#please show some love to the people who organized the zine!!

[fishtrift]

happy v day

(my piece for the sunny zine!! so cool being a part of this :))

[handlewithcarezine]

HANDLE WITH CARE VOL. 3 — CALL FOR ARTISTS

Handle With Care zine is now seeking artists for the next volume! We are looking for about 20 artists for this edition.

Important information, boundaries, and legal stuff:

Submission deadline for Vol 3. is January 8th, 2025. If you are accepted but unable to make the deadline for whatever reason, please communicate with us! We are more than willing to be accommodating and figure something out.

The zine's physical dimension will be 6 inches wide, 8 inches tall (15,24 cm by 20,32 cm). Submissions should be in 300 DPI.

The loose theming of Vol 3. is Advertisements and posters. This theme is not strict and does not affect piece submission, but it will guide how we structure the zine as well as guide the aesthetics of the front cover and non-submission pages such as the table of contents and credits section. Feel free to go big and go bold with this theme, if you choose to engage with it! Show off your love, make the piece you would love to hang on your apartment walls!

Visual artists are welcome to submit an additional one-page written accompaniment to their visual artwork if they would like. Fully written works are currently capped to a maximum of five pages, though this may be adjusted once we have a rough idea what people are submitting.

Handle With Care is meant to celebrate raw objectum emotion and experiences, and meant to give these emotions a physical place in the world. We do not have a minimum skill level as a result.

However, we reserve the right to reject or ask for revisions on any submissions that make us uncomfortable, including any romantic depiction of an object that resembles a realistic feral animal or a human child. This zine is printed through a government-owned printing press. If your submission can be misconstrued as something far more concerning than just objectum sexuality by people who are not familiar with the community, it will be rejected for the peace of mind of everyone involved.

HWC is also strictly safe for work. Non-sexual nudity is allowed, although if it crosses a line we may ask for revisions.

All participants must be at least 18. Legal issues with using a minor's work and all that. Minors will be booted off the HWC discord, sorry! You are welcome to enter when you'll be legally an adult.

AI-generated submissions are also currently not allowed. We want to see work straight from objectum artists, not an objectum middleman commissioning ChatGPT for free and taking the credit.

HWC is non-profit. Physical copies are sold only to break even on printing and shipping. Any profit from donations will be re-invested in the zine or split evenly between all contributors.

Artists will retain all rights to their individual work, including copyright and being able to resell it. The zine owner (Ross Gillesby, in this case) is allowed to sell the pieces only in the bundle of the entire zine and not individually, and will not own any copyright to those pieces.

Zine organization and communication is done through a Discord server. If you are interested in submitting something for Handle With Care Vol. 3, please DM this tumblr or email gillesbyross@gmail.com with:

What are you thinking of submitting? If it's a written work, how many pages do you estimate you'll need?

2. Social media or some other way to verify you are not a troll

We already have a cover artist. We currently have an artist maximum of 20 to 25. If there is no more room by the time you send in an application, we will put you on a priority list for Vol. 4.

We're very excited to work on a third volume of the zine!

-Ross and Crispy

[probably-enjolras]

random aro!enjolras drabble for pride month

------------

The parade was passing through and Enjolras felt like he was missing something. He wasn't as decked out as his friends; no flag around his back or flower crown in his hair, but he had his shirt off to show his top surgery scars, a "he/him" pin on his lanyard that showed information for Les Amis de l'ABC, and Courfeyrac talked him into wearing a stack of rainbow and trans flag bracelets along his arm. Yet in the place he felt the most at home - being himself with his friends - something wasn't in place.

Enjolras began perusing the stalls and stands that different groups had set up. He had made sure to keep a stack of paper money with him for donations, giving them out to community and local organizations. Les Amis had a stall set up at the Café, but they were all taking turns manning the stall versus enjoying the festivities.

As Enjolras continued walking, a stall caught his eye. The stand had a few flags hanging on it with different shades of purple, green, grey, white, and black. Enjolras recognized the purple ones as the asexual flag, but the green flag caught his eye. He steadied himself and walked over to the stall.

The stall was being operated by two college-age kids, someone who looked to be in their mid-thirties, and an older man with a thick beard. When Enjolras stopped, the man stood up and gave him a smile.

"Hey son," the man said, looking at Enjolras' pin. "What can I help you with? Flags? Pins? Maybe a few zines by these lovely people behind me?"

Enjolras looked around the stall and his eyes fell on the green flags again. "What do the green flags mean?" he asked. "I know the purple is for asexuality, but I don't recognize the green one." He felt his face flush as he asked the question. Enjolras liked to think he was in the loop of all things queer; his friends had so many labels and have taught him so much more than his conservative family taught him, but admittedly he was more aware of political theory than identities.

"Oh!" the man said, smile widening. "It's the aromantic flag." Upon seeing Enjolras' slight look of unrecognition, the man continued. "It means they don't experience romantic attraction. Some people are just aromantic and never experience romantic attraction, some use the term greyromantic because they sometimes feel attraction, feel attraction but to a very low level, or feel somewhere between aromantic and alloromantic, and some use demiromantic because they don't get romantic feelings until a very deep bond is formed." The man pointed at each flag as he talked.

Enjolras stayed quiet for a second. He hadn't realized this was an option. All his friends talked about their crushes and romantic relationships, and while Enjolras enjoyed hearing about it, he never had anything to share, and he wanted to keep it that way.

"How do you know if you're aromantic?" he asked, feeling sheepish.

The man gave him a knowing smile. "It's a process of finding yourself, but sometimes you just know."

Enjolras looked at the little green and grey pins on the table. Everything felt like it was clicking into place. All the years of trying to be in romantic relationships hoping romantic feelings would form and ending up having to break up and losing a friend because he couldn't do it. All the confusion of what he thought were crushes but the idea of being more than friends made his stomach churn. Every time he changed the subject when his parents asked him about settling down because settling down with someone was so foreign to Enjolras in a way he couldn't express. All of it was suddenly a shade of green, calming like summer trees and fresh cut grass.

Enjolras pulled out his wallet and gave the man a few dollars.

"I'll take a pin please."

[fanzines-r-magic]

UPDATE!

Volume 2 is still in the works despite the lack of art sneak peeks and updates. While it will be another art-centric zine, there will be some changes after it is released. I never planned to organize a volume 3 but I see the potential for something that could benefit this age of the MLP fandom.

