Flower Blooming in the Slums

Flower Blooming in the Slums is a charity zine centered around the character Aerith Gainsborough from the video game Final Fantasy VII.
==About==
The project was announced on November 11, 2020. Shortly after on the same day, an interest check was posted and would run until December 1, 2020. Mod Applications ran from December 2 to December 15, 2020, while contributors could begin applying from January 22 to February 13, 2021.
At the beginning of the project's inception, the team had not yet decided on a charity and prompted followers to suggest charities. The project's choice of charity organization would be made later on December 30, 2020, where the team announced that they would donate zine profits to The Nature Conservancy https://twitter.com/Aerith_Zine/status/1344397775870459904.
As for the concept of the zine, the project did not have an established theme from the beginning. In answer to a fan's question about the zine's theme on November 12, 2020, the team said that the zine's had not yet been set but wanted to celebrate the character and her complexities https://twitter.com/Aerith_Zine/status/1326948897097388032. The team later announced on April 1, 2021 that they would change the direction of the zine, presenting the zine's title, Flower Blooming in the Saucer, with the tagline "a love worth betting it all..." https://twitter.com/Aerith_Zine/status/1377633454746140673.
Preorders opened on June 19, 2021 with the following pricing tiers:
* Princess Guard ($15 USD) - Digital Zine, Zine Epub, Digital Color Pages, Emojis
* Healing Wind ($25 USD) - Physical Zine
* Planet Protector ($35 USD) - Physical Zine, Sticker Sheet, Bookmark, Print, Die-cut Stickers
* Great Gospel ($55 USD) - Physical Zine, Sticker Sheet, Bookmark, Print, Die-cut Stickers, Wooden Charm, Acrylic Charm, Washi Tape, Acrylic Standee
The Princess Guard bundle was available as a digital add-on for physical purchases for the prince of $5 USD. Stretch goals included bonus items for physical orders, such as a button if the project reached 50 orders, a new print for 100 orders, and an enamel pin at 150 orders.
A giveaway was run from July 7, 2021 to July 17, 2021 for an Aerith prize pack https://twitter.com/Aerith_Zine/status/1413209055322152965. In collaboration with witchtomez, the prize for the first winner was an Aerith-themed necklace, bracelet, and pair of earrings. The second winner would would receive a set of Aerith-themed floral earrings. The winners were announced on July 18, 2021: HaldyKnox as the first winner, and comaliesvii as the second winner https://twitter.com/Aerith_Zine/status/1416943470275702791.
Preorders ended on July 17, 2020, marking the beginning of the project's produciton period. Originally, the mod team expected to receive the ordered merchandise in a timely manner and begin shipping around September to October 2021. However, the team reported on November 23, 2021 that they had run into an issue with customs for the shipment of some of their merchandise https://twitter.com/Aerith_Zine/status/1463286549383155716. On December 13, 2021, the team sent out a new update that they had been informed by their zine supplier that their shipment would be delayed, forcing the team to change their schedules to ship orders after the end of the year https://twitter.com/Aerith_Zine/status/1470560785202040833. 
Shipping for physical orders eventually began on January 8, 2022, and the digital bundle was released on February 21, 2022.
Leftover sales opened on June 16 to June 30, 2022, then opened once more at greater discount on October 3 to October 30, 2022.
The raised $5000.00, and the donation was between two charities, The Nature Conservancy which received $1000.00, and the Clean Air Task Force which received $4000.00. This decision was made because there was some concern about The Nature Conservancy and its practices at the time.
 Project Schedule
 	Start 	End
Interest Check 	November 9, 2020	December 1, 2020
Mod Applications 	December 2, 2020	December 15, 2020
Contributor Applications	January 22, 2021	February 13, 2021
Preorders 	June 19, 2021 	July 17, 2021
Shipping 	January 8, 2022 	February 21, 2022
Leftover Sales 	June 30, 2022 	October 30, 2022
==Contributors==
The following names were taken from the final copy of the zine/the project's social media account.
===Page Artists===
* DiaXYZ - Guest
* Brilcrist (brilcristz) - Guest
* Nessa (vanekaiiri) - Guest
* Sera (seraphily) - Guest
* Leslie Hung (dairyfree) - Guest, Cover Artist
* akumarations
* Amber (Amber_Shirelle)
* bec (beccrea)
* Bliss (BlissyNightRain)
* c-dra (avocasso)
* CookieChii (Cookie_Chii_)
* Decora-chan (decora_chan)
* Dolle Étoile (dolleetoile)
* hydrangeo
* GinniW (ginniww, glassygaze)
* Goku (gokuchan)
* izunee
* KuShu (KuShu_Art)
* Jeanchuu (jenachuu)
* Jialu (jialudraws)
* Li Kovacs
* Lily (kupoccino)
* Maegrarth
* MageofSpace (_mageofspace_)
* Oh Jessica Jessica (ohjessicajess)
* rinny.bon (rinnybon)
* Roxe (Ro_X_e)
* Rinny (idolRinny, rinnydraws)
* Skirtzzz (SkirtzzzArt)
* Tart (wyrmforge)
* Thar (thecinnaminion)
* TeganNat (Tegan_Nat)
* Valuiss/Maskenjager
* VintageAerith
* Xander Pants (PantsXander)
===Merch Artists===
* Brilcrist (brilcristz) - Guest
* Sera (seraphily) - Guest
* Amber (Amber_Shirelle)
* Briku (tetrabriku)
* Chromel (chromelxd)
* Dolle Étoile (dolleetoile)
* Sammi (sammi_limyy)
* TeaNoSugar
* Xander Pants (PantsXander)
===Writers===
* amuk
* Belderiver (furybrand, cryoftheplanet)
* Chofitia (chofi)
* cyborgpluviophile (darlathecyborgpluviophile)
* fallintosanity (yopumpkinhead)
* lireside
* Phoenix
* PoH (iris_keyblade)
* winterune
===Mods===
* Rinny (IdolRinny) - Head Mod, Social Media
* Meg (lunarbrace) - Head Mod
* Noct (yeollie-bells) - General Organizer
* Bliss (BlissyNightRain) - General Organizer, Finance
* Miki (quasarquirks) - Finance
* Amber (Amber_Shirelle) - Publishing
* January (januarywren) - Publishing
* Kar (skelletory) - Graphics
* Chofitia - Beta Reader
* PoH (iris_keyblade) - Beta Reader
* Kim (eliestarr) - Beta Reader
===Former Contributors===
* Xhirien (xhici_thefujo) - Graphics Mod
On January 29, 2021, the social media account announced that Xhiren stepped down from being a staff member on the project https://twitter.com/Aerith_Zine/status/1355185976033878018.
==Gallery==
File:Aerith 2021 zine banner.png|Social Media Banner
File:Aerith 2021 full bundle.png|Great Gospel Bundle Listing
== Fan Reception ==
The following posts are a sample of posts retweeted by the project's social media account about the zine.
koda wrote on Twitter
ZomZie wrote on Twitter:
Nat wrote on Twitter
Klepto@眠い wrote on Twitter
Azeld S wrote on Twitter
== References ==
Category:Final Fantasy VII Zines
Category:2021 Zines
Category:Charity Zines