Dandelions and Dragons: Webcomic Fluff Dump

I've (Citali) been reading more webcomics lately! Here's my list + spiels.

1. Flowerpot: "A story about a boy who grows dandelions from his head because of a mysterious disease, and all the problems that entails. Ten years ago, Ben was the first person to be infected by a strange disease that causes flowers to grow from his body every spring and summer.  In a world where flowers have become frightening, Ben has come to accept that most people will want to keep their distance from his dandelions.  However, when an enthusiastic photographer arrives out of the blue and asks Ben to be a part of his project, Ben begins to discover what being a “flowerpot” really means."

Ben is Patient Zero for fleurine, a recent illness that causes flowers to grow from his hair. Flowers are feared as carriers of the infectious disease, and "flowerpots" like Ben must guard against people's prejudices. A fluffy comic with lots of friendship and flowers, not to mention some succulents, annoying relatives, and cuddly friends.

Some swearing (Eileen can get angry).

Read here: http://flowerpot-comic.tumblr.com/post/136451157935/flowerpot-title-page-extra-fleurine-pamplet

2. Always Human: "This is a story about nanobots, genetic engineering, and two girls falling in love. No matter how technology changes us, we'll always be human."

Sunati's always admired the one girl she always sees at the train station without any "mods," or genetic modifications like the ones she's always used to. Then she finds out the reason Austen isn't modding is because she can't; she has a syndrome that prevents her from living like everyone else does. Also super fluffy with friendship, representation to the nines, real-world problems (stress! failure! feeling like an impostor!). A watercolor art style that's super calming.

Some swearing in Spanish (from Austen).

Read here: http://www.webtoons.com/en/romance/always-human/1-i-guess-thats-why-i-admire-her/viewer?title_no=557&episode_no=1

3. Tea Dragon Society: "The Tea Dragon Society is about a young blacksmith apprentice, Greta, who is learning her craft but isn’t entirely sure what use it has in modern society. When she encounters a tea dragon and becomes closer to those who raise them and grow their tea, she learns about the dying art form and how it enriches the lives of those she meets—and eventually her own. With the experiences and the memories she makes, she begins to wonder if there’s a value in craft all of its own."

A soft lineless fantasy style: tea dragons are a notoriously finicky breed, treasured for their priceless tea. When Greta, a blacksmith's daughter who's more compassionate than plucky, rescues a jasmine green dragon, she learns about the wise elder Hesekiel and his old friend Erik who raise them. The fluffiest thing I've ever read—super calming, cute art, and worldbuilding to the nines!

Super family friendly, great for anyone at all who needs more cuddly dragons in their lives.

Read here: http://teadragonsociety.com/comic/chapter-1/

4. Mooncakes: "Long-lost childhood crushes Nova Huang and Tam Lang have reunited for the first time in ten years. They have a lot more to deal with this time than just being the only two Asian kids in school (who also happen to both have magical abilities). The comic focuses on their relationship as they struggle through bills, family, and weird horse demons in ways that only a witch and a werewolf can."

Super cool to find urban fantasy that's not grimdark and edgy! The worldbuilding in this one is great: the witchy bookstore that Nova's grandmothers own, Nova's own stellar fashion sense, the art style in general! It's a classic comics line style. Not to mention how diverse it is! As it's shaping up, it looks like this will be a fun fantasy adventure with a tinge of romance. Super diverse too: hard of hearing, LGBT+, and Asian American (!) characters galore!

A few swear words.

Read here: http://mooncakesomic.tumblr.com/

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Yes, I read a lot of fluff. That's what comics are to me: they're short, so they're mostly for rereading value. I love the characters and the worlds, and I want everyone to have a happy ending! It's perfect for scrolling through on a bad day.

Happy reading!
~Citali

An Artsy Booksy Crafty Thing

It's a crime to throw away books, and I think that we can all agree on. Some of the institutions I agree with most are libraries, and they almost always accept books! Recently, my family cleaned out our collective book collections, ending up with a brown paper bag full of books. Whenever I go to the library, I'll browse the used books shelves, and I'm glad to think that some of the duplicate books I own will go to a good home!

In related news, my classes are clearing up too, especially damaged books so that they can order new ones at the end of the year. I'm a major reference books fan, so a thesaurus is always at my desk. It happened to be one that was stripped, with no front or back covers, but completely usable: underloved books for the win! However, since it wasn't perfect, it was destined for disposal. In the end, though, instead of in the trash can, it's with me at home, hanging out on my desk.

That brings my total of thesauruses to three: One giant The Synonym Finder, which is massive and too big for most uses except esoteric words; a Random House Roget's that I use sometimes; and the new/old one, Webster's Roget's. In other words, I probably own enough thesauruses for three people. (Not probably own, but do own.) And so the new/old thesaurus is sitting rather sadly on my desk. Until I found this craft online! It's a paper envelope to slip over book covers, which is better than the contact paper DIY fabric book ones that work better on hardcovers. Since my book doesn't even have the cardstock, this is perfect! I also have an abundance of scrapbook paper and wrapping paper, so here's my progress photos. It's all directly from this very excellent blog post: http://www.kittyandbuck.com/blog-lifestyle/2013/08/diy-japanese-paper-book-cover.

 These are all the supplies you need! The Roget's Thesaurus is pretty small, so I used one 12 by 12 inch piece of scrapbook paper. Then you need the book, of course, and some tools to mark straight lines. I folded down the sides until the top and bottom were flush with the book's top and bottom.

 I folded down the sides until the top and bottom were flush with the book's top and bottom.

Then a fold at the end so that a bit of a sleeve was formed where the edge of the book lies on the paper.

Sliding the front page (since there's no cover) into the sleeve made by the three folds.

All done! I think it looks very pretty, and might hold up for more use. I love papercrafts since they're so often quick, and this one was literary too! I can imagine doing this with blank kraft paper to be able to doodle on it later. This concludes Citali's Crafts Mode: Literary Edition. 

Happy reading!

~Citali