Changing

We as a fandom are slowly moving away from (let's be honest) the very problematic brony scene of the 2010s. I believe most of the MLP artists and fans online posting today witnessed this era, not as an adult, but as a primary/middle schooler. We can all agree that that era was...weird. Full of gore, unwarranted sexualization, and whatever was going on on 4chan. To get to the point: I really want to encourage this much friendlier atmosphere we currently have by shedding light on these amazing creators and discouraging giving the elitist and toxic fans a soapbox.

This is a VERY big goal I admit but I really love this fandom, even more than the actual show itself (woof).

"How are you even gonna do this? Sounds crazy tbh..."

Here is where I ask for your help. This is admittedly a very fresh fantasy of mine. It is impossible to change an entire online space, there will always be bad people regardless of age or background. My idea was to use Fanzines R Magic as a "beginners guide" platform for new fans or people looking for creators to support. Sort of like a giant organized link tree for creators and projects.

"Why don't we just stick to our small communities and pick who we interact with ourselves?" you might be asking. My goal isn't for you to change who you support or who you want to interact with. Naturally, that is all up to you. Many people have good judgment and understand their limits (blocking people they don't want to interact with or content they don't want to get involved with). I really just want to give people a chance to find a community with creators that have good intentions as a starting off point for new or younger fans. Searching for MLP artists for example would be made easier without constantly bumping into repost accounts or fetish art. Not to mention that smaller artists are virtually invisible on platforms like Twitter or Instagram. Many people have commented or DMd me saying how they had no idea Fanzines R Magic was happening or that collaborative art zines were a thing. This "link tree" would feature projects, start-ups, etc that they could discover and join.

This is just one idea though, this sort of huge project needs some brainstorming. If you are interested in what I'm throwing out here, want to suggest an alternative, or be a part of this project please send an "ask", a dm, reach me @_regenko_ (Instagram), or write @ fanzinesrmagic@gmail.com. Any passionate fans are welcome not just artists.

thank you,

regenko

[piosplayhouse]

Pio please explain what the hell a “fake John Macartny” scandal is I am on my knees begging I didn’t think the beetles were in WoH

Arguably one of the most famous conspiracy theories of all time, the "Paul is dead" theory posited that the Beatle Paul McCartney died in a car accident in 1966 and was subsequently replaced by a fake Paul McCartney. This was "substantiated" by people allegedly hearing a secret message saying "turn me on, dead man" when they reversed their Beatles Revolution 9 records, convinced that the rest of the Beatles were leaving clues that Paul was actually dead and had been replaced by an imposter for the rest of their career.

I'm not a woh fan and have only seen a few posts about the conspiracy that frankly were just more confusing than illuminating, but as far as I know it seems one of the actors got into a controversy for posting pictures in front of a Japanese war criminal monument (?) which sparked a rumor that he was far right wing anti-china, resulting in him losing a ton of fans and sponsorships (???). So then somehow something happened which resulted in his company allegedly making some kind of rumored deepfake imposter version of him who makes music and holds concerts or something and apparently there's a huge and extremely hostile split in the fandom between people who think he's been replaced and his identity stolen and this is an issue that needs to be brought to light and people who think it's just been the same guy this whole time. So basically just Paul is dead in 2023 in China it appears?

But the only reason I found out about this is apparently some zine project got cancelled because there was major dogpiling from people accusing the zine organizers of thinking the actor wasn't replaced and that there was never an imposter, along with for some reason criticism of book-only woh fans who are "too holier than thou" to help the cause of exposing the "imposter"?? Or something ?????? It's. It's a lot

[usamamoweek]

Meet the Mods!

What username(s) and platform(s) can folx find you on? (Please include links!)

Hi, folx! I'm Lillie Bell. I can be found on AO3, and all my shenanigans happen on tumblr @lilliebellfanfics

(Fun Fact) What is your favorite kind of potato?

Waffle House hashbrowns -- smothered, covered, and capped

How long have you been creating works in fandom spaces? How long have you been active in the SM fandom?

I'm one of the OG crew from when the internet was young (lol). I wrote SM fanfiction as a teenager during the era of Alicia Blade, ASMR, etc., I had a short stint in as the writing mod in the SML LJ community, and have recently returned to writing fanfiction, mostly smut, after a long hiatus. I also write for Seven Deadly Sins when I'm not completely lost in SM.

What type(s) of creative works do you usually make? (fanfics, digital art, cosplay)

I cannot draw to save my life or take a good picture, so I am solidly a writer only. I am super impressed by folx who can work in multiple mediums. Words are hard enough, so that's what I stick too :D

What do you enjoy about creating for the SM fandom?

I love the joy & support the community has for each other as well as the diversity of ships and people in the fandom. For the characters, there are so many facets to play with and explore that I never feel like I'm done telling their stories. There are so many more situations to put these babies in!

Are you strictly UsaMamo or do you create for other pairings as well?

I write more UsaMamo than any other pairing, but ReiNako are my grumpy x sunshine queens and I love them. I've also delved into writing KunZoi recently and love their dynamic as well. I'm very much ship and let ship, so I enjoy reading pretty much any ship, but I can only write a pairing/poly that I feel I have a good grasp on. Hence, usually UsaMamo, ReiNako, and sometimes KunZoi.

What inspires you to create works for Usagi and Mamoru?

All the feels (lol). I have specific facets of their personalities or backgrounds that I love to explore. I love to mess with Mamoru the Orphan and how that shapes his decisions & personality (good and bad), and how he evolves with that background over time. I love happy-go-lucky Usagi who is just out in a world being herself, falling through life and living it to the fullest, but also has these big responsibilities and rises to every call.

Do you tend to work on multiple projects (WIPs) simultaneously or try to finish one at a time?

I have multiple WIPs right now, but I tend to be very focused on one at a time (for better or worse). I don't like leaving things not done, so multiple WIPs starts to grate on me to just get it done.

Do you prefer large projects (chaptered fics, webtoons/zines, highly detailed art) or small projects (one-shots or simple art)?

I like one shots / smaller fics where I can hint at how we got here or how the future might look after, but the focus is one small moment between the characters. That said, I currently have two long fics I'm working on... because reasons. XD

Are there any common themes, situations, tropes, or mediums in your work?

