This is Siren's Song by @kedreeva (Hi! I asked to bind your fic months ago, sorry it took so long XD). It's an incredible Good Omens siren AU, which needs no introduction from me but it gets one anyway. It's one of the most in-character fics I've ever read, tackles a lot of the most resonant themes of the original (love in the context of aromanticism and asexuality, human labels in the context of non-human perspective), and has incredible world-building. Later parts of the fic always make me cry but they're good tears. You'll see. When I first learned that fanbinding was a thing and started looking into how to do it, this was one of the first fics I thought of. It just took me a while to learn the skills I needed before I could do it.
More pics and process talk under the cut!
So the cover up there is black faux leather and momi paper that I bought...about two years ago? And just kept on hand till I was ready to do this project. This is the first time I've worked with it and it was fairly nice, though harder to get a nice crease into than lokta or chiyogami. It felt very fragile when I was handling it but I didn't have any issues with tearing or glue bleed-through like I thought I might. It did bleed some color when I got it damp with the glue, and it took way longer to dry than normal, but once that was done it's been fine. Which is nice because I have a lot left over, so it'll probably be making many future appearances in my binds.
Look! It's rounded! I got a backing setup recently and this is my first time using it. It was Very Hard and I am not very good at it yet. But I think it looks pretty good for a first attempt, and there was really no other way to mitigate the spine swell on this one. I used a thick paper so I've got a thick book. I also tried something new with the case, though it isn't visible. Usually I make the text block and the case separately and then attach them as the last step, but for this one I actually built the case around the text. Like, boards attached to mull/tapes (sandwiched between thinner boards, with grooves cut for them so there are no bulges), then covered with momi, then leather corners and spine, then paste down the endpaper. It's got an oxford hollow, too! The tapes and mull actually wrap around the outside of the boards instead of the inside like I've done before. Endpapers are my favorite feather chiyogami. Combined with the marbled momi they make for a very opulent look, and I had just barely enough to do this. Like, down to the millimeter. I had to trim the edges and then glue the endpapers after to be sure they were right. I'm glad they were, because I didn't have a backup plan. Handmade endbands, colors picked to match the cover. Also, last note, I got the corner bits right for the first time. Measured properly, with no weird pointy bits that come out at funny angles. Very proud.
Title page and bookmark/interior shot. Did you know that some basic fonts in MS Word look different when you use a huge font size? Because I didn't until I made this title page. That's Parchment for the title, and it only gets those swirly bits around the capital letters if you take it to 26pt or higher (I used 72 here). Now I wonder if any of the other fonts have easter eggs in them like that. The ribbon is very fancy, to go along with the rich endpaper/cover combo. I think it's pretty appropriate for a mythological golden age of piracy story, as are the text ornaments:
Chapter header image, chapter end image, and section break image. It was a very image-heavy typeset. I was originally planning to only have a header and a section break, but I couldn't decide whether I liked the ships or the book/shell/feather better, and they both suited the story so well that I just went with both. Again, opulent, but I think it fits. All the images came from rawpixel, all I did was resize them.
There was a small error in the trimming process. Comes of having to calculate so closely the exact amount you can trim off, that you have to trim off so your slightly-too-small endpapers fit. I think something got misaligned when I poked the sewing holes because only the first signature is like this. The rest of the book has a more appropriately-sized margin between the page number and the edge. I got very lucky here, and I know it, and I'm never cutting it this close (lol) again. Next time we just order another sheet of chiyogami.
And that's it! I have one author's copy and one new bind in progress right now (that's taking a while because I'm learning more new stuff for it), and then I have two Christmas gift books to do, so it might be a bit before I have another book to share.
Elizabeth Gaskell has the kind of brilliance that makes you forget how brilliant she is until you come back to her work after reading inferior authors. Her type of talent is understated skill that does everything so well that it looks easy.
She has prose that's descriptive without being flowery. Plots that take their time but also keep pulling you along. She writes about everyday life in a way that makes it enthralling without over-romanticizing it. She can take what would be stock characters in the hands of other writers and explore their upbringing and history so thoroughly that they become real, nuanced individuals. And she does it all so simply that you barely even notice how much talent it takes to write like that.
Behold my favorite "the impulsive thoughts won" moment.
[Note: This man is highly allergic to cat fur and no one, not science nor god nor Krist himself knows why he has three cats with fur or how he's still alive.]
It's not just that he went in for a chomp and his allergic body reacted poorly to this choice, it's that he did it again twenty seconds later and had the same reaction.
This screenshot of the chat on this moment is pure chaos, beauty, and light.
Boygenius just joined Muna onstage at Coachella to perform Silk Chiffon. If that's not a dream come true for music loving lesbians, I don't know what is
Link a creation from each month this year <3 (it’s totally fine to skip months!) and tag some creators you love!
i was tagged by truly some of the best cc's on this hellsite @anpanmann @astronautjin @avizou @kithtaehyung @rumue @sopekooks to do this lil tag so make sure to check theirs out 💜 thank you for making my 2022 so amazing and heres to an even better 2023 ✨🎊😚
wow uh this year was surprisingly productive, learning a new animation software, making an insta for my pixelly creations, fulfilling my new years resolution of making sthing for everyones bday 🥺🥰✨ thank you for writing such cute tags under my posts and supporting me for this past year! ive truly adored reading every single one of them and have been making heart eyes at yall from my lil blanket cave 💜🥰🥺
jinuary: jin the vogue
sopebruary: hobchwita | skirtgi
minch: tangyoonrine | flower cryoon
jinpril: dilf i mean ptdos seokjin
junebut day: gotta catch em all boyscouts
jhopely: hobipalooza
auggukst: vampire kookie
joontember: sunflowers and namtitties
chimtober: chaos chimmon
tearsvember: asjinaut TT
moretearscember: our eggie touchstone | tvrnip head | jinnies room
i know im very late but i wanna see @heybaetae @hobeah @jung-koook @namchyoon @rkivedfiles @rosebowl @taee @usertae @userjungkook97 @yooboobies 2022 in review bc i am a simply a simp. what can i say? 💜✨
i cant wait to see what everyone creates in 2023 labyuuuu💖✨😚
continuing our little tradition 💜 here's a redraw of @twelvefifteencomic's first volume cover!
Happy birthday @zalazny!!!!!!!!
I wish you all the happiness ✨🌟🎇 and that many many many people get to know your amazing work - both your art and your writing! - in the near future :D
I'm so lucky to be internet-buddies with someone so incredibly talented and to be able to read and enjoy all that you make!
May you have another year of inspiration and success in your life!!!