Mod Info

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FAQ

So, like, the fuck is a fanzine, Bob Bob?
I’m so glad you asked, Flambae. (No, really.) You might’ve heard the term “zine” before. It’s short for “fan magazine”: A collaborative project made by fans for fans.Oh, so like your nerdy LARP shit.
No. Not like that.As I was saying… this particular zine is focused on… it says here… us? You and me? Huh. I would not have expected there to be a market for that sort of thing but assuming there’s an interest, okay.Sometimes, a fanzine may be digital-only, but this one in particular will most likely be physically published and made accessible to “the wider fandom”.Yeah, okay, but like how’s this actually work?
As with any sensible project, you break it down into smaller approachable phases:
- An interest check is a poll that measures interest in our zine and figures out what kind of content potential buyers want to see. (i.e. One-page spreads, acrylic charms, fanfiction, us—kissing? Holy shit. Uh huh.)
- Applications are for the moderators to decide who will get showcased in the zine, be they artists, merch artists, writers, etc. This requires a portfolio of a prospective contributor’s samples. Ew, this requires a job interview? No, I don’t… I doubt it’s that deep.
- Production refers to the months-long period where contributors will work on their new and original piece for the zine. That’s pretty self-explanatory.
- Finally, we have preorders. Zines usually run off of preorders so that the staff team can figure out production costs (since manufacturing isn’t cheap). Once preorders are all in, the mod team preps everything to ship directly to those who bought a copy of the zine and bundled merch.Makes sense. So then, is this gonna be for charity or for-profit?
For the time being, the staff team intends to split proceeds equally between all the contributors and moderators.Cool, cool. How do apps work?
They’re gonna wanna see 3 pieces (“samples”) from every prospective contributor that best represents the kinda work these fans wanna put into the zine. For page artists and writers, at least one of those samples should feature us (ideally the both of us) so they’ve a better sense of how we’ll be, you know, represented. Gotta make sure they capture my best angles. You have no bad angles. Fuck, Robbo, that was kinda smooth. Moving on… applicants can also submit a portfolio which will be used in the case of tiebreakers, should the staff need to decide between several applicants.For merch artists specifically, it’d be helpful to see any real-life samples made for past zines, conventions, or online storefronts (i.e. sticker sheets, charms, enamel pins, etc.)Oh, and remember: First come, first serve doesn’t earn you any extra points. All applicants will be weighted the same regardless of submission timing. You’re asking people to procrastinate. I’m saying, we understand and trust the creative process.How many people are gonna be allowed into your little cool kids club?
You mean, how many applicants is the staff accepting…? Well, it really depends on the interest check. Right now, they’re anticipating a lineup of 30 artists and 6 writers in the SFW book, but this is contingent on how much interest there is in the project. Safe for work book? Uh. “If the fans want a NSFW book, we anticipate another 20 artists and writers.” Hope you’ve got an exhibitionism kink, Robert. I am literally tuning you out, starting right now.Heh. So only adults can apply, right?
For legal purposes, to keep things kosher and above board, yeah, applicants should be 18+. No exceptions for things like “but I’ll be 18 by the time results are sent out” or “I’ll be 18 by the time the zine is printed”. Please, for our sakes, be 18 at the time of application as this project will contain NSFW content. Wait. It is? Don’t get shy on me now. I’m not. Chill out, bro.Pfft. Do people need massive e-clout to apply?
Fuck no. In fact, the mods are primarily concerned with quality and style. They’re also thinking about things like how different participants’ work will work beside each other in print. They won’t refuse someone’s application because of follower count, kudos on Ao3, or any other dumb metric like that.Fucking nice. So if someone wants to get accepted, what kinda rubric is staff going off of?
Artists - They’re looking at things like: use of color, anatomy, fluidity of movement, and overall composition. “Is this pleasing to the eye?”Writers - They’ll be looking at: characterization, grammar & punctuation, how compelling the narratives are, “do we feel compelled to read more?” and so on. *Also, the range of content within writing samples will be a factor, to ensure a balance of genres in the zine. (i.e. As much as people enjoy angst, the staff doesn’t want the zine to feature only angst.)Uh huh. Can cool kids (“applicants”) share what they’re working on for this zine thingy thing?
For the scope of the zine, it should be a brand new piece. The full piece should not be shared publicly during pre-release or before shipping. Staff may communicate with contributors directly about selecting snippets for promotional previews during the pre-order period. Capiche? Crystal.Okay, so you know how in a job interview, people who get rejected sometimes ask for feedback? Are they doing that?
Assuming the staff receive a hundred applications and they’ve two weeks to read through every single little thing, I’m gonna say no.Hey, Bob Bob. Yeah? What are we gonna do if the fans don’t know you’re a bottom? I couldn’t care less, Flambae. I’m sure the staff feel similarly. Write or draw whatever, I’m just here to make sure you behave. Pfft. I can behave.
*Ship dynamics will have no bearing on an applicant’s likelihood of acceptance!

