In the time since preorders closed, the xXZine_of_DespairXx mod team has discovered one of our primary manufacturers has been involved in a major fraud. Between items unable to be re-sourced at a similar price, and an overall rise in manufacturing prices since September, we are unable to stay within budget without making major sacrifices to quality that would fail to honor the hard work of our contributors. As a result, we have refunded all preorders in full courtesy of Limit Break Press.Thank you for your interest in xXZine_of_DespairXx. It really does mean the world to us, and we're all heartbroken that we won't be able to bring the project to completion. Everyone who preordered will have a free copy of the digital zines sent to them.In the meantime, our contributors will be sharing their pieces on their social media! Please support them and enjoy the writing, art, and cosplays that they have poured themselves into creating for this project. We cannot say enough good things about their work.For the information the mod team uncovered about the fraud, and to track the status of refunds, you can visit Limit Break Press' site at any time. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. ♥

xXZine_of_DespairXx is a not-for-profit, Safe-For-Work zine about our favorite silver haired megalomaniac, Sephiroth, with a pre-2010s internet fandom theme.We're working with about 28 visual artists, 11 writers, and 4 cosplayers to create a perfect-bound A5 zine between 80 and 100 pages, featuring fanart, fanfiction, poetry, cosplay, and whatever else our contributors bring to the table. Collaboration is encouraged, but not required. The zine will be general content (non-shipping) and include the FF7 Compilation, official crossovers (Dissidia, Kingdom Hearts, etc), and alternate universe content.Upon completion of the project, all profits after production cost will go to a charity yet to be determined, stay tuned for more details!In addition, we're looking to create a Safe-For-Work, staple-bound mini-zine for all of the Sephiroth ships you can think of— a veritable armada. This is a more casual side of the project, and entirely optional for our contributors!

This is a projected schedule, and may change as the project continues. We'll be notifying all contributors if this schedule changes.

This looks atrocious on mobile, I am so sorry.

xXx Artists xXx Writers xXx Cosplayers xXx

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Please click the title of the category you would like to view in the table of contents in order to be brought to the corresponding questions. The ↺ beside each category name will take you back to the top of the page. If you encounter any problems, please let us know.

Zine Content ↺What kind of content will be included in the zine?
The primary book is a Safe-For-Work, ship-free, character-focused anthology of Sephiroth. We'd love to include some non-standard writing such as letters, poetry, and meta, as well as a blend of artistic styles. See our About page for more details!Are other characters allowed in the pieces, or will it be only focused on Sephiroth?
As long as Sephiroth is a key theme of your piece, other characters are allowed. You can also choose to focus your piece on the Remnants or Jenova, if it suits your fancy! (Answered on Twitter.)Can SFW still allow character death, blood or general non-gore whump?
Considering the source material and Sephiroth being a villain character, we do expect to see darker themes in the zine, yes. For reference, the maximum rating we will consider for the zine is PG-13 (equivalent to the Teen or PEGI 16 ratings). Hopefully we can strike a good balance in tone!

Contributor Involvement ↺I'm applying for multiple roles, I'm assuming that's an either/or deal?
You can apply for more than one role! If we want you for both, you'll be accepted for one and put on the pinch hitter list for the other. (Answered on Twitter.)How will contributors be compensated?
All contributors will have access to the digital version of the zine, as well as any digital merch. If sales allow it, we would like all contributors to be able to have a physical copy of the zine, but before preorders are finished, all we can guarantee is that all contributors will be able to buy the printed zine and manufactured merch at production cost. Contributor pricing for homemade merch will be determined by the crafter. Merch artists can take advantage of bulk discounts to order as much of their design as they would like for their own stock, to be sold after the zine is completed.If I am accepted as a cover artist, will I still be allowed to draw a regular page illustration?
Yes you can! But it won't be required. (Answered on Twitter.)How many pieces will we be responsible for creating?
Each creator will be responsible for one piece unless they have opted in for something extra, such as merch. (Answered on Twitter.)How long should writing pieces be?
Based on the interest check results, we're looking for a variety in length and style. Plan on a tentative maximum of 8 pages to a piece, but that isn't finalized. (Answered on Twitter.)

Reunion ↺What ships are you considering for the companion book?
We're basing it off of what people apply for! We'll look at most suggestions, excluding combinations of Sephiroth, the Remnants, Hojo, & Jenova with each other, or Sephiroth x Lucrecia. We are, however, strongly encouraging Sephiroth x therapy and comfort items! (Answered on Twitter.)

Application Process ↺Will you be looking at follower counts and/or general social media activity for applicants?
Follower counts are not a good measure of quality, and neither is having previous zine experience. Your portfolio and interest in the project are what matter most when we look at an application!What are the requirements for applications / samples / etc?
All applicants must be 18 or older. While we do not require Sephiroth or FF7 content in your portfolio, it is encouraged, especially for writers and cosplayers. Contributors will be required to have a Discord account, as communication for the project will be done primarily on the zine's server, but you don't need one at time of application.

General Questions ↺Is this a meme/not serious zine?
We're a real zine! We hope to have a good variety of content and vibes, with the formatting being a callback to old "character shrine" websites. (Answered on Twitter.)Will you be reaching out to include artists as guests?
Our interest check showed that a lot of people are concerned about exclusivity in the zine community, so we have decided not to have guests. All of our contributors will be applicants.Will the zine include Japanese artists as well?
Contributors from any country are welcome! None of our moderators are fluent in Japanese, but so long as the artist is comfortable with using English, we're more than happy to have them. This applies to writers and cosplayers as well, of course!