LOVE OF THE LIGHT
A Final Fantasy XIV Otome Dating Sim Themed Zine
Love of the Light is a Final Fantasy XIV fanzine celebrating and showcasing popular NPCs from FFXIV in the theme of an otome dating sim game guide!This is a physical, for-profit SFW zine featuring works from both artists and writers. We will be accepting anywhere between 30-40 contributors depending on the amount of interest and number of applicants we receive. We are looking for at least 20 page artists, at least 5 merchandise artists, and at least 5 or more writers.
WHERE WILL LOVE LEAD YOU?
PRODUCTION UNDERWAY!
SCHEDULE
The following schedule is subject to change
| Milestone | Date |
|---|---|
| Physical Orders Shipped | Winter 2025 |
| Digital Orders Sent | Winter 2025 |
ZINE SPECS
The following information contains approximations that are subject to change.
Digital PDF
Physical Print Booklet (depending on interest check)
Physical Merchandise (depending on interest check)
Page Size: A5 (5.8" x 8.3")
Page Count: ~70+ Estimate
Contributor Count: 4 Mods + 42 Contributors
MODERATORS
Mod nmlopez (she/her)
Head Mod / Formatting Mod / Shipping Mod
Mod nmlopez is a visual designer who has loved contributing to zines in the past as a graphics and layout moderator, and now she is taking the leap to run her own! As an avid lover of FFXIV, Japanese otome games, and fanzines, she decided to combine these three interests to bring the idea of Love of the Light to fruition!
Mod nmlopez has previous zine mod experience from:
“Untamed Vol. 1 & 2” - A Final Fantasy XIV Creatures Zine (Graphics Mod)
“Beautiful Days” - A Gintama Zine (Co-Graphics Mod, Formatting Mod, Social Media Mod)
“Poison Apple” - Folklore and Fables (Graphics Mod & Formatting Assist. Mod)
Hyphen
Art & Merchandise Mod
Hyphen here! MNK main and a fan of romance games who finds it real hard to do multiple routes because I always want to go for my favorite.
Mod Hyphen has previous zine mod experience from:
“Fulminate” - An FFXVI Zine (Art Mod)
“Flow” - An FFXIV Zine (Art Mod)
“Stern Bild Style” - A Tiger & Bunny Fashion Zine (Art Mod & Social Media Mod)
Sasha
Writing Mod
sasha is your typical sleep-deprived fanfic writer who can be found blinded by the glaring light of her google docs at 3am
Mod Sasha has previous zine mod experience from:
“Moonlight Threads Vol II” - A Genshin Impact Chinese Clothing Zine (Writing Mod)
“Masquerade” - An HSR Zine (Head Mod, Graphics Mod, & Writing Mod)
“Once in a Past Life” - A Jingrenheng Zine (Writing Mod)
Koacida
Graphics Mod
Hey everyone, I'm Koa! I've been playing FFXIV on and off for the past five years. I like doing endgame content and even though that was my goal when I first started playing, I fell in love with the story and characters in the process. If you like Elezen, we'll immediately become friends.
Mod Koacida has previous zine mod experience from:
“Guns n' Roses” - A DMC4 Zine (Artist Contributor)
Kootlin
Finance / Production Mod
Hebloooo! I'm Kootlin! I'm a huge FF14 fan and love the story, the characters and the community around the game. Super excited to be part of this project!
Mod Kootlin has previous zine mod experience from:
“Fulminate” - An FFXVI Zine (Finance Mod)
Mod Kootlin also has experience from:
“Wizards of the Coast” (Game Producer)
FAQ
General Questions
What is a zine?
A zine or fanzine is a fan-published work of original art and/or writing.What is this zine about?
This zine focuses on showcasing Final Fantasy XIV’s NPCs who will be determined based on the interest check with the theme of a dating sim game guide. All NPCs, regardless of gender, are eligible to be highlighted.Will this zine be digital or physical?
This zine is confirmed to be digital and will hopefully potentially be physical and have merchandise based on Interest Check responses and turnout.What language will this zine be in?
Communication will be made primarily in English, and the zine will be created only in English.
Contributor Compensation
Will this zine be for-profit or charity?
This will be a for-profit project, meaning that contributors will receive any funds made in excess of the production costs.How will contributors be compensated?
