Charleethinks - Blog Posts

Seeing how I am a lot more active on BSKY than I thought I'd be, I'm giving this another boost.

🦋 https://bsky.app/profile/charlythelee.bsky.social 💕

With the annual updating of all my links I've made the decision to (finally) formally phase out Amino in favor of BlueSky.

Tumblr is and will remain my main, but I'd still be thrilled if you give me a follow over at BSKY (handle is charlythelee, same as here, link through the LinkTree in my bio) 💕

With the annual updating of all my links I've made the decision to (finally) formally phase out Amino in favor of BlueSky.

Tumblr is and will remain my main, but I'd still be thrilled if you give me a follow over at BSKY (handle is charlythelee, same as here, link through the LinkTree in my bio) 💕

Hi! I know you're very much "in" the zine community (i loved your hqmm zine!) so I had a question that I was wondering if you could answer. on projects where it was a physical zine, how did you order them/manufacture them? because most places refuse to do fanworks. Thank you & have a good day!

Hi there & good day to you too 👋🏼

Firstly, thank you so much for the compliment, I'm really happy you liked the Murder Mystery Zine (it was a really cool project with a lot of amazing people) 💕

I am by no means a big production guru (there are mods out there with years of experience and dozens of projects more than me who really know almost every single manufacturer there is and have tried and compared them all) but I'm always happy to answer zine related questions and help to the best of my knowledge — I'll put the booklet related tips below the cut but if you have any other zine or production questions, please don't hesitate to ask again or DM me ☺️

To answer your question, for physical booklets, I, personally, tend to use Mixam UK, because in my opinion they have the best price/cost relationship (there are certainly manufacturers who deliver a better quality and more paper options, but if you are trying to keep costs low, then Mixam UK does a very good job! You need to pay attention though, because Mixam also has a US site, but I would advise against using them, because they are both more expensive and their quality is at best acceptable and at worst subpar — depending on what size and page count you have it can also be cheaper to order from the UK site with shipping to the US that ordering directly from the US site, so be sure that you are on the right Mixam site. There is also a Canadian & Australian site but I have not yet worked with them so I can't speak to how they compare—as far I remember the hearsay though, they seem to be doing okay) ☺️

I have also been part of 1 zine where the booklet was ordered with PixartPrinting (though not as a moderator), who seem to do great work with their finishing (though that was some years ago and last I checked they don't offer shipping to the US/international anymore, only EU, but you might be able to get more info if you contact customer service). I have also heard good things about Jukeboxprint and Skating Bear (especially if you want things like foil on the cover, etc), but never actually used them myself because from what I hear and the prices that I have been quoted for past projects, you need to reach a high quantity (250 & upwards) for the costs to balance out. Mixam has recently also added foil options but I have not yet tried them so I can't judge their foil work.

All of these have a website where you can order directly, except Skating Bear, who operate via Alibaba.

I have also never heard of any of these manufacturers (or any other) cancel or refuse an order because it was fan work, so not sure where you have that information from 🤔 I have only heard of a single instance where a sticker manufacturer wanted proof that you could use the designs (I guess they became suspicious because the designs had different art styles?) and it was all resolved by the respective merch artists sending them a message that the project had permission to use their designs—as far as I recall this was a very small, local manufacturer though and it was also some years ago. So, if you are trying to print locally and go somewhere in-person, small shops may very well have individual policies on not printing fan works or be more pro-active when checking the designs for originality 🤔

If you had a big/online manufacturer refuse your order because it was fan work though, I would be really curious to hear which company it was, if you don't mind sharing! That could be really helpful information for future and ongoing projects which company to avoid or have a backup plan for.

I think that was it, my 2 cents on making physical zine booklets, and I really hope that it all makes sense and was roughly the information you were hoping for 😅 If there is anything that you are unsure about or want more information on, please don't hesitate to ask or DM me directly 💕

I only got my first 2 zines to completion because I had amazing co-moderators around me giving advice and sharing experiences, so I am always open to passing on that knowledge to others and help them realize their zine ideas ☺️

My @teamkarasunozine came in today and I am in love <3 This saved my day

Daichi already found a home on my university bag - he gets along splendid with Simon‘s Cat ;)

Please excuse my horrible 11pm doodle but thank you so much for this amazing zine and all the effort you put into it! (This of course also applies to each and every contributor ^-^)

- Greetings from Germany

Okay so basically I have two ways to approach this.

On that is just me being a petty sucker for love and the other a little more… scientific.

So what if we had them going all the way to ‚properly‘ - which I just assume is kissing and/or sex.

For one Kaz shows that he is starting to work on his trauma by holding hands with Inej at the end of CK.

And Inej with her backstory at the menagerie it‘s like: Bruh, don‘t get me started on how she must feel about sex!

So they both just start to tackle their individual problems slowly, which is absolutely fine (and possibly leaves room for a third book).

But they are just so darn hecking cute together I want them too smooch for pete's sake!

(As I said I just am sucker for love in a well developed story)

And so, the let us say ‚scientific‘ reason I think they are ‚only‘ holding hands at the end of CK (appart from a possible third book) isn‘t Kaz character but Inej.

Kaz is shown in his flashback scenes that he actually tried before to live without the gloves (with that other girl, sorry I forgot her name, that he was collecting fight bets with). He just choose not to, because working through his trauma was getting in the way of business and that was simply more important to him and his big revenge scheme. So I think if Leigh had just started to ‚rehabilitate‘ Kaz just a little earlier in the books she could have comfortably made him confident enough to go out ‚properly‘ with Inej by the end.

And that is why I think It‘s actually about her and her past as prostitute.

Idk how to explain this but at least to me, Inej might be trying to work through her history but even close to the end she is still terrified by the menagerie.

She is not like Kaz, who sort of choose to just go along with his trauma, she is still somewhat in it‘s thrall.

So that will just take a lot more time to unravel and she is only just beginning with it.

Sure she stuck her middle finger into Tante Heleens face but isn‘t that the exact reason why she wants to be a pirate and fight? To work her way through the trauma?

To become stronger? Strong enough she can leave the nightmares of the menagerie behind once and for all?

So in conclusion

*Clears throat after typing a lot of probably unnecessary explanation that got kinda of topic at the end*

Leaving aside my petty desires and also I my imminent need a Wesper/Kanej double date because fu** you, that is my jam!

*nervous sweating*

I don‘t think it would have been realistic for Inej to make that step, even at the end of CK.

Which is just a too long explanation of: I want it, even though it definitely doesn‘t fit into the novel!!

So I am glad Leigh didn‘t actually let them get together ‚properly‘ - and here come my big big hope - yet.

(Even though it would have been just so cute *silent sobbing*)

Also @arin-saintsforsakencity - no problemo ;)

Oh man so a couple days ago I met a high school teacher who had read Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom and she had the coldest fucking take I’ve ever heard despite being otherwise a very smart, sensitive person. I knew she had read them and I was so excited to talk about my close readings of metaphor and subversion/reinforcement of racial tropes and all the other stuff I’ve never quite managed to type up. So I asked her what she thought. And she said.

She said that she wished Kaz and Inej had been able to “properly” get together at the end of CK and I almost choked on my fucking orange soda. I’ve never been so let down by a literary opinion in my entire life.

I managed to argue with her a little but her heart wasn’t as in it as mine was. I’m so disappointed. So yeah if you hold this same bad opinion, this is an open invitation to hash it out with me.