Transform and Sustain is a Transformers zine themed around environmentalism and the appreciation of both Earth and Cybertronian environments!Sign-ups are now closed! The creation period for the zine has begun! Keep an eye on our schedule for the zines release and visit our socials for contributor spotlights!

• Moderators
• FAQ
• Rules
• Schedule

What is a fanzine?
A fanzine is an independently run and published compilation of works from a range of contributors! It can be about any theme and anything!What is the theme of this zine/what are we expected to make?
The theme of this zine is Transformers and the Environment! This means you can expect to make environmentally focused Transformers art/writing/merch/etc. This can be things like:- A drawing of a Transformer interacting with or playing in the local Earth environment- A fanfiction about a Transformer enjoying doing some community gardening or going to the beaches on Cybertron- A thrifted craft made out of recycled materials entertwining your enjoyment of Transformers and the environment- Humans interacting with cybertronian flora and fauna
Incorporating parts of your culture and how it relates to the environment in your piece- An irl photo of an environmental space or object (like a flower) with a Cybertronian drawn over it and interacting with it in some way (watering it, playing in it’s leaves, etc)- A ‘propaganda’/protest style piece incorporating ways to help protect the environment in your community (e.g. Optimus Prime says: Build a garden! or showcasing different enviro groups who help the planet!)Why Transformers and the Environment?
Transformers is something that we at the Transform and Sustain zine love dearly, as well as caring passionately about the Earth and its continued well being. And seeing the things that we as a society and the Earth have been going through in recent times, we believe it to be the perfect time to spread awareness, hope and create action in whatever way we can- hence the creation of this zine! All help is still help, no matter how small!What does Transformers have to do with eco-activism?
Everything actually! The Transformers franchise (for the most part) has huge environmental themes with war breaking out, destroying their home world, and trying to find a way to survive and revive their world! Half the time the Autobots and Decepticons are fighting for resources- something that happens all around the real world today.What charity will this zine be supporting?
All proceeds made from this zine will be going towards Forest and Bird, a local organisation to the host of the zine. They are an independent Aotearoa/New Zealand based conservation charity who work to protect the land, ocean, wildlife and climate of Aotearoa. For more information on them, please check out their website here: https://www.forestandbird.org.nz/You’re new to running/modding a zine, can we trust you to pull this off?
While our mod team is relatively new to moderation and running a project like this, many of us have collaborated on zines in the past as contributors and are at the very least aware of what the creation and organisation process is like on the contributor side of things. We will endeavour to do our best with running this zine as smoothly as possible! We hope you will extend your patience and trust to us while we grow and learn! Everyone has to start somewhere!Will this zine be digital or physical?
This will be a digital only zine, with things like art, writing and merch shared as a PDF/ZIP files. This will be published on the host’s (NuclearJax) Ko-Fi shop for purchase once completed.Can we create art/fanfiction/other media with a Cybertronian environment rather than an earthly one?
Absolutely! We want to allow people some creative freedom when it comes to ‘environment’- especially since all fictional environments are based on real world environments of some kind!Can we feature OCs?
Yes! So long as they are Transformers OCs and the focus is on these characters interacting with the environment or promoting environmentalism/eco-activism in some form!Can I use my illustration/contribution for prints/merch for my own store/business?
Absolutely! All works contributed belong to their own creators and you have 100% freedom to use the piece(s) you make for your own projects!How many participants will this zine have?
This zine will take on as many participants as possible! There is no application process- artists/writers/creators of all skill levels are welcome (so long as you are 18+)! All those who fill out the sign-up form will receive a link to the discord server where they can enter and present their pitch for approval to the mods!I have more questions/concerns that weren’t answered here, where can I contact you?
You can feel free to contact us on any of the Transform and Sustain social media accounts, or message any of the mods with your questions and concerns.

1. All participants must have a Discord account in order to join the zine and communicate with mods for the zine.2. Be kind and respectful of all participants.3. No hate speech or intolerant behaviour allowed (racism, eco-fascism, homophobia, etc). You will be removed from the project if you are found to do any of the above.4. You must be 18+ to participate.5. This is an SFW zine, meaning there is no sexually explicit content or explicit gore allowed in this project. Things like artistic nudity, suggestive pieces and canon typical violence are A-OK.6. No ‘doomerism’ news or topics are to be shared in the server or in your contributions. This zine is focused on building hope and action, something that constant negativity and difficult world news makes difficult to do. This type of content is also very triggering for many of us running this project. We are here to focus on how to help and create hope and joy.7. All works created for this zine must be original and created for the purpose of this zine. Sketches or wips that you have not finished or shown publicly which fit the theme of this zine are welcome to be used! You are also welcome to create more than one piece/contribution!8. Participants must send a show of progress for check-ins when due. Please reach out to a mod if you need an extension. We allow an extension with a maximum of 1 week. If you do not inform a mod within 48 hours of the check-in due date, you will be dropped from the zine.9. No AI is to be used anywhere within the project, any participants who are found to have used AI for any of their art, writing, etc, will be removed immediately from the zine.10. Moderators have the right to remove you from the project if you are found breaking any of these rules.

Sign-Ups Open: October 18th 2025
Sign Ups Close: November 15th 2025 11:59 PM NZST
Check-In #1 - Pitch Approval: November 22nd 2025
Check-In #2 - 25% progress: January 10th 2026
Check-In #3 - 50% progress: February 16th 2026
Check-In #4 - 75% progress: March 23rd 2026
Final Submissions: April 27th 2026
Formatting Period: May - June 2026
Zine Release: July 2026
Funds Donated: August 2026All dates are subject to change!