Schedule
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Interest Check | |
| Sign-Ups Open | July 26 |
| Soft Check-In 1 (Prompts/Ideas) | August 18 - 25 |
| Sign-Ups Close | August 31 |
| Contributor Bios Due/Drop Date | September 7 |
| Soft Check-In 2 | September 18-25 |
| Final Works Due | October 25 - November 1 |
| Final beta Read Returned By | November 4 |
| Beta Read Approvals Required By | November 7 |
| Zine Draft Shared By | November 10 |
| Zine Release | November 16 |
| Pollen Fest 2025 | November 23 - November 29 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Something In The Air will be a free and digital nsfw-friendly zine.
Please note that given the sensitive nature of the tropes inherent to the zine and Sex Pollen Fest, this event is anti-harassment. Sex Pollen Fest does not tolerate the harassment of creators over the works that they create or the tropes that they're interested in. Anyone found to be participating in harassment of creators will be removed from the zine and banned from the event.
Who can take participate? Anyone 18+ who signs up! Sign-ups will be capped at 50, independent of creator medium, but participants are welcome to create multiple works if they desire.
What is included? All fandoms and media types (art, fic, etc) are welcome in the zine, including OCs and original works. Art/text created wholly or in part from Generative AI are not permitted in the zine.
What kinds of tropes are permitted? Tropes that are associated with Pollen Fest, or related ones. These are tropes which involve lowering inhibitions, loss of control, etc, and can be dubiously or completely non-consensual in nature. Welcome tropes include: sex pollen, heats/ruts, pheromones, pon-farr, aphrodisiacs, aliens (or something else!) made them do it, cuddle pollen, hypnosis, love potions, vampire thrall, cuddle pollen, etc. If in doubt, please reach out!How will communication happen? All zine communication will take place in a discord server, and check-ins will take place via Google Forms.
Do works need to be completely new? No, works do not have to be new or created specifically for the zine. Older works are all welcome in the zine! Creators are of course welcome to create entirely new works if they desire.
What is a soft check-in? Soft check-ins are optional for participants who are creating new work, or re-formatting old work. They're intended to keep participants on track, and offer a space to request optional support, such as beta-reading, cheerleading, or brainstorming from the mod.
Do I have to participate in the soft check-ins? Nope! They are totally optional, and exist only if you need them. The only required forms are the sign-up form, contributor bio submission form, and final submission form.
Can I have my piece read by an external beta-reader? Yes, of course! Works will still undergo one final spelling and grammar check from the mod, and shared back with the participant before final inclusion in the zine.
Is there a maximum/minimum word-count? There is no minimum word-count (drabbles are totally welcome!) and the maximum WC is tentatively 6,000 words, but is flexible!
Does my piece have to be totally NSFW? No! You can create an SFW or suggestive work if you desire!
Will there be a full list of guidelines posted? Yes, a guideline document will be created and shared before sign-ups open.
Guidebook
Please find the full guidebook for Something In The Air: A Pollen Fest Zine here!
Mod Ranger
No matter how often you ask, Ranger's favorite trope will always and forever be Sex Pollen.
They've been threatening to run this zine for years, and are finally following through!
In addition to modding Sex Pollen Fest for two years, they've also modded bangs, exchanges, a zine, and a few other informal fanweeks. Find out more about their past mod experience here.
PFP from Picrew’s Discosona Designer.