#I almost said but then I realize that was selling myself and other zine contributors short

[prince-liest]

Hi!! I’m wondering if you have any advice for writing for a zine? I just got accepted as a writer for a zine for the very first time and I’m a bit nervous! I know you do a lot of zine writing, so any advice is appreciated. :)

Yooo, congratulations! :D That's freaking awesome, anon, I'm really happy for you. Zines used to be an unreachable dream for me as a kid, so I feel your excitement! I genuinely adore writing for zines because you get to write short and snappy, and I think it's a really good opportunity to focus a lot more on quality over word count, plus the community aspect (and the compensation of course, haha).

It's kinda wild to me to look back and realize that I've written for 8 zines now (which feels like a lot until I look at people who have done dozens), but here's somethings I learned along the way:

Take advantage of what your writing mod offers! If they offer to give you feedback prior to the final check-in, take it, it can be very helpful for knowing if you need to amend things early. If you want advice early and they haven't specifically offered it, ask anyways! They're happy to help and it's what they're there for.

Create pitches that you genuinely enjoy the thought of writing! You should be having fun, not doing chores.

Start with a strong hook! This is a bit personal, but I don't usually like opening a zine fic with 4 paragraphs of background exposition unless that exposition is itself a hook. You want to be interesting throughout the whole piece!

One of the big difs between zines and regular oneshots is the word count restriction. I find that a really good way to make something that's punchy and feels like a full story in a shorter word count is to focus on dialogue and character interactions.

It's hard to fit multiple scenes cohesively into a short word count. I've done two zine pieces that were designed around being multi-scene, and it involved a lot more cutting down on words than my other pieces (and for one I actually asked to go over by about 300 words). Usually I try to take one "scene" and expand it enough that it is its own story piece.

Aside from the word count restriction, schedule, and maybe the emotional pressure of wanting to do something really nice, writing for a zine isn't too different from writing for yourself! There's definitely some adaptations to be made for the medium but overall I wouldn't worry overmuch about it. You got accepted because the mods liked what you showed them, and now you get to do this really fun thing! I hope you have a blast, anon. <3

(And feel free to ask me if you have any other or more specific questions about anything!)

[darksoulszine]

Interview with Asrielle

Today we interview Asrielle! One of our contributors in THE FIRST FLAME.

Q: How did you get into making art and for how long have you been doing it?

My dad used to draw my favorite TV show characters for me as a kid, and it inspired me to start drawing too. I've been drawing since I was a toddler, but I only started taking it seriously in my teens, so it's been over a decade now that I've been studying and trying to improve, but over 20 years drawing for fun.

Q: What traditional media or digital program do you prefer to use and why?

I prefer to use a HB pencil and regular paper for most things I draw, and then if I really like a drawing, I'll move it into Adobe Photoshop or Clip Studio Paint. I've slowly started using those programs more for illustrations because of their brush capabilities, which are really fun to work with. I think I'll be using Clip Studio Paint a lot more in the future!

 Q: Do you mostly make fan art or are there original works you are also passionate about?

I mostly make fan art! It's so much fun talking about things that I love with other people, and I love seeing everyone else's fan art as well. I have original works that I care about, but I get wrapped up in my video games a little too often and draw even more fan art as a result, haha.

 Q: Is there any artist or art movement that inspires you? Which ones?

Ayami Kojima, who did a lot of art for the Castlevania games, is a big inspiration of mine! James Gurney is fantastic. He's my inspiration for playing with all sorts of lighting in my work. I love looking at art that features dramatic sunlight and shadow and perfectly replicates how light changes throughout the day.

 Q: What would you say to someone who is willing to dedicate their life to art, but doesn’t take that step because of the risks?

