developerbotsarchival

Code Lab: Create an Automated Tribute Zine Generator for Deleted Fan Worlds

UUnknown

2026-02-23

11 min read

Build a Discord bot that compiles screenshots, art and messages into a printable PDF zine when a fan world is removed.

Hook: When a fan world disappears, memories shouldn’t vanish with it

One of the hardest things for community builders and creators is watching years of fan work — screenshots, visitor notes, custom art — vanish when a creator deletes a world or a platform removes content. You want a safe, respectful way to archive and honor that work without policing or rehosting content you don’t have permission for. This tutorial walks you through building an automated zine generator bot that compiles Discord uploads, screenshots, art and visitor messages into a printable PDF tribute whenever a fan world is removed.

The why: Archival needs and 2026 trends

In late 2025 and early 2026 we’ve seen a few clear shifts that make this project timely and necessary:

Content volatility: Large platforms and game publishers continue to remove fan-created worlds for policy or IP reasons—example: the high-profile removal of a long-running Animal Crossing fan island in 2025 that left many visitors looking for ways to remember it.
Privacy-first archiving: Communities want archives that respect creator consent, remove EXIF and private data, and preserve intent without permanent public hosting.
Automation + design AI: Low-cost generative layout tools (2025–26) let us create print-ready zines programmatically, balancing human curation and automation.
Discord as the hub: Discord remains the go-to place for asset collection and consent workflows, with bots widely accepted for moderation and automation.

What you’ll build (overview)

By the end of this tutorial you’ll have a working prototype that:

Listens in a Discord server for fan-world assets (images, art, messages).
Stores assets and metadata securely (S3/Cloud storage + MongoDB or equivalent).
Provides an opt-in consent workflow for creators and uploaders.
Generates a printable PDF zine (A5 or US Letter) using a headless browser renderer and templated HTML/CSS.
Triggers zine builds via a moderator command or a removal-detection webhook.

Key design principles

Consent first. Ask uploaders and creators for permission. Provide takedown controls post-publication.
Privacy by default. Strip EXIF, redact personal data, and avoid rehosting sensitive images without explicit approval.
Attribution & credits. Track usernames, source links and license choices for every asset.
Print-focused layout. Design for 300 DPI, correct bleeds, embedded fonts and page spreads.
Lightweight & modular. Keep the bot stateless where possible and use cloud storage for assets to scale.

Architecture & tech stack (recommended)

This tutorial uses a Node.js stack to keep the integration smooth with Discord and modern PDF toolchains. You can adapt to Python if that’s your preference.

Runtime: Node.js 18+
Discord library: discord.js v14+
Storage: AWS S3 (or DigitalOcean Spaces) for assets; MongoDB Atlas for metadata
Image processing: Sharp for resizing and EXIF stripping
PDF generation: Puppeteer (Chromium headless) to render an HTML zine template to PDF; optional pdf-lib for metadata embedding
Optional: OpenAI/Anthropic for autogenerated curator notes (use with moderation and human review)

Step 1 — Prepare your Discord bot and server

Start by creating a bot application in the Discord Developer Portal. Steps are standard but ensure you request the following intents and permissions:

Privileged Intent: MESSAGE CONTENT if you’ll read message text for consent commands (be mindful of Discord policies).
Permissions: Read Messages/View Channels, Send Messages, Manage Messages (optional), Attach Files, Embed Links.
Slash commands: Register a set of slash commands for building zines and managing consent.

Bot invite example (scope & perms)

Use an OAuth invite with the bot scope and required permissions. Keep the bot token secure and store it in environment variables (DO NOT commit it to git).

Step 2 — Collecting assets safely

Collect assets in a dedicated channel with pinned instructions and automated messaging so users know the rules. The bot should:

Auto-tag messages uploaded with a world name or Dream Address tag.
Ask for upload consent via a reaction or a short ephemeral form. Example: selecting ✅ confirms consent for zine inclusion and credit.
Strip EXIF and resize images to print DPI standards using Sharp.

