hello (: is the physical zine + all merch bundle still available? it says so in the store but i'd just like to make sure
So sorry for the delay in answering - I'm in the middle of moving so the zine stuff was a bit uhhhhh weird for a bit. We have THREE remaining of the All Merch!!
We’re finally live, everyone! Happy pride month!! Let’s celebrate with some K/S excellence!
We have 36 contributors, which means over 170 pages of art and writing and on top of that we also have merch options!!
Preorder your copy now here: https://trektributezine.bigcartel.com (Preorders go through all of June)
All of the proceeds will go to OutRight International, an organization dedicated to LGBTQA+ human rights advocacy. For more information, check out their site: https://outrightinternational.org
I identify as ace and like to interpret Vulcans as asexual outside of pon farr. When I’m not writing fanfic, I’m a biologist, and so for the Trek Tribute Zine I went into how that - and the rest of their unique mating system (as it appears in The Original Series) - could possibly evolve. Here’s an sneak peak, and I encourage you to check out the rest of the essay and all of the other awesome fanworks in the Trek Tribute Zine!
“We are driven by forces we cannot control to return home and take a wife. Or die.” – Spock (TOS: “Amok Time”)
Every seven years, all Vulcans are compelled to return to their native planet to engage in the ancient ritual of pon farr or die trying (TOS: “Amok Time”; “The Cloud Minders”). Among fans - and some writers of the series itself, if the odd Tumblr post is to be believed - the most contested feature of this unusual mating system is the suggestion that they only mate once every seven years. However, as a biologist, far more remarkable is the fact that any Vulcan who fails to mate dies. From an evolutionary perspective, it’s astounding that such a system could possibly evolve, but there are some possibilities.
First, the most pressing question; why only every seven years? Obviously, there are narrative reasons a writer may want to change this. Even The Original Series, which introduced the Vulcan mating system, seemed conflicted about it (TOS: “The Cloud Minders”). However, as a biologist, that Vulcans only mate once every seven years is perhaps the most normal thing about their reproduction. Humans are one of relatively few species on Earth that reproduce year round. Most species only mate during a particular time of year when there are enough resources available not only for survival, but also for the production and care of offspring (Wingfield & Kenagy, 1991). It makes sense that Vulcans, which live on a desert planet, would have more constraints on when they can reproduce.
Mating every seven years may sound strange, but there are species that reproduce on multiple year cycles; thirteen- and seventeen-year cicadas (Williams, 1995) are probably the most well known. Alternatively, it could be that “the seven-year-cycle” (TOS: “The Cloud Minders”) is measured in Earth years, and is actually one year on Vulcan, or is some equivalent ecologically relevant unit. Being entirely celibate outside of the mating season is also fairly typical. For example, birds that reproduce only once a year often have testes that regress for the rest of the year, making it physically impossible for them to mate - not to mention the hormonal changes that make them no longer have any desire to (Wingfield & Kenagy, 1991). This makes evolutionary sense because if you’re putting a lot of energy into a big reproductive bout, it would be a waste to expend some of that energy on other times of the year when offspring are less likely to survive.
Williams, K. S., & Simon, C. (1995). The ecology, behavior, and evolution of periodical cicadas. Annual Review of Entomology, 40(1), 269-295.
Wingfield, J. C., & Kenagy, G. J. (1991). Natural regulation of reproductive cycles. In Vertebrate endocrinology: fundamentals and biomedical implications, 4(Part B), 181-241.
You can now read my complete essay on The Biology of Vulcans, and be sure to check out the rest of the awesome fanworks in the @trektribute zine!
Check out this essay!! It's a fantastic piece on Vulcan culture and a an excellent take on Vulcan sexuality!
✨what a beautiful zine!💫
thank you, @trektribute for letting me be a part of this project
Thank YOU!! 💖🖖
There are only 30 or so physical copies left, so get them while you can! Remember that all proceeds go to OutRight International!
Hi Mods! Just wanted to get in touch and ask what the physical zine status was- last I heard the posters were getting remade 'cause they got damaged, but that was a few weeks back. I'm loving my digital copy of the zine (A LOT), but any updates?
WE ARE SHIPPING THEM THIS WEEK!!!!
A few got shipped out today, and several got labels made today, and 95% are packed. So within a couple of days it should be on its way to you! 🥳
We're SO glad you're enjoying the digital version! Hope the physical version brings you much joy!
I purchased the digital zine and I'm SO excited!! Any chance the physical copy will be available for purchase in the future? I missed the pre-order and was financially unavailable.
We WILL have some extra physical copies for sale soon! We'll post here when they're available.
The digital copies are sent out! If you have not received yours yet, please let us know! Send us your email in a private message so we can get it to you, or email us at trektributezine @ gmail dot com.
Unfortunately the physical copy of the zine will be further delayed due to posters becoming damaged in transit to us. The company have thankfully informed us that they are going to re print and send out fresh copies next week.
We will continue to keep you updated with the status of our merch etc we want to make sure that ALL merchandise is perfect for you guys before we send out copies.
Please accept our sincere apologies, and as always, let us know if you have any questions!
All the digital copies have now been sent out! Please make sure to check your emails and have a looksie in your spam folders too - just in case.
Up next, retrieve the physical copies from the printers clutches.
hi!!! do we know when to be expecting physicals? no rush, i know it takes time, i was just curious!
Our ETA is sometime in August, depending on where you live. We want to ship them ASAP!
Preorders are now CLOSED (except for PDFs). Thank you so much for such an amazing response to TTZ! I know I speak for all the creators when I say we're so excited to share it with you.
Now please check out our sister zine @thissimplefeelingzine, which opens its preorders today!
TWO DAYS LEFT TO PREORDER A PHYSICAL COPY!!!
Get yourself a copy of this ~170 page zine packed with amazing works by 36 creators!
Link to the store in the bio!
Only 12 days remaining to preorder the zine!! 😱 Check out the list of creators and zine details in our shop! Link in the bio!
Less than a week to go!!! Preorders close after June 30, so be sure to place your order before then to guarentee your copy!
Best part about this pandemic is no one can see the dumb af look on my face as I read this piece by our following contributor. Go show Jay some sweet sweet lovin' over on AO3 and don't forget to preorder now!
There's so much packed into this zine, and every single contributor really shines. Our next one is the stellar slumberfish!showing us how a SoftTM moment between a Captain and his First Officer. Catch the full piece in our zine - link here
Spock: Captain, no.
Jim: CAPTAIN YES!
me: SPOCK YOUR HEART EYES ARE SHOWING
Thank you to our fabulous contributor Mittie Paul for this stellar contribution. Follow the hijinx and find this link to preorder now!