I write fairly broadly between dark, smut, and some fluff. There's usually a comedic edge, so it's not 24/7 serious (I'm not that person if you noticed ;D ). My favorite tropes are forbidden love/romance and the banter of grumpy x sunshine. There are definite themes but they may not always come through. For Mamoru, I like to put him in situations he isn't prepared for and help him make bad decisions. I really enjoy playing with his connection to Earth / Elysion and his strong sense of loyalty/duty to Usagi, as well as his shitennou. For Usagi, I think her friends treat her too delicately and, even though she's a bit silly or not totally organized, she will show up for her friends or the world when it's in trouble. I like to play in that space where she is unexpectedly mature b/c Usagi is a quintessential example of a person who doesn't have her shit together, she's not perfect & that's okay, and she can save the world just as she is. MF QUEEN.

I bring these elements into my other pairings--they are pretty common dynamics. KunZoi and ReiNako are facets of grumpy x sunshine and love vs duty/honor. So, I do like to push the characters into uncomfortable territory and then see how they respond. Rei always raises to the bait. Kunzite will crumble... eventually (if mechanical bulls are involved).

Is there anything you haven’t explored artistically and would like to try?

I've done a little bit of everything in my tenure in the fandom, but I think I'd like to produce a few more chaptered works, but not excessively long (6 chaps vs 20). I seem to be strong in either the one shot category or long fic category, but not in between. So that's something I'd very much like to work on for my own sanity.

[agentshipzine]

Answering Questions (and Comments): wave 2

Curious Cat’s Questions

🌟Question: "Hello! I’ve just read through the new guidelines regarding to ships with Neo Agent 3 + the other canon agents and while I understand that its to avoid conflict from age interpretations from canon I’m wondering if it would be possible to depict the ocs I’m planning on entering with during a time before one of them becomes Neo 3, the other already being an agent before Splat3 time. (They’re both adults, thought I should add)" ✨Answer: We apologize but, it is not possible. Please read our zine's guidelines, which can be found here (https://classifiedlovezine.carrd.co/#guidelines), and let us know if something was not clear. We make no exceptions due to reasons stated before in the document we have shared this last days in order to protect contributors and staff.

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🌟Question: "Hello , back again , sorry ! I was wondering if it is possible to do multiple roles (like someone being an artist and a writer , or someone doing a comic as well as spot art) ? If so , is there a limit to how many roles a person can be in ?" ✨Answer: We will limit contributors to one role due to the zone’s workload as we don't want anyone to overwork themselves! Despite this, if people wanna and are able to do more things, they're more than welcome to do so once their first task is sorted out! We understand this zine entails a lot of work so contributors will always be encouraged to ask the hosts [Tari and Rebiisea] for some help if needed!

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🌟Question: "I know it’s really encouraging to create your piece with your Agent OCs, but I kinda struggle with making OCs and have more headcanons for my agents; so would it be ok to have a idea pitched during applications of an illustration/comic of the canon designs + fanon behaviors for the agents?" ✨Answer: This is a OC centered zine so we'd like you to create your own OCs [if you don't have them already] for the zine, but you are allowed to pitch fanon behaviours and later give them your own designs! Host Tari loves character design so they'd be more than happy to help out with making your OCs if you get accepted!

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🌟Question: "would having multiple of the same agent be allowed in the zine? e.g. 2 agent 3s (fem + masc) and 2 agent 8s (same) in a polycule?" ✨Answer: Yes! Multiple of the same agents are allowed!

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🌟Question: "if you use my characters to promote the zine, would that guarantee me a spot on the zine?" ✨Answer: As said on the form, us using your OCs in promotional artwork does not guarantee you a spot in the zine!

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🌟Question: "Hi! I have some concerns regarding the recent addition of using other people’s ocs to promote the zine. I don’t think it’s very fair if you use other people’s ocs for advertising if they’ve not got a place in the project itself and others may see it in different, more negative ways." ✨Answer: Hello! Thank you for sharing this with us. We understand your concerns and hope to get them cleared!

Submitting your OCs couples for promotional posts is something we started so we could show off different ships, more than just those from us and our friends, and to bring the spotlight to more people than just our future contributors. During our Interest Check we asked if people would like to participate and be okay with this and we received a 80%~ positive response, so we followed through. If the results were different we wouldn't have opened them. It is not mandatory to submit them nor will it affect your future application as it is noted in the respective form. The people who submitted their OCs understand that and in any given moment they can withdraw their consent given to us to draw their OCs.

We cannot, unfortunately, guarantee everyone a place in the zine, nor that their OCs will even be drawn in the first place. This is due to the amount of time, organization and work it entails not just for us hosts, but for everyone. We assure you, if it was possible, we would love to have everyone on board! We are and will do more events like this to let people to show off their OCs in some way if they didn't get in. We think the art and posts we share on our social media accounts are as important as the zine itself!

At the end of the day, "Classified Love" is a free zine meant to celebrate the Splatoon community, especially those involved in OC agent shipping, and we want to keep it that way as much as possible! We hope this addresses all of your concerns.

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🌟Question: "HEY would we be allowed to feature more than one couple in a piece? i have two separate pairings that both involve agents that id love to have in the same piece since theyre all friends w eachother HEHE" ✨Answer: We will only allow for one couple per piece. If you get accepted into the zine and finish early your assignment (piece and info) with plenty of time until the pieces' due date, you may start another one!

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🌟Question: "Hiya! I'm real new to zine stuff, is there a quick tldr of what I have to do as an artist? I'm real interesting in joining but I've never honestly seen something like this before and I have no clue what I'd be getting into" ✨Answer: You can find everything you'll be expected to do as as a contributor as well as the guidelines on our carrd! https://classifiedlovezine.carrd.co/

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🌟Question: "can i ask why only one couple per piece? i don't like the idea of only featuring one & i know i'm not gonna be able to do more than one piece fr something like this if i got accepted :'D" ✨Answer: This is due to the way the zine will be formatted; next to the zine piece each contributor will do, there will be a page or section talking about the couple featured. Your other couples, and characters, can always be somewhere in the background as a cameo if you wish but the focus has to be on just one!

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🌟Question: "so uhhh is live model stuff counted as nsfw? because i have these on my portfolio and i was wondering if i should remove them or not" ✨Answer: We understand live model studies and illustrations depict artistic nudity but we would prefer for them to be excluded of the portfolio and pieces shared if possible.