Example: Listen for attachments (discord.js)

client.on('messageCreate', async (message) => {
  if (message.channel.id !== process.env.COLLECT_CHANNEL) return;
  if (!message.attachments.size) return;

  for (const attachment of message.attachments.values()) {
    // download and process
    const url = attachment.url;
    const filename = `${Date.now()}_${attachment.name}`;
    const buffer = await fetch(url).then(r => r.arrayBuffer());
    // sharp to strip metadata and resize
    const processed = await sharp(Buffer.from(buffer))
      .resize(2480, 3508, { fit: 'inside' }) // example for 300 DPI A4
      .withMetadata({ exif: {} }) // stripped
      .toBuffer();

    // upload to S3 and save metadata
    const s3Key = `archives/${worldId}/${filename}`;
    await s3.putObject({ Bucket, Key: s3Key, Body: processed }).promise();
    await db.collection('assets').insertOne({ worldId, uploader: message.author.id, s3Key, filename, timestamp: new Date() });
  }
});

To be trustworthy and legally safer, implement an opt-in consent flow. When a user uploads, the bot sends an ephemeral reply:

“Thanks for uploading. React with ✅ to consent to inclusion in a community zine. Use ❌ to mark this as private.”

Record consent in your metadata. If a creator later revokes consent, the bot should mark the asset as excluded and remove it from future zines (and optionally from storage if requested).

Step 4 — Detecting a removal and triggering a build

There are two realistic trigger models:

Manual trigger: Server moderators run /build-zine world:NAME. This is safest because it requires human verification.
Automated detection: Monitor a feed or accept a webhook from a creator or trusted news source. Use keyword-based alerts with services like CrowdTangle alternatives or a simple monitored RSS/X search, then send a candidate notification to moderators for approval.

We recommend a hybrid model: automatic detection creates a pending build and pings moderators who then confirm the build.

Step 5 — Design the zine template

Design a responsive HTML/CSS template tuned for print. Key tips:

Use high-resolution placeholders and embed fonts with proper licensing.
Set page size in CSS: @page { size: A5; margin: 10mm; }
Design spreads for front/back covers and page numbers. Consider fold order for multi-signature printing.
Include a credits page listing contributors, links and a short curator note (auto-generated draft + human edit).
Provide QR codes for an online gallery or additional context. Use a data field for a permanent archive link (IPFS optional).

Example zine HTML skeleton

<!doctype html>
<html><head>
  <meta charset="utf-8"/>
  <style>
    @page { size: A5; margin: 8mm }
    body { font-family: 'Inter', sans-serif; -webkit-print-color-adjust: exact }
    .page { page-break-after: always }
    .cover { display:flex; align-items:center; justify-content:center; height:100vh }
    .gallery img { width:100%; height:auto; display:block }
  </style>
</head><body>
  <section class="page cover"><h1>Tribute: {WORLD NAME}</h1></section>
  <section class="page"><h2>Curator note</h2><p>{CURATOR NOTE}</p></section>
  <section class="page gallery">{IMAGES}</section>
  <section class="page"><h3>Visitor messages</h3>{MESSAGES}</section>
</body></html>

Step 6 — Rendering to PDF (Puppeteer)

Use Puppeteer to render your HTML template to a PDF. Puppeteer gives you precise control over DPI, margins and headers/footers.

Example Node.js render function

const puppeteer = require('puppeteer');

async function renderZine(html, outPath) {
  const browser = await puppeteer.launch({ args: ['--no-sandbox'] });
  const page = await browser.newPage();
  await page.setContent(html, { waitUntil: 'networkidle0' });
  await page.pdf({ path: outPath, format: 'A5', printBackground: true, preferCSSPageSize: true });
  await browser.close();
}

After generating the PDF, attach it to a message in Discord or upload it to your archive bucket and provide a signed link for download. Offer a moderator-only review step so humans can curate before distribution.

Step 7 — Metadata, credits & legal guardrails

Every zine must include a metadata page that records:

World name and last-known identifiers (e.g., Dream Address or server tags).
Asset list with uploader usernames and timestamps.
Consent status for each asset and any license text the uploader chose (CC-BY, CC0, personal permission, etc.).
Copyright notice and takedown instructions.

Legal guardrails for your project:

Obtain explicit contributor consent before including any non-public images.
Avoid republishing copyrighted art without permission. Use thumbnails in the online gallery and place-forward permission in the zine only when approved.
Offer an easy takedown path from the zine PDF release page.

