And The Goddess Said Let There Be Chaos - a Philza-centric anthology

[keystonepublishing]

I don't think I have posted the first bookbind I ever made.

Given this is a new blog, I might as well begin now. I also think I have overcome the slight shame I felt when the book did not turn out exactly as perfect as I imagined.

Back in late 2022, I was browsing through r/hobbydrama on Reddit when a post popped-up about bookbinding drama. I got intrigued and commented how I wish someone could bind a favourite fic of mine. To my surprise, someone from Australia commented back on how she could! Fast-forward a month, and I have a ficbind in the mail!

The idea never left me afterwards. I searched around on Tumblr, found the Renegade Bindery group, and decided to lurk around and learn before joining the official Discord. Through their documents, I sought to make an anthology of Sleepy Bois Inc. fanfics, centering around the character Philza.

From the beginning, I wanted to see if I can go extra on my first ficbind. All the graphical art in these pages were scavenged from the internet and then manipulated in Krita to create a leaf motif. While not shown in these pics, I also manipulated an image of birds and chains for the second fic and even a gun for the third fic in this anthology!

I only had Microsoft Word on my PC, and I did not understand how to input margins, so the resulting tome had a lot of empty space all around. Additionally, I had no printing press of any kind, so I used whatever books lay around my room. I had no linen thread, so I used a red sewing thread from my mum's sewing supplies.

My choice of covers was also not a binder's best choice: cardboard. Wrapped in wrapping paper I bought from a hypermarket. The black bookmark ribbon was from some spare roll (from my mum's) with faux-bookmarks from that same paper glued to the head and tail.

When the whole construction was glued together, the hinges literally crumpled. The book could open and close, but not without some serious creasing at the spine. I also made the overhangs too large which made the text block feel a bit small - making my typesetting feel even smaller. But it was my first bookbind! My first serious DIY craft project!

For all it's faults, this marked my first foray into a craft and community that is more welcoming than I imagined.