#I’m going to try a rounded back spine! I’m going to trim my text blocks!!

[mothdogs]

New bookbinding tools got me feeling like a 50-year-old man after a Home Depot spree

[bookshelfdreams]

Ahhhh, your self bound books just look really beautiful? All the color choices and the layout just look soooo good together. And that's such a beautiful gift? I have not read primium non nocere, as I haven't watched Charité but if it is worthy of such a tribute I am definitely giving it a shot anyway. I'd also be really interested of your creative process and choices with the binding, if you're willing to talk about that

hi omg! thank you so much <3<3 Primum Non Nocere is a very good story, and I'd say even if you haven't seen the show, give it a shot anyway, if you're interested? I mean, by all means, try the show as well, season 2 is on Netflix w english subs afaik and it's also really, really good (not perfect, but leagues better than the stuff this country usually makes abt the nazi regime). It's a retelling of canon events from a character's perspective who isn't a focal character in the show - there's probably one or two points at which it skips canon events or may seem a little jumpy, but overall, it's more of a companion piece to canon than a classic fanfic. It's very well researched and detailed; it expands on canon in beautiful ways and honestly, fits with it seamlessly; it might as well be an official novelization (although its focuses are a little different than the og)

as for the bookbinding, I'm really flattered you're interested in my process! I'm still very much a beginner, but I'm slowly figuring out something that works for me.

Also, I don't really know what information you're looking for, so I'm just gonna share some things that come to mind. This isn't really a step-by-step how-to but if you're interested in that, I can try to take some pictures next time I make a book and make a better reference post.

Typesetting

I typeset in OpenOffice because that's my office suite of choice & I'm old; I have never used google docs and I don't plan on starting. I download the fic in html, and then just copy/paste the text chapter by chapter; that's easiest for me. As for fonts, I wanted it to look vintage but I definitely didn't want it to have Nazi aesthetics. I went with Baskerville for the main text (which is such a beautiful font, it might become my go-to) (Garamond is what is most commonly used in books I think, but it almost looks too professional for me. I love that Baskerville has this very distinct, vintage feel to it.) and an Art Deco font for the title and chapter headings. Overall I think it looks more 1920's which, considering that the Nazis really hated the Weimar republic, seems fitting. I'm happy with how it turned out and I hope the author is, too :) As for the rest, it's set in 16pt, 120% line spacing and the margins could be a little larger, tbh, but it works and I'm a little stingy with the paper XD

OpenOffice also lets you draw simple graphics directly onto the document which is what I did for the title page and the little ornaments at the beginning of the chapters.

To make signatures, I use Quantum Elephant Bookbinder. It does what it's supposed to, the only thing that doesn't quite work is the flyleaf option, but I can just add that in the og pdf.

Book construction

I print on copying paper, 80gsqm. It's recycling, 55CIE which is really quite grey; I like it, because white is uncomfortable for me to look at. As for grain, I cut my sheets from A3. The grain is also wrong there, so I ended up wasting half the paper. Whatever; I think it's worth it. Having the grain in the right direction (parallel to the spine) makes it feel so much more like an actual book and not just a stack of copying paper stapled together. I honestly believe it's more important than having fancy paper.

After folding, I do not use a model and an ale for punching holes; instead I put all the signatures together in my makeshift press (2 old cutting boards and 2 bar clamps), I draw some guidelines and then I use a fine saw to cut them all at once.

I sew the signatures on tapes for stability; it makes keeping consistent tension easier. I use linen bookbinder's thread (worth it) and cotton tapes from the craft store (they do their job, and linen sewing tapes are hard to source & expensive). I do not have a sewing frame; but what I do is, I tape the tapes to the underside of my cutting mat, place the signature on top (fold aligned with the edge of the mat) and use a weight to keep it in place. It works okay.

After sewing, I round the spine with this method, which works surprisingly well. I do not trim the edges (I know myself well enough to know that it would not end well) & instead tap the short sides & spine to the table to align the signatures as perfectly as possible.

The rest is done as in pretty much any other tutorial. No backing, because I don't have equipment for that. I like to sand down the edges of the cover boards a little, so they're a bit rounded; I think it makes for nicer haptics.

Decorations

I like to make as much of the book myself as possible. There's several reasons for that; first of all, fancy handmarbled or printed paper, headbands, bookmarks etc are expensive. Second, I have a crafting addiction & what's the point of projects like this when you buy everything you could make yourself, right? But thirdly (most importantly) it's simply that my book blocks look pretty shitty (that's, untrimmed and uneven). But that's okay; you gotta embrace the "amateurishly handmade" look & just have to amateurishly handmake everything. Adding just one or two perfect, machine-produced details looks kinda jarring.