All contributors are guaranteed a free digital PDF of the zine. If production and sales allow, all contributors will be provided with a full physical bundle with all merchandise and free shipping. After all orders are fulfilled, any and all remaining profits will be equally divided among all mods and contributors.
Applicants and Types of Media
Is there an age requirement for this zine?
Because this is a for-profit zine, all contributors must be 18 years of age or older at the time of acceptance due to general laws and regulations.Is alternate-media art allowed? (eg. traditional, cosplay, prose, music, etc.)
Traditional/physical forms of art that are scanned or photographed in high quality as well as alternative forms of writing (eg. prose, poems, etc.) will be allowed. Unfortunately, we will not be accepting cosplays* or alternate forms of media that cannot be shown visually within a physical book.*We would like to keep the content of this zine within the realm of 2D/written works, and, because this zine is heavily focused on characters being a love interest of someone, we would like to prevent viewers from associating their love for them with the depictions of real life people.Is NFT (non-fungible token) and/or AI (artificial intelligence) art allowed?
NFT and AI art are strictly forbidden. If you are an applicant, DO NOT apply with NFT or AI art. If you are selected as a contributor, DO NOT submit NFT or AI art as your final piece. We do not support NFTs or AI art whatsoever.Can “problematic” people apply?
We are flexible on what type of content contributors like to make for personal works, but we will not accept or work with contributors who produce and/or publicize hateful, harmful, and/or otherwise questionable material (ie. racist, sexist, homophobic, transphobic, pedophilic content). Should we receive notification regarding a problematic artist, we will do our best to review the artist and make decisions on a case-by-case basis.
Applications & Acceptances
How many contributors will be accepted?
We will be accepting around 30 contributors depending on the number of applications we receive. We’re ideally looking for around 20 Page/Accompaniment artists, 5 merchandise artists, and 5 writers.How are applications evaluated?
For artists, moderators will be evaluating each applicant’s technical art skill, composition, and style. For writers, moderators will be looking at story flow, style, and grammar/fluency.Do applicants’ social media follower count matter?
Social media follower count will not be taken into consideration and will not impact judging. We aim to represent all kinds of creators.
Zine Content
Will collaborations be allowed?
Yes. Artists and writers are welcome to collaborate on pieces together up to their discretion.Will the moderators be making pieces for this zine?
Moderators will have the opportunity to apply to create a piece for this zine, if they choose to do so.Will the contributors be assigned pieces?
Artist contributors will fill out a form ranking the types of pieces and subjects they would like to create for and will then be assigned their piece(s) based on their preferences. Writer contributors will follow the same suit, but will most likely be taking on more than one character subject depending on the number of writers we accept.Can contributors create multiple pieces for this zine?
Contributors are welcome to create multiple pieces for this zine! Contributors should inform a moderator if they would like to do so.What content is allowed?
NPCs, regardless of their gender, are eligible to be highlighted. However, because the protagonist of "you" will be depicted as a young-adult Meteor, underage NPCs (aka. less than 18 years of age) will not be eligible. Any illustrations or writings that also show or talk about “you” as the main protagonist, should depict Meteor (any form or gender appearance is okay so long as they are inspired by the original depiction) for illustrations or be written as “you” in writings.What content is prohibited?
Because this is a SFW zine, explicit content of any form (ie. nudity, sexual acts, extreme violence) is strictly forbidden. Personal warriors of light are also not allowed (any illustration should show a Meteor-inspired character).What is the spoiler policy for this zine?
This zine may have characters reaching through Endwalker, depending on the interest check results of which characters are most popular.What characters will be allowed?
All non-underage NPCs of Final Fantasy XIV, and the default Warrior of Light (ie. Meteor) will be allowed. However, original player characters (ie. OC WoLs) will not be allowed.Are ships allowed?
Yes, but any and all ships depicted in this zine should be between the NPC and the reader (just like a dating sim game).Will contributors own the rights to the art published in this zine?
Yes, of course! Contributors will be asked not to release their full pieces until production and shipping is complete, but they are free to do anything they want with their pieces afterwards.
Other
What is a pinch-hit?
A pinch-hit is someone who is willing to contribute to the zine by creating a piece on a tighter schedule should a previously-accepted contributor drop out.If I have more questions, who can I contact?
For any other questions, please message us on any of our socials (Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, Retrospring: @ff14otomezine), or feel free to email us at [email protected].