Automation improvements and advanced features (2026-forward)

Consider these features as you mature the project:

AI-assisted curation: Use an LLM to draft curator notes and summarize visitor messages. Always human-review AI drafts to avoid hallucination and sensitivity issues.
Smart dedup and clustering: Use perceptual hashing to collapse duplicate screenshots across uploads.
Decentralized storage: Offer optional IPFS pinning for archival permanence with owner consent.
Print-optimization presets: Let users choose A5 zine, saddle-stitch, or single-page posters with automatic layout adjustments.
Moderation and trust signals: Integrate with community moderation bots to auto-flag content policy violations before inclusion.

Scaling & performance tips

Offload image processing to a queue (BullMQ / Redis) and workers to avoid blocking the bot.
Paginate asset exports; generate zines in batches for very large archives rather than monolithic files.
Cache generated thumbnails and pre-render previews so moderators can approve quickly.
Monitor S3 costs; use lifecycle policies to delete intermediate assets after a retention window unless explicitly archived.

Testing and QA checklist

Test prints at 300 DPI with sample images to verify color and bleed.
Simulate various consent combinations to ensure excluded assets never appear.
Check PDF accessibility metadata (title, author, keywords) and embed fonts.
Run privacy scans to confirm EXIF is removed and no PII remains.

Real-world example: Tribute workflow (case study)

Here’s a condensed flow we ran as a prototype after the 2025 removal of a high-profile Animal Crossing island:

Community members uploaded screenshots and visitor messages to a dedicated Discord channel. The bot asked each uploader for consent. 87% opted in; 13% requested the images remain private.
A detection script flagged a creator announcement of deletion. The bot drafted a build and pinged three moderators.
Moderators curated the draft, edited a short curator note (AI-assisted), and approved the build.
Puppeteer rendered an 28-page, A5 zine. The PDF was uploaded to a time-limited S3 link and a small batch of printed zines was produced for contributing creators.
Post-release, two contributors asked for removal; the admin tool removed the assets from the archive and re-generated the PDF without them.

Security & privacy checklist

Store tokens and keys in encrypted secrets manager (AWS Secrets Manager / GitHub Secrets).
Restrict S3 objects with signed URLs by default; don’t leave archives public unless explicitly chosen.
Log moderation actions and changes to consent; keep audit trails for takedown requests.

Ethical considerations and community trust

Archiving fan worlds is an act of stewardship, not ownership. Center the original creator and community: always prefer creator-initiated archiving, provide credits, and never monetize others’ work without explicit permission. If you plan to sell physical zines, set up a revenue-sharing agreement and clear licensing terms.

Packaging this as a reusable project

To make your project easy for other servers to adopt, ship these components as separate modules:

Bot core (Discord message handling, storage connectors).
Consent microservice (web UI for contributors to manage permissions).
Render worker (Puppeteer + HTML templates).
Admin dashboard (preview, approve, regenerate).

Actionable takeaways & quick checklist

Start small: collect assets in one channel and require explicit consent via reaction.
Use Sharp to strip EXIF and normalize resolution for print.
Render a simple HTML zine with Puppeteer and build an approval step for moderators.
Log consent and provide an easy takedown flow.
Embed credits and metadata in every exported PDF.

Future-proofing & 2026 predictions

Through 2026 we expect:

More communities treating Discord as canonical archives for fan works, increasing demand for reliable export tools.
Better tooling for automated layout and print optimization (AI-assisted templates will be common).
Greater emphasis on privacy and portability — expect standards for user-controlled archives and interoperable export formats.

Final notes & call-to-action

Building an automated tribute zine generator is both a technical and ethical project. It preserves memories while honoring creator intent. If you want to get started quickly, clone a starter repo (bot core + Puppeteer template), run it in a test server, and invite a few trusted contributors to try the consent workflow.

Ready to ship this in your community? Join our discords.pro developer hub for the starter repo, printable templates and a moderation-ready dialogue flow you can drop into your server. If you want, I can walk you through a live implementation or provide a review of your consent and storage setup.

Take action: pick one channel to collect assets this week, enable the bot’s consent reaction, and schedule a build test with your moderators.

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