Jia Ba is a SFW Love and Deepspace anthology centered around the warmth and intimacy that homecooked meals bring, exploring how each of the love interests navigate their way around the kitchen and personal relationships.
Jia Ba is centered around home cooked meals and the warmth and intimacy it brings. This zine explores how each of the love interests each navigate the kitchen with a key theme of using food to strengthen their interpersonal relationships.Jia Ba (呷吧/呷飽) is a Taiwanese phrase that means “to be full or satisfied.” It is also a common phrase to ask if someone has eaten yet (Jia ba bue/呷飽未), which is a way that people show their love and concern for their cherished family, friends, and partners.Jia Ba will be both a zine that explores the concept of food and interpersonal relationships, while also presenting as a recipe book consisting of recipes submitted by the community!
SFBayLADs is a fan group for the hit mobile romance game, ‘Love and Deepspace’, based in the Bay Area (Northern California)! We are known for hosting Love and Deepspace cupsleeve events dedicated to the love interests to bring fellow players together to form a lovely and welcoming community. Events we have hosted include:
Apple of My Eye: a cupsleeve event for Caleb's birthday
Jasmines in Blossom: a cupsleeve event for Zayne's birthday
Once Upon a Dream: a cupsleeve event for Xavier's birthdayBesides hosting cupsleeve events, we are passionate about growing our community and exploring different ways to continue building and strengthening the LADs community both in the Bay Area and around the world!This zine is one of the many things we want to explore and share the amazing talent from artists and creators (both locally and non-local) and to show our love for the community LADs has brought us.
Co-lead, organization, graphics, manufacturing, shipping
I’m so excited to see how everyone interprets the characters and how they express themselves through their works ^^
Co-lead, logistics, editor, review lead
The thing I’m most excited about with making Jia Ba is hoarding and testing new recipes to have as go-to meals and snacks.
Creator outreach, packaging, reviewer
I'm really excited to see all of the heartfelt recipes that everyone comes up with and try them out in my own time ! :3
Branding and graphics assistant, artist, reviewer
I’m excited to see the beautiful art people make for the zine!
Graphics consultant and assistant, artist
I'm super hyped about how we're expanding and exploring different things for the bay area LADs community! and ofc, exploring zines itself :)
Zine interest form: Nov 10 - Dec 1
Applications open: Nov 29 to Dec 28
Recipe submissions open: Nov 29 to Jan 11
Application decisions made: Jan 11
Pitch submissions: Jan 25
Check in 1: Feb 8
Check in 2: Feb 22
Check in 3: Mar 8
Final submission: Mar 22
Preorders: Early April to Mid May
Production: Late May to Mid June
Shipping and fulfillment: Late June onwardsDates subject to change. For updates, please check our social media.
Thank you for expressing interest in applying to be part of Jia Ba! Please take a bit of time to review the following guidelines to ensure your application is complete. Failure to adhere to application guidelines and expectations may result in disqualification.
Applicants must be at least 18 years of age.
Jia Ba will not be accepting applicants who engage in racist, sexist, homophobic, transphobic, ageist, ableist or other discriminatory behavior; engage in harassment, bullying, or hate speech; use generative AI; or have a history of theft (tracing art, plagiarism, etc.). Contributors found in violation of this policy will be removed from the project.
All accepted applicants are expected to maintain open communications with mods, meet deadlines in a timely manner, and adhere to all policies set forth during the creation process.
The planning team reserves the right to remove a contributor from the project, should the contributor fail to maintain appropriate communication with the planning team, the contributor cannot be reached for an extended period of time, or the contributor has consistently failed to meet project deadlines. Contributors will be notified via their preferred method of contact and through email to remind them of project deadlines.
During the creation process of the zine, contributors will not be permitted to share full previews of their pieces on any of their social media or any public platforms. Small previews are allowed but must be cleared with the planning team first before being posted on social media. Contributors will retain full rights and ownership to their pieces. After the distribution of the zine, contributors are free to redistribute their pieces however they wish.
Communications between the planning team and applicants will occur primarily through email and Discord. The planning team will send reminders for project deadlines, questions, and feedback through these communication channels.
Page artists
Page Artists will create an illustration for their preferred love interest. These illustrations will either be one full page or a full spread (2 pages). Page Artists may work with Writers to illustrate a scene from their writing if interested.Comic artists
Comic Artists will create a short comic based around their preferred love interest. These comics will span either 2 pages, 4 pages, or 6 pages. They can be drawn in any format but should generally be read from left to right.Merch artists
Merch Artists will design physical or digital merch for their preferred love interest or as sets. They will be given a choice in the type of merch they want to design for. Physical merch will be produced and distributed by the planning team.Recipe artists
Recipe Artists will work with community members who submit recipes to create illustrations for the recipe. These may include icons, small illustrations, or full-page illustrations that can include a broader scene.Writer
Writers will create a story of around 3k - 6k words centered around their preferred love interest. Written works will be formatted as block paragraphs (no indents, space after each paragraph). Writers may work with Page Artists to have one scene from their writing be illustrated if interested.
