawful uprightness), Temperance (conscious moderation), and Fortitude (resilient courage), which ones do you feel you have the most mastery over? And which ones do you feel you must further improve on?

SURPRISE FANDOM QUESTION! Name a famous or renowned person (deceased or currently living) that you think might quite literally just be a god hiding amongst the mortals and has done quite a good job at it thus far.

that's it for now, 10 long prompts to get your gears working!! You can recommend some prompt themes in my inbox, and if I've got the time or motivation, I can probably work on them, but I cannot guarantee constant online presence. Blessed day, have fun!!

-thio of (@auxiliaryslinky and @zineovator)

[zineovator]

[ZINE SNEAK PEEK] - my first staple-bind booklet zine!

title: "You're Not Dead to Me, but Not Alive Either" - a psychological perzine discussing my inability to connect with others (and why i don't want to). Featured in this zine is an OC of mine, seen in the blurred cover preview below!

and yes, I forgot to mention, I am an artist! (more sneak peek pictures below)

Ever since I began making zines, I've always had the idea of making an actual printed booklet zine, the kind that's bind like those AVON catalogues, ya feel me? The thick, glossy magazine paper with the nice crisp print.

But I kinda have issues with commitment (to projects), and worse yet, completing them. So I never really took on the challenge in the past for the fear of it. But this time I sucked it up and decided to dive into it headfirst. I created a perzine (since it's easier for me to rant about that sorta stuff, and it is 32 pages! I made sure to REALLY put much effort into it because, well, I just want to. Here's a blurred version of the cover, but if you can probably see, you can read the text :)

It's not yet available for viewing or reading as of creating this post, and I am in the process of finalizing edits and preparing the pages for print, which may take another week and a half, but trust that I will joyfully announce it when it does.

Here are some other pics for your entertainment!

hehe

[zineovator]

A SHORT EXPLANATION ON INTERNET ARCHIVE COPYRIGHT LICENSES - a zine archiving guide!

Skip ahead down to DEFINITIONS if you don't wanna read me ranting (lol)

If you have zero experience with digital archiving, or using Internet Archive for the first time, or copyright labels seem daunting (or a mix of any of these), then let me show you a very abridged/simplified definition of each of the licenses provided as well as a small background on copyright (based on my understanding as an artist, not a professional and definitely not an expert on legal works. If I happen to accidentally be wrong in my information, feel free to hold me accountable and call me out in the comments below and I will correct my post. Ty!)

Okay, so for prior context copyright (under intellectual property/IP law) automatically protects and grants the exclusive rights to an original work of authorship, and what the author decides to do with it. IP law overall deals with the retaining, transfer or sharing of rights to created works or inventions, and outlines punishment for the violation of such. IP law and subsequently copyright will depend on jurisdiction, however, so you may want to do research on your particular state/country.

For the most part, any original work that a person creates will automatically be protected under copyright the moment it is conceived or fixed into a tangible form, regardless of if it is still in the process of formation (ie. not yet finished) or completed.

That's usually the reason why copyright is so daunting to handle when it comes to things uploaded online or media created with copyrighted content, not with all the DMCA takedowns and whatnot, of course it gets sticky to do all the legal stuff. But that's a topic for another day! Focus!

INTERNET ARCHIVE COPYRIGHT LICENSING

The Internet Archive however, being an archive/digital library, has a bit of an exemption (loosely) from copyright ( 17 U.S. Code § 108) and argue that their services/operations fall under Fair Use with specific roles in lending services and public access to the materials stored within their databases. This doesn't stop them from getting sued by some persons and groups regardless, but they're still standing!

Not sure if I covered all, I tried outlining the difference in the easiest ways I could to prevent the legalese from frying my brain and yours. If you'd like elaboration, feel free to do your research, as I cannot trust myself to provide legal nuance on the matter, I am simply explaining based on my own understanding. - Leave license blank - CC0 - "No Rights Reserved" - CC (Creative Commons): CC-BY-ND, CC-BY-NC-ND, CC-BY, CC-BY-SA, CC-BY-NC, CC-BY-NC-SA - Public Domain here we go below:

DEFINITIONS

LEAVE LICENSE BLANK

If you are unsure of the nature of your uploaded work, on what license it rightfully falls, you may use this. Using this will make the archive automatically apply its default license onto your work.

Eases the burden of dealing with the complexities of setting up an official licensing for the work (against hard suing plot armor /j)

CC0 "NO RIGHTS RESERVED"

The author has decided to waiver or dedicate their work to public domain as its default license.