Paper decoration - mix water soluble paint and wallpaper paste and go wild (videos are in German, sorry, idk if this is a thing that's really done in the anglophone world? But I think they're pretty easy to follow even if you don't understand the instructions). I like to use this for covers, mainly, I'm also experimenting with decorating endpapers this way. The paste makes the paper really rough and horrible to the touch; as the very last step, I wax the cover (with a beeswax-based furniture polish. Floor wax works as well, it just doesn't smell very nice). Be careful not to get any on the bookcloth, it will cause stains & ruin everything at the last second.

Headbands - I found this tutorial very helpful.

Bookmarks - this gave me so much trouble. Most amateur bookbinders seem to use cotton, polyester or satin ribbons, which is fine, I guess. I don't particularly like either option. At first I thought I could weave my own; that didn't work out, because weaving tiny bands is harder than it looks (& also the resulting ribbon was much too stiff). But! Bookmarks in professionally made books aren't woven at all; they're braided. Seven-stranded braids work pretty well (tutorial is for 5 strands, but 7 strands work the same). As for the headbands, embroidery floss is best imho (silk would, of course, be traditional but come on). Mercerised cotton crochet thread works as well but isn't quite as nice.

this turned out way too long lol. Sorry. Hopefully the answer you were looking for is in there somewhere. Again, thank you and have a lovely evening!

[thoughtfulwaffles]

Started With A Text

>>Part One<<

MrBeast x Reader fic

Should I make this into a series or keep it a one shot thingy?

-

The flight to North Carolina was long. It was weird being in a different state than the one you grew up in. You didn't travel much so seeing how other states run things excited you. You were scared. After all you were flying to meet a complete stranger you've only talked to a few times. He did seem friendly from the times you have talked to him and from the videos you've watched. He hasn't done anything that makes him jump out at you or anything but you were in it for the money.

As you get off the plane you notice Garrett, a guy from Jimmy's videos. He was holding a sign that had your name on it, dressed in a nice suit. You wondered why Jimmy got someone to pick you up considering the unique and kinda embarrassing situation he was in. 

You shyly walk up to him as he asked, "Are you Y/N?" 

You nod politely. The man turned around and walked slowly through the crowd of people. He lead you to a black car after picking up your luggage. There was no words spoken on the ride to wherever Jimmy lived. 

The car stopped in front of a suburban home. Garrett got out and opened the door for you like a chauffeur You grabbed your backpack and stepped out of the car. The house was one story, tan brown with white trimmings. 

"You may head inside. I'll grab your luggage and put the in the garage. Jimmy will tell you the rest."

Nodding, you headed for the front door. You knocked, nerves filling up your stomach. You wondered if it was appropriate to just walk in. Your anxiety wouldn't let you but it was something to think about. The door opened a few moments later, revealing a worked up Jimmy. He looked neater in person and was way taller then you imagined. His hair was brushed to the side and his cheeks were blushed as if he had been running a mile. He wore his famous investor shirt along with grey shorts. His hand stayed on the door, blocking you from entering. "Wow." He whispered under his breath.

Tilting your head to the side, you furrowed your eyebrows. "Excuse me?" You said as politely as possible. The butterflies were still chewing at your stomach but you kept your confidence.

"Uh..." Jimmy ran a hand through is brown hair. "Come in. Come in." He moved away from the door to let you in. "Um... we can sit and talk or... uh... have a tour of the house." 

"Show me round." You say flirtatiously. You were getting paid to do this so do what the man wants. You suppressed the rolling of your stomach and started to play with your hair.

The tall man blushed harder. "O...okay." He managed to muster out. Jimmy shuffled over to the left where the kitchen was. "This is the kitchen as you can tell. " He spun around with his arms open.

"Cool, cool." 

"Uh... yeah." Jimmy smiled as he looked at the ground. You could tell he was getting flustered being around you. You noticed he put a hand in his pocket to hide his very noticeable boner. "Do you want to see your room?" He asked, trying to get the focus off of his boner.

Smirking, you nod.

Jimmy hurriedly walked to the right where a hallway was. He passed two white doors before he stopped at the second door on the right. He looked back at you before twisting the nob. The room was almost empty except for a queen sized bed and a small desk. A lamp was placed next to the bed. You walked passed him to see how large the room was. It was fairly medium sized room, nothing too special. Jimmy entered the room behind you, shutting the door behind him.

"This is a lot larger then my old room." 

Jimmy inhaled sharply. You could tell he was refraining from saying a dirty joke. You sat on the bed to test out the mattress. You bounced a little, shocked by how comfortable it was. "Wow."

"Yeah, Wow." Jimmy was looking at you with desperate eyes. He followed your every move, taking in every inch of you. It almost looked like he was drooling. "You like it? I didn't know what to get you so I settle for the middle. If you don't like it we can get you another one. He walked slowly towards you, his height intimidating.

"Let's test it out." You gently place a hand on the man's thigh. You could tell he was tenting in his pants. His breath hitched as you touched him.