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🌟Question: "Sorry if this has been asked already but are we allowed to do polyamorous couples? :0" ✨Answer: Yes! Polyamorous couples are allowed!

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🌟Question: "What does the rule "Have at least 1 background in your portfolio" mean? Do we have to include a piece that's fully a background or the we have to include at least 1 piece that has a background? Thank you" ✨Answer: Either of those options are alright to submit!

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🌟Question: "hihi how is it possible edit your form? there's a couple things i need to change/my idea pitch didn't really follow the guidelines so i should alter it to fit better!" ✨Answer: Hello! Yes it is possible to edit your form!

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Application Form's Questions

🌟Question: "I might would like to know why NA3 is out of the options here ;v; If Alterna didn't showcase enough lore for them like the Metro did for 8, if they're relatively new to the batch of agents, etc?" ✨Answer:This is an issue that came up early in development, you can read the document here! (LINKS)

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🌟Comment: "Have a nice day :3" ✨Answer: You too!

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🌟Question: "do u like cats :)))))" ✨Answer: We love cats!! :]

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🌟Question: "Would octarian agents from the octarian army count too? Or just inkling ones?" ✨Answer: They all count as long as they are in a relationship with an Agent.

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🌟Question...?: "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrWJtHvdD24" ✨Answers: "…In the Splashdown defense, it is very cool" -Host Rebi / "NOW THIS IS WHAT I LOVE TO SEE nintendo bring back Splashdown just for this" -Host Tari

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🌟Question: "If this ever did become physical, would contributors get a free copy or some type of compensation for producing content for it?" ✨Answer: This time around the zine will be free for everyone to view as this is our first time running a zine this big! If we ever do a physical run, we plan to fairly compensate all contributors, be it with profit or a copy of the zine (and merch if there's any)! Though this is just an idea that we unfortunately cannot pull off at the moment nor is a rerun guaranteed.

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🌟Comment: "This zine looks so cute and fun, I can't wait to see it come together! :D I hope you're having a great day!" ✨Answer: We are, thank you!

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🌟Comment: "I may need a lot of extra help with explanations. [...]" ✨Answer: Please do not worry about needing additional explanations, we are here to help and answer any questions that comes up! If one needs any sort of accommodation if accepted into the zine, please don't hesitate to let us know.

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🌟Question: "Will there be a discord server dedicated to the participants of the zine?" ✨Answer: Yes! All organisation will be held over discord.

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🌟Comment: "I love men." ✨Answer: Happy Pride Month!

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🌟Comment: "Slay" ✨Answer: As always <3

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🌟Question: "Would it be possible to pitch another idea if this one isn’t preferable?" ✨Answer: Yes, it would be! We ask for pitches to have a slight idea of what you would like to draw. If you get accepted into the zine, all contributors will be asked to deliver 3 pitches and we will work from there

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If you have a question/feedback, don’t be afraid to send an ask, DM or email us!!

💚 Artist Application Form: https://forms.gle/TciAzDP1xYLsuNw29 💜 Writer Application Form: https://forms.gle/HG1WySz7e7jBbb

✨Carrd: https://classifiedlovezine.carrd.co/ 🌟Twitter: https://twitter.com/agentshipzine ✨Curiouscat: https://curiouscat.live/ClassifiedLove_Zine 🌟Email: classifiedlovezine@gmail.com

[sundaeserenade]

I’ve been trying to figure out how to word this that doesn’t sound potentially insane for a stranger to say someone but regardless! I’ve been so much happier since following you I feel. I turn 25 in 2 months and for some reason I’ve just felt so like weird and upset bc I’ve been thinking things like “am I too old for this?” And feeling genuine shame especially bc like pokemon is really precious to me which is weird bc it’s been with me my whole life. you’ve just brought a sense of like happiness and comfort that I can just exist with the things that make me happy and it doesn’t diminish anything I’m doing in my life as an adult! Im really glad I found you on ao3 last year. Your works have been something I hold dear to me!!!! Im really sorry for rambling and if this was really fucking weird I didn’t mean for it to be.

I don't think this is a weird thing to say at all! I think this is something everyone thinks at some point but honestly? You're not LMAO

And you essentially answered this question yourself. You've been with pokemon since you were a child, of course it's important to you. Playing the game or any game or ANY MEDIA during your formative years sticks with you. It teaches you about yourself about things you like and don't like. It starts that process of critical thinking and media consumption even if you didn't realize it at the time.

There's nothing wrong with that. Like pokemon is marketed toward adults, too. There's championships for pokemon. For adults. There's rap showcases about pokemon. There's meetups and contests and zines and everything. You're not alone in still loving pokémon and you shouldn't feel ashamed for continuing to enjoy something you loved as a kid.

I get that I'm older than you, but when I was a kid, fandom WOULDN'T EXIST without those 30, 40, and 50 year olds who created content and organized events and held the fandoms together. They would archive and back up fic. They'd exchange emails and chronicle things like??? And it was because of those adults that we have sites like AO3 now.

If those people hadn't helped the fandom grow, I never would've started writing. It's because of old adults that I got inspired and tried. all these people, no matter their age, enjoy this show or game or whatever and that's what fandom is. That's what it's about.

Can you imagine if fandom was like…all kids??? There would be nothing here. There would be nothing. Like maybe something every once in a while but like?? Who would make and sell merch? Who would do commissions??? Who would organize zines like?? Adults are integral. So don't feel ashamed. Be happy. Like life is too fucking short. If you're not hurting anyone, then go off I say. People can enjoy whatever they want. Like fantasy football or marvel and DC. WHATEVER!!

be an adult and enjoy fandom and be glad, because now you have money to buy all that merch 😎

I'm glad i could help you feel better about this, but please don't be ashamed. thank you for reading my stuff and holding it dear. that's very sweet, and I appreciate that very much 💕thank you for telling me.

like im not ashamed to say that i'm probably gonna be here till i'm 50 but then i may like dip into something else idk. if i live that long LMFAO i have no concept of time???

[dfoanthology]

QNA Part 4

Q: Why isn't there a $45-$55 option for the full physical bundle? That is more my range but it wasn't an option.

A: We're currently just trying to figure out what people's ranges are in general, so we used slightly different numbers. It's looking like the full physical bundle will be closer to that range due to the increase of Zine costs these days however, especially if we want people to have some fun merch goodies.

Q: Which Organizations are included to the beneficiaries?

