SatoSugu Wedding Zine – Project Update & Closure Announcement
Hello everyone,
This isn’t the kind of announcement we ever hoped to make, but after a long and careful discussion with our team and contributors, we’ve had to make some very difficult decisions regarding the future or our project.
However, before we get too far into that we would like to give you some context regarding this decision.
At the beginning of this year, following what we believed to be the completion of physical order shipping, our team entered the compensation phase—shipping out contributor bundles and preparing for a leftover sale. Around the end of January/Early February, we lost contact with Mod Ash, our Finance and Shipping Mod. Up to that point, Ash had always been a communicative and engaged team member, so our initial concerns were rooted in worry rather than suspicion.
In March, we were able to re-establish contact with Ash. They informed us they had been hospitalized and apologized for their sudden absence. After confirming that they were okay, we re-established a new internal timeline with the goal of having all contributor bundles shipped by March 31st, and discussed whether or not to cancel leftovers. Ash assured us this wouldn't be necessary, so we moved forward with the plan, albeit cautiously.
Throughout March and April, communication from Ash was infrequent, but we were still hearing from contributors who had received their bundles, which gave us hope that things were still progressing. When the March 31st deadline passed, we made the decision to cancel leftovers—partly as a means to relieve pressure on Ash who we assumed may still be experiencing health related difficulties (at the time), and partly because many on the team were ready to close out the project.
However, things took a more concerning turn in early May. One of our team members, who also works with Ash on another zine, let us know that Ash had told them they’d be out of the country until mid-May. Around this same time, multiple other fandom projects came forward with serious claims that Ash had ghosted their teams or was withholding funds. Wanting to avoid public conflict/or action which may have been perceived as hostile to Ash, we tried to address things privately—especially since Ash had responded poorly to previous call-outs from other projects, and continued to refuse those asking them to return funds or inventory.
Ash responded to our concerns on May 22nd, saying only that they would prioritize wrapping up our project, without addressing other claims or explaining their absence. On May 24th, they acknowledged contributor bundle adjustment requests. Then, on May 26th, they shared a link to a Twitter/X thread (on @ashenseas) that would provide updates across all projects. That thread is no longer available and has since been deleted.
On June 7th, Ash reached out to our head mod, asking if someone else could take over shipping the remaining contributor bundles. Our head mod immediately agreed. Though sadly, we haven’t heard from Ash since.
After going over the situation with both the mod team and our contributors, we've determined that we have no viable legal or logistical options left. So, with a heavy heart, we are choosing to move forward without Ash, and begin officially closing out the SatoSugu Wedding Zine.
For Physical Buyers
Upon discussion with our contributors it was found that far less of their bundles had been received than we initially thought. Which as a result has brought up concerns regarding the legitimacy and trustworthiness of Ash’s initial shipping period for pre-orders.
Therefore, if you purchased a physical bundle and never received it, and you haven’t already filed a chargeback, please do so as soon as possible through your bank or payment provider. As our team does not have access to the inventory or funds to fulfill or cancel these orders.
For Digital Buyers
If you bought a digital zine and never received it, we can help!
Please fill out this form: https://forms.gle/drTs2kBaeMvoabnn7
The form will ask for your Name, Email, and Order Number. These will be used to verify your order, from our initial order sheets, and we will send your digital zine to you within a week.
Based on preorder profits and estimated costs, we believe $6,000–$7,000 in project funds remain in Ash’s possession, along with about $2,000 worth of leftover inventory. These funds were meant to be split among contributors and team members.
To help recover some compensation for our contributors—who’ve spent nearly two years bringing this zine to life—we’ll be reopening sales for the digital zine:
Digital Shop Opens August 1st
Price: $6 USD (and will be for immediate digital delivery.)
If you do not wish to buy the zine or want to assist us further, donations will also be accepted and will go directly to our team.
The shop will remain open for two weeks, until August 15th, after which we will officially close out the project.
We know this isn’t the outcome any of us wanted. And we’re truly heartbroken over how things turned out, but we’re also incredibly proud of what our team created together and wanted to take a moment to Thank you all—whether you contributed, supported, or simply cheered us on—for being part of this project. Your kindness and patience mean everything to us.
With all our love and gratitude,
The SatoSugu Wedding Zine Team