The similarity of CC0 and Public Domain (PDM) is that they are both available for public use, but CC0 is an active opt-out for copyright protection, whereas PDM is only to indicate that it already is in public domain. In simpler terms: CC0 actually changes the license, PDM only tells you it did.

CREATIVE COMMONS ATTRIBUTION NO DERIVATIVES (CC-BY-ND)

The work can be redistributed and reproduced but not modified.

Unless specifically outlined, commercial use is usually allowed.

Credited to original author.

CREATIVE COMMONS ATTRIBUTION NON-COMMERCIAL NO DERIVATIVES (CC-BY-NC-ND)

The work can be redistributed and reproduced but not modified.

Commercial use is prohibited.

Credited to original author.

CREATIVE COMMONS ATTRIBUTION (CC-BY)

Allows redistribution, reproduction and adaptation for any purposes.

Commercial use is allowed.

Credited to original author.

CREATIVE COMMONS ATTRIBUTION SHARE-ALIKE (CC-BY-SA)

Allows redistribution, reproduction, adaptation, remixing/modification and derivative works that build upon your works.

Commercial use is generally allowed for both the original and derivative works.

Derivative works however, must adhere to the original licensing and follow the same licensing terms as the parent work. Meaning, these works must also be licensed under ShareAlike (CC-BY-SA)

Credited to original author.

CREATIVE COMMONS ATTRIBUTION NON-COMMERCIAL SHARE-ALIKE (CC-BY-NC-SA)

Allows redistribution, reproduction, adaptation, remixing/modification and derivative works that build upon your works.

Commercial use is prohibited.

Derivative works must adhere to the original licensing and follow the same licensing terms as the parent work. Meaning, these works must also be licensed under ShareAlike (CC-BY-SA)

Credited to original author.

CREATIVE COMMONS ATTRIBUTION NON-COMMERCIAL (CC-BY-NC)

Allows others to share, reuse and adapt works.

Commercial uses prohibited.

Credited to original author.

Less broad in terms of allowances compared to CC-BY, primarily due to the commercial use clauses.

PUBLIC DOMAIN

Works are not protected by IP Law and therefore not under copyright protection or restrictions.

No ownership (so to speak legally), and free to use.

Typically PD is only obtained once copyright over a work has expired (like in the event that an original author has died and 50 years have passed since they were last alive, and etc.), but can also be due to formal relinquishing or surrender of rights, or lack of legal legibility for copyright protection in the first place.

hopefully this helped(?) in some way. Until next time! Communicate, create, zineovate!

[zineovator]

[ZINE DROP] - an archangel's advice on abolishing authoritarianism

you know I just had to print this specific zine in orange.

You know, for thematic purposes.

and here's my favourite page :) down below

[INTERNET ARCHIVE LINK] (This is completely free, I do not ask for monetary exchange or other prices. Please do message me in advance if you'd like to reproduce or distribute this in your own community! Thank you!)

[zineovator]

[ZINE DROP] - How To Find Apollon in The Mortals You Encounter: a poetic guide

New Zine for the Time Being! I decided to create a little devotional zine. I figured, what better way to blend multiple devotional acts (poetry, art, touching grass, feeling the morning and stopping the bedrotting) and doing something I'm obsessed with (zine making). Sounds like a perfect day.

INTERNET ARCHIVE LINK! (This is completely free, I do not ask for monetary exchange or other prices. Please do message me in advance if you'd like to reproduce or distribute this in your own community! Thank you!)

[zineovator]

HOW I PERSONALLY ORGANIZE MY DIGITAL ZINE MASTERCOPIES!

Hey zineovators, hello every'all. I am here to note down how I (PERSONALLY) fix around and assign my digitally-made zine mastercopies for easy access. This isn't meant to be a guide and it surely isn't the "correct" way to file zines, nor is this necessary, it might even be redundant for a lot of people, but this is just the way I do it. I have some really crappy guides throughout my yap session, BUT I will provide a REAL example using my own zine at the end! anyhow, let us begin! WHY DO I BOTHER?

because it makes my personal zine creation process more manageable

organization makes it less daunting for me to actually go through with the creation process

It tickles my fish brain to file and sort things, and it makes me happy to do so

so yeah, it all boils down to personal preference. I like making my digital process cleaner and a bit more streamlined, but you really don't have to follow me or use me as a standard. I just do what I do best.