A: The charity we have chosen is All Hands and Hearts. This is a charity zine so no contributors nor mods will be paid. Contributors will receive a free pdf of the zine and, if we sell enough to cover the costs, the physical zine as well.

Q: I am a new fanfic writer, but a lot of people seem to like. I really want to be part of this, does it count?

A: We're glad you want to be a part of this zine! We cannot wait to see all of you lovely writers' works for the applications. Also be sure to consider the Comic Writer role too if you have the ability to.

Q: Really just due dates and who all is running it/merch organizers and producers.

A: We expect preorders to start in early 2022, depending on how long it takes our contributors to finish. Contributor applications start October 15th and end November 1st. Tunafishprincess, Kayami, and VHSVampires are the current mods with more to be added soon. We will post more once we are finished with the mod applications.

Q: I have no experience with working for a zine. This doesn't matter for the selecting of artists, does it?

A: Not at all! What we're looking for is skill, style and creativity.

Q: If I apply to more than one position will that increase my chances of getting into the zine?

A: If you can do the work, it wouldn't hurt your chances. If you're good in more than one area (i.e. Page Artist and Comic Artist, Writer and Comic Writer, etc.) then please apply. We haven't decided on the exact number of spots yet, but the inquiry has shown us a lot of interest in several areas so we will try and do what we can. Please apply to more than one if that is something that interests you.

Q: Will there be guest artists/writers on the zine?

A: Yes. They have already agreed to be on the zine and will be revealed later on.

Q: Could you give us an idea of what will be on the Contributor applications?

A: The Contributor applications will start with pretty basic information, such as what is your email, age range, discord if you have one, etc. followed by (1) three examples of your works and (2) your three pitches for the zine. Your examples will show us your ability to do the work and your zine pitches will give us insight in what you want to make for the zine. Pitches are a general idea of what you're going to make. If you are accepted onto the zine you will use one of your approved pitches. You will have to talk with the mods if you want to change your pitch post-acceptance.

[a-nice-and-interpretive-fanzine]

[ID: A cream-colored banner that says "A Nice and Interpretive Fanzine: essays and art about the meanings we've found in Good Omens." There is a photo of a book page with a key on it behind the banner text. The photo source is rosy_photo on Pixabay. /end ID]

A Nice and Interpretive Fanzine: Information Masterpost

Welcome!

This is a zine for those of us who love the subtle, complex work that is Good Omens, and who’ve enjoyed the thoughtfulness of the fandom as people interpret how the many moving pieces of the story come together, creating a slightly different meaning for each of us.

To put it simply, it’s a book full of the fandom’s own analysis and commentary about the Good Omens TV show, enhanced with illustrations from our brilliant artists.

This zine is analytical in the sense that all the writers are expressing their own nonfiction thoughts and feelings about the show, rather than writing fanfic, but it is not meant to be heavily academic. Anybody who likes to pick apart the series and discuss it should be able to enjoy it.

The zine will contain essays by fans who are passionate about analyzing and interpreting different parts of Good Omens - the characters, the plot, the writing techniques for the book and script, the cinematography of the TV show, the popular content of the fandom itself. Accompanying these essays will be black and white illustrations from our artists.

How are you organizing this process?

May 1-May 15: Everyone submits their application to do writing or art through a Google form. Behind the scenes, I’ll be setting up a separate email and Discord.

May 16-20: Applicants will be screened during this time.

May 20: I’ll email everyone to let them know the outcomes of their applications. The final participants will get a link to the Discord server for the zine (totally optional, of course).

May 21: If there’s any clarification or solidifying of ideas that needs to happen, I’ll contact you and discuss with you by this point. This is also when artists will be matched up with essays.

May 22 to August 14: This will be a period of just working on our essays and art. The Discord chat and Tumblr will be there for support and for exchanging ideas!

August 15: Participants need to email their full works to the zine’s email address by this date. No special formatting is needed; I’ll do that in InDesign.

August 15 to August 31: I’ll be putting the zine together in InDesign.

September 1: Preorders will open.

September 30: Preorders will close.

October 1: The zine order will be placed!

October 15: Assuming all goes well with printing and shipping, the zines will be shipped out in waves starting on this date. If the printing or shipping from the manufacturer is delayed, then shipping will just start ASAP.

Writer Application HERE Artist Application HERE Asked and Answered Questions on Tumblr The Fanzine's Page on Twitter

Read below for more detailed information about the zine in a Q and A format!

What are the specifications for the zine contributions?

For writers, I’m starting with 3k words or fewer per essay (approximately 10 pages at the size of this book). This depends heavily on how many participants we actually get, so it may change!

For artists, I’d be looking at black and white works, 300 DPI, 5.5 x 8.5 inches or smaller. If your art is supposed to fill up the entire page (i.e. no white space), please make it a total of 5.75 x 8.75 inches with nothing too important around the edges to account for bleed during the printing process.

Can I submit an essay to this zine if I’ve already posted it on Tumblr?

Not as you’ve already posted it. We don’t want to just copy/paste the exact thing that hundreds or perhaps even thousands of people have already read.

However, it IS fine and maybe even a good idea to take the same thought from your post and refine it, preserving your same thesis. For example, a lot of Tumblr posts are just us fans jotting down 5 or 6 paragraphs of random thoughts at 2 AM, but some of them are really cool thoughts! Expanding them and turning them into a bona-fide Essay would make those posts into excellent zine chapters. And you can copy small pieces of your own language as long as the whole thing isn’t just pasted word-for-word.

How long do essays have to be? Is there a limit?

With the number of writers we have, I've calculated that each person should ideally keep their essay to about 6000 words. There is wiggle room.

There’s no real minimum for your contribution; some analytical ideas are really good but can be expressed concisely, so it’s okay if your essays only come out to a few pages typed. For reference, with our book size, a page is about 300 words.

What happens if the zine sells a lot and you end up not only breaking even, but turning a profit?

It’ll go to charity. While I’ll ask the participants what they want to do for certain if we do make enough money, my suggestion will be donating it to Alzheimer’s Research UK in honor of Sir Terry Pratchett.

I’m not really comfortable calling this a “charity zine” up front since I simply don’t know if it will raise a significant amount. For the most part, I just want the thing to physically exist, which means breaking even, and don’t want to make it more expensive for buyers than it needs to be to afford the printing costs.