Applicants must submit a portfolio that is easily accessible and organized. A curated Google Drive folder is preferred, but we are also open to reviewing works on other platforms so long as they are organized and fulfill the requirements.
The samples included in the portfolio should be of the same quality that the applicant plans to produce for the project.
Sample pieces can be from any fandom or can be an original work, as long as it meets all other requirements.
We will not be accepting any NSFW samples as Jia Ba is a SFW zine. Refrain from submitting portfolios that include NSFW samples.
Applicants may apply for more than one role. Please ensure that the submitted portfolio fulfills all requirements and is clearly labeled for any roles that the applicant is applying to.
Page artists
Minimum: 3-5 art pieces, completed
At least one (1) of the pieces should be fully colored with a backgroundComic artists
Minimum: 3-5 art pieces, completed
At least one (1) sample must be a fully colored comic with at least 4-5 panelsMerch artists
Minimum: 3-4 art pieces, completed
At least one (1) of the pieces should have at least two (2) variations (with or without background, different expressions, etc.)Recipe artists
Minimum: 3-4 art pieces, completed
At least one (1) of the pieces should be a scene or still life
Preferred: pieces that depict food or eatingWriter
Minimum: 3-4 works, completed or excerpted from longer works
At least one (1) of the work samples should be a completed work that is no fewer than 3k words.
Each work sample should be no more than 8k words.
What is a zine?
A zine, short for magazine, is an anthology of stories, art, comics, and other creative works that is usually centered around a theme. A fan-zine is a zine that is centered around characters or settings from a series and is created by fans of the series.
What will the zine contain?
The zine will be an anthology of stories, art, comics, and other creative works made by a large group of contributors. In addition, the zine will also serve as a cookbook with recipes interspersed throughout. The zine will include five chapters, each focusing on a different love interest with a potential sixth chapter for works that involve all the love interests.
What types of recipes will be in the zine?
We are looking for a variety of recipes that suit each of the love interests. We want to have each love interest present an appetizer, entree, and dessert. We will open up a form for people to submit their recipes soon, so we’re super excited to see what you all submit! Please note that submitting a recipe does not mean the recipe is guaranteed to be in the zine. The planning team will review all recipes and select the most suitable ones to include in the zine.
Will this zine be digital or physical?
Will there be bundles that include merch?
We plan for this zine to be a 6”x9” (US Trade) physical anthology of around 200 pages! The zine will also be offered in varying bundles with merch add-ons. More details about the types of merch bundles that will be offered will be announced at a later date.
Will this zine be for-profit or will proceeds be donated to a charity?
Half of the proceeds will be donated to a charity, and half of the proceeds will be used to fund future SF Bay Lads events!
Do I have to be in the Bay to contribute and/or purchase?
No, this zine is open to everyone! :D
We'll be opening mail orders so people outside the Bay Area can order a zine.
How many contributors will be accepted?
We’re currently still figuring out the length of the zine based on how many applicants we receive. The following is just a general estimate for now, but we are open to expanding the number of slots if we receive a lot of applications!
Page artist: 15-20
Comic artists: 5-8
Merch artists: 6-10
Writers: 10-12
Recipe artist: 5-8
Can I apply for more than one role? Will I be able to be in more than one role?
Yes, you may apply for as many roles as you would like! You may also be accepted in more than one role, though this will depend on the amount of applications we receive. Ideally, we would like to spread out opportunities to more people.
What will be expected of contributors?
Page artists will be expected to produce an art piece for a single-page portrait or a double-page spread. One page artist may be chosen to become the cover artist. Comic artists will create a short comic that spans a few pages (2-4 pages). Merch artists will produce digital or physical merch that may include prints, keychains, and stickers. Writers will create one fic of approximately 5-8k words in length. Recipe artists will help bring the recipes to life through illustrations and icons.
Will Alternate Universes (AUs) be allowed?
Yes! AUs are welcomed as long as the works still contain the central themes of food and cooking. We don’t want to restrain anyone’s creative vision, so we’re super excited to see what people come up with!
Will contributors be compensated?
All contributors are guaranteed a copy of the zine in both PDF and physical format. If sales allow, we would also love to provide additional physical items to the contributors. Otherwise, contributors will be able to purchase physical merch at production costs.
Do you have any other questions?
Feel free to reach out to us on our socials or through email!