What are YOU doing in the neutral zone, hm?

Well...

We are pleased to announce that orders for The Zine Directive, our physical K/S fanzine, will open Wednesday, August 19th!

(What better way to celebrate Gene Roddenberry's birthday than a zine full of his characters being in love, right?)

If you want to be first to know when sales go live, please fill out this pre-registration form!

NOTE: This does not reserve you a copy or commit you to purchasing. We will send ordering information directly to your email when the date arrives.

Each copy of TZD will be $30 USD + shipping*, but...

What, exactly, are you buying? Let us remind you!

A 218-page fanzine printed on a vintage "replicator" (risograph), lovingly collated and comb-bound by hand

All-new, original fanfiction, poetry, & more typed on actual antique typewriters

Art & written work from more than 60 beloved fandom artists and writers!

Experience never-before-seen Vulcan anatomy (😏), get Kirk’s take on an ancient Vulcan text about Pon Farr, read Uhura's letters of advice for the crew...

Return to the epic world of Sha Ka Ree by @therebewhaleshere for a spicy missing scene!

Art from fandom foremothers Shelley Butler, Marilyn Cole, and Gayle Feyrer, published together in a physical zine for the first time in decades

An interview with fandom foremother CatelenaMara about early K/S, science fiction fandom, and the evolution of fan culture

A dedication by Jenna Sinclair, acclaimed author of the classic 1992 fic Sharing the Sunlight (+ many other fandom hats since the 70s!)

Extra features that can only exist in a physical zine like papercrafts, a crossword, madlibs, your very own mini zine, make-your-own bookmarks... and more!

See what else you can expect to find in our table of contents as well as our contributor spotlights (still ongoing!) If you have any questions please contact us directly on tumblr, or via email (thezinedirective@ gmail.com) ｡ ⊹ ₊ ⟡

But why? You flip a few pages until you find the table of contents, and it all becomes clear...

This is the zine you've been waiting for!

Above is a sneak preview of @eldar-of-zemlya's contribution to TZD, our print K/S fanzine. Ordering begins August 2026, so don't miss out: Follow @the-zine-directive for updates!

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many of you have already had the (immense 😏) pleasure of experiencing @eldar-of-zemlya (he/him)'s art. if you have, you'll know why we're so excited, and if you haven't... well, you're seriously missing out. he's drawing for us from all the way from russia, and we couldn't be more thrilled about it! read more about him and his art below!

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✴︎ Most important question: Kirk, Spock, or Bones?

I’m a sucker for blonde, muscular men (pun intended), so Kirk!

✴︎ What is your “specialty,” or favorite thing to draw?

Porn. Backgrounds! I absolutely love studying references of actual ST sets and trying to recreate their shapes and textures. Maybe it’s my filmmaker brain, but I feel like set design in artwork really helps me translate the scene from my head into something "real".

… Also, porn.

✴︎ What is something you've made that you're particularly proud of and why?

This comics page I did for the 2025 KiScon Zine, where Jim ends up in sickbay for the night and Spock is trying to find the silver lining 😏 I’m especially proud of it because this was when I started leaning more into a semi-realistic style, and I managed to nail Kirk’s famously elusive face on the first try :D Also, I love having my Spock a little flirty and adventurous in bed… especially when it’s a biobed.

✴︎ How has it felt to be a contributor in a fanzine?

I’m always excited to try new styles, so it was a really fun challenge to translate my quite detailed semi-realistic style into something that would work well in b&w print. It gave me a great excuse to explore halftones!

✴︎ What does K/S mean to you?

Comfort would probably be the best word to describe it. I rediscovered my passion for K/S when I became a refugee and was going through a difficult time in my life, and immersing myself in stories of the beautiful relationship between these two men wrapped me in a blanket of comfort, love, and belonging ❤️

✴︎ Any other information you would like to provide or be included?

Back in 2013, William Shatner used to follow me on Twitter and discuss Samstiel fanfiction with me, lol

✴︎ Where can people find you?

Tumblr | Ao3 | Instagram | Deviantart

bonus