What kinds of essays are you talking about? What could be included?

In short, any analytical thoughts about the Good Omens TV show - and possibly even the fandom as it interacts with the show - are possible inclusions for the zine.

To expand a bit, think about the meta posts you see floating around Tumblr. Often these involve analyzing characters, or picking up on patterns in the plot. Sometimes fans use their own background knowledge to write posts about the significance of certain costume choices or the way music plays into each individual scene. Some posts examine the ways the series approaches gender, while others might discuss ways that the characters present as neurodivergent. That’s how diverse the pool of possibilities is for subjects in this zine.

How does art come into this?

Images will be black and white, to match the bookish mood of the project overall. Images can range in size from a half page to a full page.

I’m planning to talk to the artists and authors and loosely pair artists with essays that appeal to their personal interests.

I know how to illustrate a story, but how do I illustrate an essay?

There are infinite answers to this! I’ve seen some beautiful symbolic artwork in the fandom already (e.g. a number of takes on Aziraphale munching on an apple with Crowley in snake form curving around him), and there are tons of symbolic motifs to draw from, but these are not the only options. An artist illustrating an essay about cinematography, for example, could draw a well-known scene from an alternative angle. An essay about Heaven as a capitalist corporation could be illustrated with a cartoon of Gabriel giving some sort of excruciating PowerPoint presentation. A character analysis could be accompanied by a simple portrait. And on and on. I’m not interested in limiting the possibilities by trying to make a list, but just know that there are many and you don’t have to make it complicated if you don’t want to.

If the writers can reuse their essay ideas, can artists reuse their drawings?

Similarly to the writers, if you already have an interpretive drawing that you’re in love with, artists can use the same ideas and the same fundamental composition that is present in their own existing work. However, it has to be redone in some significant way. Whether it’s taking something you drew in 2019 and redrawing it using an updated style, taking a sketch and turning it into a lined and shaded piece, or redoing a full-color drawing so it presents more strikingly in black and white, it shouldn’t be identical to the thing you’ve already posted.

So how are you choosing participants here?

It’ll be based on what people are interested in writing about (or illustrating). I’ll be looking for people who are passionate about their essays, but I’ll also be looking for variety. It all depends on what people want to offer, so I won’t know for sure what it will look like put together until everyone’s application is in.

For artists, I’ll be trying to figure out whose style looks like it would adapt well to illustrations in black and white, and also who demonstrates an interest in the same subjects as the writers.

If we don’t get a lot of applicants, I’d love to simply include everyone, but I can’t commit to that without knowing for sure how many people are involved.

Do I have to use a formal writing style to participate?

No. You should use a style that makes your thoughts and ideas as clear as possible, but as long as it’s understandable, you can also get a little artistic with it. You can “write like you speak,” though perhaps in a more organized way. You definitely don’t need to worry about stylistic rules like not using the first person. This is not academia.

Is this zine going to center only on Crowley and Aziraphale?

That remains to be seen! It depends on what ideas show up in the applications. There will be a lot of the ineffable partners for sure, but whether the whole zine will center on them or whether there’s plentiful stuff about other characters will depend on what the participants suggest.

Do we have to agree with all your personal interpretations of Good Omens to be in the zine?

No! In fact, I’m assuming that a number of essays will contradict each other, too, and that’s perfectly okay. The zine is a sampler of fan interpretations meant to inspire, not instruct. It’s not “Here’s a fan-made guide on how to understand this TV show,” it’s “Look at all these moving parts and how many meanings we can find in them. What does it mean to you?”

However, there are some basic rules and assumptions by which I’m working here.

I don’t personally have the energy to include essays that are highly critical (“negative”) in this zine. It’s analytical but also meant to be fun.

I’m pretty focused on the TV adaptation. This isn’t “no book analysis allowed” but just that the essays will end up being weighted toward subjects that apply to either the TV show or both the book and the show.

Each writer should focus on making their own points over disproving other fan interpretations. If you’re writing in an expository style, it’s normal for the essay to contain rebuttals to opposing ideas, but these should be minor supporting points, not the heart and soul of your essay. For reference, I’d say the majority of meta I see floating around on tumblr would follow this rule just fine.

Essay ideas that seem to contain bigoted or exclusionary sentiments will not be accepted (no TERFy stuff, for example).

What kinds of editing will go into the zine? Are you going to argue with us about the contents of our writing?

While I might ask you to elaborate on certain points in your writing or clarify your thoughts about your subject, I’m absolutely not here to ask you to change the thesis, opinions, or headcanons on which your writing is based. If I really have a problem with your initial idea, I’ll tell you that up front and politely decline the contribution.

While formatting the zine, I’ll make minor edits if I think I see a typo or misspelling, something small and obviously unintentional. As with any other zine, your content won’t be changed without consulting you.

Is this a SFW zine?

Yes. If people want to discuss sexuality in a theoretical way, like erotic subtext, that would be allowed. There are canon references like Newt and Anathema’s moment under the bed that might come up, too. But there will be nothing explicit, and since these are essays instead of stories, there will be no “action” going on between characters. Let’s just say sex isn’t a forbidden topic, but it will be like discussing it in English class.

As for other topics that could make the zine NSFW, like gore or extreme language, I don’t think they will be an issue. Some dark topics, like abuse by Heaven and Hell, may be discussed, but they will be warned for, and these are not stories, so you aren’t going to see violent actions playing out.

Will there be any “extras” like charms or stickers?

I’m not sure yet. I’m most inclined to keep it simple, because of the nature of the zine, but would be open to including some bonus items if there’s an artist who’s really passionate about it.

With that said, I am pretty committed to making a hardcover edition of the book available, in addition to the standard softcover version.

You’re doing this with only one mod?!

Yes. I personally find it easiest. While I’ve worked on multi-mod projects in other domains and adore all of my co-mods, it’s a little bit different when it’s a project with this many moving pieces that includes real-life components like printing and shipping. Though there are a lot of individual things to be done, I am experienced with all of them, so it’s less overwhelming to just take on the whole project. That way, I know exactly what needs to be done and when, and there are no issues with assigning tasks.

What qualifies you to run this zine?

The résumé answer: in fandom, I successfully solo-modded a large not-for-profit zine in the past, the @soulmakazine2018, and while I can’t speak for the whole fandom, it definitely seemed to be well-received. <3 In real life, I’m a case manager and this involves coordinating and communicating with a lot of different people including my 100-person caseload, budgeting services, and filling out all kinds of paperwork on the fly, all skills that can be imported into zine work.