That aside... TERMS I COINED AND WILL BE USING AND EXPLAINING (LIST) (yes this is based off of A/B/O but also coding)

ALPHA Mastercopy (A-Copy, Alpha copy)

BETA Mastercopy (B-Copy, Beta Copy, Physical Mastercopy)

OMEGA Mastercopy (O-Copy, Omega Copy, Assembled Mastercopy)

PRELIMINARIES!

A master copy in my own words is the original mother version of your zine that you can use to duplicate or create more copies for distribution purposes. You usually do not give a master copy away especially if you plan to make more prints of a specific zine design in the future! Also, I'm using the classic 8-page mini-zine format as an example here because...I specialize in mini-zines, lol. With that in mind, here is the portion you are waiting for.

ALPHA MASTER COPY (i.e.. RAW DIGITAL FILE)

The Alpha copy is the version of your zine that you made/scanned into a digital format. Typically I would use a PDF along with the zine design that I pre-formatted for this due to the clarity and easy access of PDF files. I avoid .png or .jpg because flattening my zine files tends to crush the text quality, by a LOT.

The Alpha copy doesn't have to just be the formatted version already. It can be individual panels, single pages, artwork or scanned pages, etc. That's also an alpha copy, but in its own way. The version I'm talking above is print-ready copy that is already prepared.

^ THIS counts as an alpha copy as well.

Now down below is an example of my own alpha copy in PDF format, featuring my DAVID SYLVIAN zine (I'll try to upload it on an archive soon, it will be completely free! Pls tell me in advance if you'd like to reproduce and distribute it irl since I dont want to get sued </3)

btw the tagline "be seen, make a zine" was taken from brattyxbre on YouTube. I would gladly recommend her for zine resources, discussions and zine-related topics, especially if you are a beginner!

BETA MASTER COPY (i.e.. PRINTED TEMPLATE)

Your Beta copy is a version of your zine that is printed on paper with the proper formatting for folding/cutting already. The only difference with this version and omega copy is, well, you DON'T fold or cut this copy.

The primary purpose of a B-Copy is to check:

print quality (text visibility, color vibrance, ink bleeding, etc.)

graphic size and an overview of your zine's general physical appearance.

And the other, marginally vital role of your B-Copy is to serve as:

the physical print that you can use for XEROX (photocopying) or other copying services and tools

scannable output that you can scan/copy for distribution, especially if the person who wants your zine would like to assemble it themselves, if you do not have a final version of your zine on hand to share, or you yourself do not have your A-Copy for reproduction.

A printed copy that you can catalogue or archive, especially if you are the sort of person who retires zines, or are just deeply sentimental (like me, lol!).

Down below is the B-Copy of my example zine. Ignore the fact that this is literally my omega copy that I just dismantled because I don't have my Beta in hand lol. But approximately this is how it looks like.

I personally store B-copies (alongside O-copies) inside a dedicated clearbook or binder to safeguard against weathering or chemical ink deterioration, alongside some information and stuff about the zine itself. This is useful especially if you want to showcase zines and zine content to others, apart from safekeeping purposes.

I might make another longform infodump about digital and physical zine storage and archiving processes (because as an aspiring librarian I feel it is my duty to rant about that) but that will be for another time.

OMEGA MASTER COPY (i.e., FINAL EXAMPLE PRINT)

Okay this is kind-of self explanatory, but I will elaborate regardless.

If you are the sort of person who handcrafts zines (aka make, draw, write or assemble them traditionally) you likely know what the O-Copy is, because your original finished zine is what I am referring to as the Omega copy. That is, the ACTUAL "Master Copy" itself.

Omega Master Copy is what most zinesters and zine creators refer to as just the master copy. But seeing from this post, you KNOW I had to make it fancier (read: unnecessarily complicated)

The Omega copy serves as your first official print, and you can use this version to store or show around. The only difference is, if you end up using my organizing format (good luck!), you'll end up using the O-Copy more as a finished product display to show how it looks when finished as an assembled copy, and the B-Copy as the actual thing you use to reproduce or duplicate your zines for distribution.

Here is the example of my O-copy for my example zine. (again you will be able to access this through an archive soon, maybe I will announce it later on or just post about where I store them digitally.)

I used the software development jargon ALPHA, BETA & OMEGA because it kind of fits(?) lol. I am not a coding aficionado but I know loosely enough to utilize the words. But also, live laugh omegaverse. hopefully this helps(?) but also if you reached to this point, hi. I'm glad you indulged in my little rant. EDIT: here's the Internet Archive Link for the specific zine featured in this post! Have fun! Communicate, create, zineovate! Until next time.