You started to move your hand slowly upward. You heard the man whisper fuck to himself as he closed his eyes in pleasure. You inched closer to him, kissing his neck finding the sensitive parts. The words that slipped out of his mouth grew louder as you cup his boner, massaging the very hard piece of flesh through his pants. Jimmy exhaled in a moan. You kiss up his neck and to his ear. "How do you like it love?" 

"You fine with being a sub? I have thought of so many dirty things i'd do to you." Jimmy's voice was uneven but you could hear the desperation.

"Have me how you want me."

Suddenly you could feel Jimmy's hands on your waist, pushing you to lay down on the light brown sheets. You comply, letting the man who is paying you way too much take control. He crawled on top of you, kissing exposed skin as he made his way up. When he reached your face he hesitantly went for a kiss. It seemed he was second guessing yourself so you reached up and grabbed his face. Pulling him into a kiss, his slightly tough lips moved against yours. He started to press himself against you, his member hard against your thigh. He moaned in your ear, shivers going down your spine at the sweet sound the man made. You felt his hand go up your side and make its way to your breast. He pulled away form your lips as his breath hitched. His excitement must be getting to him. His movements grew faster.

"You sure you're okay with this?" Jimmy asked as he hooked a finger in the waist band of your pants. 

"Yes baby." 

Hooking his hands in your waist band, Jimmy pulled your pants down. He gazed at you black underwear, his dick twitching in anticipation. As his hands went up your side again they went under your shirt. You felt exposed as Jimmy took you in. He struggled to take his pants and shirt off. His pale skin rubbed against yours as he hovered over you. He kissed your neck as he went back to rutting against you. You grew impatient but wouldn't say anything. Jimmy reached up and grabbed your wrist forcefully. He smiled as a little gasp left your lips. 

He kissed you with a want you couldn't describe. His confidence was in the skies now. He toughed at your lips with his teeth, his dick jumping. He removed his hands from yours to unhook your bra with ease. He then kissed your chest, making his way to your panties. He slowly peeled them off with his teeth. When they got to your knees, he ripped them off along with his boxers.

He stood on his knees in front of you, taking in ll of you once again. "Fuck kitten." 

If you were feeling exposed earlier, now was definitely worse. It did help that you were staring at Jimmy's 7 inch dick. After the shock of physically seeing this person, you observe the rest of his body. He didn't have much hair on his milky skin, just the hair that grew on his face. He wasn't muscular but wasn't thin. He was in the middle. He looked human.

Jimmy placed a hand on your inner thigh, feeling every inch of your skin before he positioned himself. He grazed the tip of his dick on your clit, exhaling as he did so. "I can't wait much longer kitten. Are you sure you want this?"

"Yes love." He rutted against your lips in an attempt to wet the area more. Jimmy wanted you so badly but refrained to not hurt or scare you. "Please." You whisper in his ear.

He moaned as he guided the tip of his dick into you. You could tell he wanted to go faster but he didn't. He entered you slowly, careful not to hurt you. You let out a light moan as you feel his inches crawling into you. 

"Kitten?"

"Yes?"

"I can do... rough... things right?"

You smiled. Never has anyone been so concerned for you during sex. You appreciated the fact that he asked for consent so many times. You found it very charming. "What else are you paying me for?" You smirk.

You felt strong hands grab your chin shutting you up. "Be good little kitten, will you?" The man growled.

You whimpered in pleasure as Jimmy rammed himself into you harder and harder. His need to catch his high was very evident in his movements. Jimmy removed his hands from your neck to hold your hands above your head. He moaned in your mouth as he slowed down, teasing himself. "Tell me how badly you need me."

You gasp. "Baby... I want you so badly. Please baby." You were confident in your moans, since you did do this for a living. 

Jimmy almost halted his movement completely. "What was that kitten?" He let go of your hands to choke you. You could feel his breath on your ear, exciting you. 

"Please baby." You whimper out. "I... I need you. So fucking badly. Please. I want you to fuck me."

"Fuck you how?" He put a little more pressure on your throat.

You gasp loudly as the man thrusted into you with force just once. "I want you to fuck me how you've always wanted to fuck me. Like all those times you've wished your hands were mine."

"Fuck." Jimmy whispered to himself. He increased his speed, his need to finish controlling him. He placed his head in the crook of your neck, letting out little gasps of air. He placed a hand on your hip, thrusting faster and more erratic. You moan and enjoy ever bit of Jimmy.

"Please baby."

"Ah fuck kitten. I'm close." You could feel his dick hardening as he pounded into you. 

You moaned and moaned as Jimmy tried to reach his high. You tugged on his hair and said, "Cum for me baby." 

A few moments later Jimmy pulled out of you and came all over your stomach. His eyes remained closed in pleasure and his cheeks flushed. He stayed above you, happy in his bliss. His chest rose rapidly, trying to catch his breath.

"Holy fuck." He gasped. "You don't know how long I've been waiting to do that."