The practical answer: well, I’m the one who decided to start this project, so if you like the sound of it, you're stuck with me. I say with encouragement and enthusiasm that if you’d like to do a different take on a commentary zine, you should absolutely do it.

[rivaererizine]

⚔︎ FAQ ⚔︎

If you have a question for us, please check that it is not already answered here before contacting us.

⚔︎ What is a zine? A zine is a collection of creative works, in this instance fanfic and fanart, that often have a common theme. Some zines can be free, or for profit, but ours is a charity zine for the benefit of Ocean Conservancy.

⚔︎ What is the theme of the zine? In order to honor the subject of our charity, we have the theme of “the Ocean” for our zine. We are excited to see the different ways that our contributors will feature our theme in their works!

⚔︎ What language will the zine be in? The zine will be published in English.

⚔︎ Are fixed shippers welcome? Yes. There will be three separate editions of the zine; Ereri, Rivaere, and RivaEreri. Contributors will have a choice in which edition their creation appears in. The RivaEreri edition will include works from both Ereri and Rivaere. The RivaEreri edition will still notate the intended dynamic in the list of tags for each work. The combined edition is for people who are interested in having both Rivaere and Ereri content, mixed together, at a slightly lower price than it would be to purchase both fixed zines separately.

⚔︎ Why is the zine PDF? What if I want a physical copy? This decision was made for several reasons. Since the proceeds are going to an environmental charity, a digital zine is the best way for us to honour that and minimize our impact on the planet. A downloadable PDF means no plastic packaging, no paper usage, and zero emissions from shipping. It also allows us to offer the zine at a lower price and make it more affordable for everyone. Those who want a physical copy are welcome to print it off themselves after purchase (for personal use only).

⚔︎ Why is the main zine M rated? We want a diverse selection of content that explores the ship and characters we love. Since word counts will be restricted, we want to avoid a situation where most of the content is smut with little-to-no plot or storytelling. For this reason, we have decided not to include explicit sexual content in the main zine. We are planning to have a NSFW mini-zine, in Rivaere, Ereri, and RivaEreri editions. There will be limited contributor slots in that zine.

⚔︎ What’s the difference between M (Mature) and E (Explicit) content? Mature content can explore adult themes and contain sexual content, but not to the point where it becomes pornographic. For artists, M means that you could draw the characters lying in bed naked, obviously having or just finished having sex, but not their genitals, cum, or any actual sex acts. If you would refer to it as porn or censor it for public posting, it is most likely explicit. The line is harder to draw for authors. Your fic can include “fade to black” implied sex scenes, suggestive speech, talk of sex and even a sex scene itself, so long as it’s not explicitly described. Think of an adult book that you could find in a library or comfortably discuss in public, or movie scenes that show the characters “having sex”, but a blanket is positioned to cover their bodies. Everyone knows what's going on but it is not intended to be erotic. Examples:

Mature (permitted): 

“Their bodies were intertwined, moving together as they both sought pleasure from the other. The man below him was sweating, radiant in the throes of passion, and he soon spread his legs to invite more intimate touches.”

Explicit (not permitted): 

“Their bodies were intertwined, cocks grinding together as they both sought pleasure from the other. The man below him was sweating, pre-cum leaking from his dick, and he then spread his legs to let eager fingers sink into his hole.”

⚔︎ Can I be a mod? As of right now, our mod team is currently full. We will be holding applications for people to join as beta editors sometime in mid-April. This would be a wonderful way to help contribute and organize the zine. We’d love to have your help!

⚔︎ Are there specific requirements to apply to contribute? We ask that only creators with published content apply. We want people who have some experience and can be relied on to meet deadlines. If you have never created fanfic or fanart before, this is not the place to start.

⚔︎ How old do contributors need to be to apply? Our main zine, although not NSFW, will still explore mature themes. All contributors, editors, and moderators must be 18+.

⚔︎ Do contributors need to have zine experience to apply? Contributors do not need to have zine experience to apply. We are not looking for experience, but rather the qualities that you have as a creator. The mod team is here to help guide, support, and keep you on track.

⚔︎ Can I apply for multiple positions? If you would like to be both an artist and a writer in this zine, we will not limit what you would like to contribute. You will still be expected to complete the minimum requirements for both positions. Your second position will also not take a seat away from another applicant to the zine.

⚔︎ Will contributors get a copy? Yes; as compensation for the time and effort that our contributors will give, they will receive a free copy of their choice of zine edition. This will also be true for the beta editors that we accept later on in May, after applications.

⚔︎ Can I sell/post my piece after the zine is over? Contributors are welcome to post their creations after the zine is over. You still retain all ownership over your work. We kindly ask that you wait four months after sales have ended to post your content elsewhere.

⚔︎ How many contributors will be accepted? Since there hasn't been a zine for RivaEreri in recent history, we don't have an estimate for how many applicants we will receive. We assure you, however, that there will be an equal number of Rivaere and Ereri contributors.

⚔︎ When will the zine be coming out? According to our current schedule, sales will start on August 8th and go through to September 5th, 2022. Dates may be subject to change.

Follow us to keep updated.

[thisweekingundamwing]

This Week in Gundam Wing (August 22-28, 2021)

Hey Gundam Wing fandom!  Here’s your weekly roll-up.  Show your fellow fans some love. 

--Mod LAM

EDIT (August 29): have removed tags for richardarmititty per their request (and for evan-wins for good measure).  Please do not submit posts by either party going forward.  I will also be BLOCKING both accounts to avoid future inadvertent inclusion (again, per their request to not be associated with the content captured in this roll-up).

Fanfiction

The Life of the Immortal Jellyfish (CH.14/35) by @lemontrash

Pairings: Duo x Wufei

Characters:  5 pilots + Relena, Hilde, Noin, Une

Rating: MATURE

Tags / Warnings:  post-canon, post-Endless Waltz, UST, roommates, Preventers, slow burn, insomnia, friendship

Summary:   Is it chance that lands Duo and Wufei in the same university dorm room? They're not stupid enough to believe that but too tired to fight it. Duo's dragged himself back from the brink of going too far and remains teetering on the edge while Wufei's doggedly trying to prove himself to the 'good guys' in the aftermath of the Eve Wars. Sleep and normalcy eludes them both. As they become increasingly aware how damaged they are, they start to edge towards friendship, or something more, but all too soon the peace seems jeopardised by a new and manipulative threat.