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Schedule

Please note that this schedule is subject to change.Interest Check - April 6th to April 20thContributor Applications - April 27th to May 31stApplication Results Sent - June 21stCreation Period - June 21st - Oct 2026Pre-Order Period - late 2026 - early 2027Shipping - early/mid 2027

Application Guidelines

Hello from SDN's Human Resource department (we do exist, despite various rumors to the contrary)! We're very excited to receive your applications to work with us. To ensure your application can be processed quickly and judged fairly, we have laid out information about our application process below. If you have any queries or concerns, please reach out to the hiring managers directly, either via DM on any social platform, or through tumblr's inbox feature. This minimises any risk of your questions being overlooked!ART APPLICATIONS HERE
WRITING APPLICATIONS HERE
MERCH APPLICATIONS HERETHINGS TO KNOW BEFORE YOU APPLY:
• Please be aware that you will have around 3 months to complete your assigned task(s).
• Most successful applicants will have one piece to work on; for merch artists we may assign two pieces of merch depending on the items in question.
• We expect all successful applicants to join the zine discord server and to participate in periodic check-ins on their work progression.
• You will be expected to keep your work private until the preview period (during preorders) for promotional reasons. After the project is complete, you retain all rights to your work and can post online/make prints to sell etc as you see fit; the zine effectively just has 'first print' rights.
• Please do not submit a new application if you have already applied. You may edit your existing one.IF YOU WANT TO EDIT YOUR APPLICATION:
• Check the inbox of the email address you applied under
• Use the link enclosed in your app "submission receipt" to edit your app
• You will not be able to edit/update your app after the application period has closedGENERAL APPLICATION GUIDANCE
• We would strongly prefer anonymous applications - links to google drives/documents, direct links to where art is hosted, etc are preferred over links to your ao3 accounts, social media posts of your art, etc. We understand that art often has watermarks in it - this is fine! - but we are trying to keep things as fair as possible, so minimising exposure to likes/reblogs/kudos numbers is very helpful.• Please be aware that applying for 'SFW only' or 'NSFW only' means you will not be considered for the other book. If you apply for 'SFW and NSFW' then you will be considered for both books but will only create for one if accepted.• Please note that 'sample' here means 'an individual piece of art/writing' (this can include multiple pages for e.g. comics). A 'portfolio' is more like a gallery of work that we can look at if we need to consider additional pieces of your work to break a tie or better understand your style/work. Portfolios are greatly appreciated but not mandatory, and are likely to only be considered in the event that the moderators need to break a tie between applicants.ARTIST APPLICATION GUIDANCE
You will be able to apply to create one of the following: a one-page illustration, a two-page 'spread' illustration, or up to a 4-page comic.We are looking to see examples of your work which best reflect the kind of work/style you would contribute to the zine - so please consider the kinds of samples you're providing and the expectations it might give regarding the kind of work you produce. We're assessing things like anatomy, use of colour, backgrounds, and how the art captures the relationships between the character(s) portrayed and the spaces they're in.The application form will differ slightly based on if you are applying for SFW only, NSFW only, or if you would like to be considered for both versions. If you apply for SFW or NSFW only, you will have 3 spaces to provide samples. Within these samples:
• At least one piece needs to be fully coloured/lined/painted/etc ('fully complete' in the way that you understand it for your style)
• At least one piece needs a full background (i.e. the characters cannot be on a plain coloured backdrop or otherwise 'floating in space')
• At least one piece needs to feature Robert or Flambae, and ideally you will have samples of both.Furthermore, if you are applying for NSFW only:
• At least one piece needs to be suggestive or explicit in nature.If you are applying for consideration for both SFW and NSFW, you will have an additional, optional space to provide an additional sample. Within your samples you must follow the same guidelines as above, i.e. featuring the required character(s), backgrounds, and at least one being suggestive or explicit.All applications will provide a space for a portfolio if you would like to provide one.WRITER APPLICATION GUIDANCE
You will be able to apply to create one of the following: a 'shorter' fic of up to 2.5k words in length, or a 'longer' fic up up to 4.5k words in length.We are looking to see examples of your work which best reflect the kind of work you would contribute to the zine - so please consider the kinds of samples you're providing and the expectations it might give regarding the kind of work/style you produce. We're assessing things like characterisation, grammar and punctuation, and your ability to tell a cohesive narrative within the specified word count.The application form will differ slightly based on if you are applying for SFW only, NSFW only, or if you would like to be considered for both versions. If you apply for SFW or NSFW only, you will have 3 spaces to provide samples. Within these samples:
• At least one piece needs to be a complete, self-contained narrative with less than 3500 words. The rest can be excerpts from longer pieces, but must be a maximum of 4000 words.
• At least one piece needs to feature Robert or Flambae, and ideally you will have samples of both.Furthermore, if you are applying for NSFW only:
• At least one piece needs to be suggestive or explicit in nature.If you are applying for consideration for both SFW and NSFW, you will have an additional, optional space to provide an additional sample. Within your samples you must follow the same guidelines as above, i.e. featuring the required character(s), backgrounds, and at least one being suggestive or explicit.All applications will provide a space for a portfolio if you would like to provide one.MERCH ARTIST APPLICATION GUIDANCE
We have options to apply to create lots of different merch items - there is a long list of items we are interested in seeing, and there's a spot to provide suggestions of your own.We are looking to see examples of your work which best reflect the kind of work you would contribute to the zine - so please consider the kinds of samples you're providing and the expectations it might give regarding the kind of work you produce. We're assessing things like anatomy, colour, and how well your art meshes with the kind of merch you'd like to make.You will have three spaces to provide samples, and in these samples, you will need to provide:
• At least one piece featuring a Dispatch character (ideally Robert, Flambae, or both)All applications will provide a space for a portfolio if you would like to provide one. If you have produced merch before, we'd love if you used this space as a place to show us how your work looks 'in real life'!