Man @coleman.christopher really hit the nail on the head there. It drives me nuts how they'll have the whole aisle of faucets but nothing for the rubber gasket that's a three dollar fix. I tried to replace a sink stopper a few weeks back and the guy at the register just shrugged and pointed to a whole new pop up assembly. Makes you wonder if they even want you to fix things anymore.

Gotta respect anyone breaking out the shears for those transitions. Took you three tries? That's way faster than I managed.

Isn't it possible a single anchor just creates a weird illusion of life while the rest stays essentially dead?

Yeah backing boards are the way to go. I do the same thing twice a year.

Honestly, that's not really a zine exploding in size, that's just you collecting raw material and then finding a way to funnel it in. I think what you're describing is more like you went from just doodling to actually reporting on stuff, which is a totally different creative muscle. I did the same thing with a pocket notebook but then realized half my zine was just transcribed random people's complaints, which felt a little too close to just stealing their words without putting much of myself in it. Ngl, you gotta watch out that you're not just printing a diary of eavesdropped bits unless you're giving them your own spin.