I can understand this. I took a lot of risks pursuing art, and I still wonder if it was worthwhile sometimes. It really depends on what you want out of creating art. If it's for money, I can respect that, but if you force yourself to do something, it will just make you hate it in the end. But if creating art makes you happy and leaves you with a sense of fulfillment, I think you should accept the risks. Life's too short to play it safe and wonder "what if?" Usually, I'll just tell myself "just do it" nowadays. Failure isn't failure if it can be turned into a learning experience. At least, that's what the Souls games taught me!

Q: What do you like about being an artist?

I have a really bad memory, so when I finish a drawing I'd spent a lot of time on and look back on it later, I can remember a lot of how I felt when I worked on it and the steps that led up to its creation. It's like putting a part of myself on paper, as cheesy as that sounds. It's the same with how photos can really capture a moment in time. The community is also really cool, since there are so many other artists who go through all the same struggles and you all can bond over the creative process and the results. I love that there are so many of us out there making really cool things that we can wake up to and get inspired by, and that I get to be part of that too.

  Q: Show us some of your favorite artworks that you made and tell us why.

Solaire is such a fun and interesting character that really stands out in a dark game that's aptly named "Dark Souls." I love kind and supportive characters and I immediately said to myself "I must protect him at all costs." I drew him in all sorts of funny situations and turned a few of the drawings into stickers. People who saw them would get so excited and we'd chat about our favorite sunny boy, and it's honestly really fun!

Bloodborne is near and dear to my heart and the sight of Yharnam is something that is so inspiring to me and I knew if I did any Bloodborne fan art, I would have to draw the city eventually. I want to draw it again!

Q: Where can we find more of your work? Are there any personal projects you would like to share?

You can find my work mostly on Twitter! (@asrikins) I post a lot of WIPs and general video game stuff, as well as conventions I'll be selling my artwork at. If you like anime conventions, you might find me there with a bunch of Soulsborne merch! I also plan on returning to Twitch, where I have streamed artwork as well as a playthrough of Dark Souls 3 in the past. I hope to open a sticker shop soon with Soulsborne merch, but that will be announced on my twitter at a later date. Right now you can find a few of my designs on Redbubble at www.redbubble.com/people/asrielle.

 Q: What order did you play the soulsborne games in? Which is your favorite?

I started with Bloodborne when it was free for PS+ members. It's my favorite. It took me a week to get through Central Yharnam because I was so terrified and I would have nightmares every night. I kept playing because I would get further than my husband (who almost quit because it was so difficult) and then he would try to catch up. When I beat Father Gascoigne on my first attempt after struggling and learning along the way to his arena, I realized how well-designed the game was and got extremely hooked. The high from winning a major fight is amazing! It taught me a lot about perseverance and learning through trial and error and affected how I approach a lot of things in real life as well.

After Bloodborne and its DLC, my husband and I immediately bought Dark Souls. Then Dark Souls 2, and Dark Souls 3. We beat all the DLC and got the platinum trophies in each game. We've met and bonded with so many Soulsborne fans and I regret not getting into the series sooner over fears of "not being good enough to play." Right now we're playing Demon's Souls and Sekiro and I love it! The series has taken over our lives, haha.

Q: When you got eaten by a mimic for the first time, what did you yell out loud?

I laughed! "Why are its legs so long??"

 Q: Any memorable Dark Souls gaming moments you'd like to share?

There are honestly so many memorable moments! One of my favorites is when my husband and I were playing with our friends on Dark Souls 2 and we got invaded. We were all standing there dual-wielding the Smelter Sword and Aged Smelter Sword on a narrow bridge. The invader saw this, and promptly ran away and knelt for forgiveness in a corner as the four of us engulfed him in huge red and blue flames and destroyed him in seconds. It was the most ridiculously over-the-top execution I'd ever seen of an invader in the series, haha.

Another favorite is in the first Dark Souls when my husband and I got really far into Anor Londo, just to get invaded. We were so sure we were going to lose our progress that my husband dropped all the money he had on the ground in an attempt to bribe the invader to leave while we backed away. It worked! He took the money, praised the sun, and left. We found each other on PSN later and started playing co-op later on as buddies!

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