u/starblightbindery

A dos-à-dos binding of Lawn Boy and Dick in a Can by beebee_kate. These are two Star Wars modern AU textfics full of irreverent joy. Two legal quarto sized books sharing the same back cover.

For the uninitiated, modern AU is short for "modern setting, alternate universe" fan fiction. These are stories created by fans and for fans, self-published online. Modern AU can sometimes bear very little resemblance to the existing work, instead utilizing tropes, character names/appearance, characterizations, or themes from the original IP. (For example, a Game of Thrones modern AU could be Daenerys and Cersei transplanted to a high school setting, maneuvering to become Homecoming Queen.) Both "Lawn Boy" and "Dick in a Can" are textfics, meaning they are epistolary stories in the form of text message screenshots.

This was my first ever dos-à-dos and I figured I might as well go as weird as possible with these two fics. The Pringles book features a 3D printed can covered with a cannibalized can of pringles (that opens with a surprise inside.) Lawn Boy (based on a famous Craigslist listing) was covered with faux green fur trimmed--or "mowed"--to look like the name of the Craigslist listing.

This was also my first competition entry ever, to the reddit r/bookbinding Discord contest, from a while back. But I haven't shared it here, yet, so thought I would. If you're curious about these stories and would like a laugh, they are quick reads and you can read them here: Lawn Boy and Dick in a Can by beebee_kate

My primary hobby is bookbinding and also lately I've gotten into kitbashing book nooks. This one is a kitbash of The Secret Rhythm from Cutebee and highly personalized. Every time I make a new book, I add a miniature version to the nook. That way, since about half the books I make are given away, I will always still have a memento of my work.

The original book nook is musician themed; I tossed out the guitars and speakers to make use of the many bookshelves in this nook. I changed out the rug and the view in the window and customized the desk area with my own papers, posters, and family photos. I printed out stickers of my books to replace the default covers included in the kit. Scanning the sticker pages also let me customize things like the rug and window. Each individual book is painstakingly detailed with paint pens to resemble the original book.

I'm a huge Star Wars fan and bind a lot of Star Wars books, so I found earrings and bracelet charms to put on the shelves for decor. (My favorite find was a tiny Millennium Falcon.) The nook is also a great scale for Star Wars action figures so I have Black Series porgs, the Skywalker lightsaber, and Rey's backpack on the chair (which I also upholstered in leather.)

Lastly, I made miniature versions of common bookbinding equipment using M2 screws and bolts, including a nipping press.

I just got a laser cutter and am excited to do more stuff like this. If you're interested in learning about bookbinding, you can check out my instagram here. My most notorious bind is probably this fanfic of Gritty Kills Tony Stark, which is also memorialized in the nook. Let me know if you have any questions about this kitbash!