Thrash (welcome to the gutter) by @gemstonecircles for @noirangetrois

Pairings: Duo x Relena, implied Heero x Trowa

Characters: Heero, Duo, Trowa, Relena, Hilde

Rating: EXPLICIT

Tags / Warnings: safehouses, friends to lovers, unresolved (and eventually resolved) sexual tension, graphic sexual situations, 

Summary: “Not that it’s not a pretty bitchin’ look,” Duo said, his words slightly distorted by the key-pin hanging from his mouth, both his hands engaged with the grocery bags from the pick-up location in the city outside, “And OverKill is an excellent choice, but don’t you have your own clothes?”Relena and Duo are pent up in a safehouse and something’s gotta give. Eventually.

Lucerne by katopiyo

Pairings: Duo x Quatre

Characters: Duo, Quatre

Rating: General

Tags / Warnings: canon insert, dancing

Summary:  Duo and Quatre catch up in the Peacemillion's break room.

The Empresses’ Third by @tziganecaffiends and @zaganthi​

Pairings: Wufei x Treize x Meilan

Characters: Wufei, Treize, Melian

Rating: EXPLICIT

Tags / Warnings: threesome, alternate universe - everyone lives, fix-it, happy ending, love, prisoner of war, coercion, Light Dom/sub, pegging, Porn with Feelings, families of choice, implied/referenced child abuse and suicide

Summary:  Out of a war, she had secured the safety of her husband, obtained a third, and had a daughter. They had managed to fix their colony, and they now had viable economic gains that were steady and sufficient to support their people because she had felt greedy, angry, horny, and petty, yes. Because her husband had been fascinated by the man who was now showing Mei-Xing the parts of a rose bloom, and stumbling for a moment as Wufei gave him the right words in Mandarin.

Warmth by @noirangetrois for ​Purdys aka Diane

Pairings: Heero x Relena

Characters: Heero, Relena

Rating: MATURE

Tags / Warnings: huddle for warmth, only one blanket, resolved sexual tension, sexual situations, Heero’s an idiot

Summary: The front door opened and Relena heard the sound of rain pelting down outside. Heero entered and shut the door behind him, dripping water everywhere.“You didn’t wear a jacket!” She had been asleep when he’d left to scout the perimeter and hadn’t realized. “It wasn’t raining when I left,” he replied.

Stand Without Flinching (CH.46/?) by @angelselene​

Pairings: Heero x Duo, Trowa x Quatre, Wufei x Sally, Steve x Tony, Wanda x Vision

Characters: GW and MCU cast

Rating: MATURE

Tags / Warnings: GW-MCU crossover, alternate universe, canon divergent, fix-it, romance, Preventers, PTSD, moral ambiguity, family reunification, slow burn, found family

Summary:  Wufei wasn’t sure what to expect when Maxwell came back in by himself.

With Open Arms by @bryony-rebb​

Pairings: Zechs x Noin

Characters: Zechs, Noin

Rating: EXPLICIT

Tags / Warnings: post-canon, post-Endless Waltz, reconciliation, emotional hurt/comfort, semi-public sex, porn with feelings

Summary: In the immediate aftermath of Endless Waltz, Zechs and Noin (ahem) reunite.When he looked back at her, there was a slight furrow between Noin's brows, a downward twist to her lips; her eyes seemingly stuck on the slim leather fold of his wallet. "The dead man carries cash," she quietly observed.

The Art of Making a Machine by @the-reanimated-bhg

Pairings: N/A

Characters: Dr. J, Professor G

Rating: General

Tags / Warnings: two brilliant minds bickering incessantly, failed NaNoWriMoFic, humor

Summary:  A Story of Love, Friendship and Fisticuffs

Fanart

Heero Smoking by @bettertasting

No Sleep (Heero x Duo) by @bettertasting

Heero and Relena by @alphaikaros

Heero and Relena Halloween by @alphaikaros

Halloween Relena by @noromax

Wufei by @farshootingstar​

Quatre by @darksharinganz​

Other Fanwork

Cosplay and Gunpla

(RG) XXXG-01W Wing Gundam review by @reversemoon255

Custom EW Heavyarms 1/100 HG by @the-reanimated-bhg

Heavyarms by @christianmswanson

Sandrock and Deathscythe by @christianmswanson

Shenlong by @christianmswanson

Discussion and Headcanons

@kittykatz​ took and online survey and found 8w7 is Une’s enneatype according to PDB.  Try it yourself over here!

Gundam Fuel Source by @meggie-stardust​

@kittykatz​ is sharing some scans of GoL and their thoughts on the scenes

​Wufei and Treize’s fight and the immediate aftermath

Miscommunication at its finest

The Lightning Count

Singapore base + more Treize and Zechs

Heading to outer space

Heero’s freak out

Duo and Hilde

Other Fun Stuff

@incorrectgundamwingquotes is still making us laugh

It’s Always Sunny in Gundam Wing by @incorrectgundamwingquotes

Skeletons by @the-reanimated-bhg

Make it happen by @the-reanimated-bhg

Helmet-ception by @the-reanimated-bhg

Too hot to handle by @vegalume and @janaverse

Calendar Events

@gwcocktailfriday​ is back with this week’s prompt!  Be sure to post your responses on Friday (September 3) between 3-5PM EST!

@/ficwip (Twitter) is hosting a "Rise of the Dead Fandoms" event. Contributor sign-ups end on Monday (August 30), so be sure to register soon! Creation period runs September-October; posting will be in November.  More info at their FAQ.

September is National Prostate Awareness Month and @expewrites​ and @boxofhatebrains​ are hosting a GW Prostate Health Event at @prostatehealth-gundamwing​ beginning September 1.  More info is available on the Event AO3 Page but in brief, options are to (1) create something or (2) donate to your prostate health organization of choice.

@gundamzine has opened up the mailing list, so be sure to register to get your FREE PDF on October 1!  In the mean time, be sure to follow the account so that you can learn about the stellar 2021 Zine Crew members. Also consider donating to the team’s chosen charity, World Literacy Foundation (donations are optional, but encouraged).

The @weedgrandpacookbook is a go!  The project will be an homage to the fanon of Howard as the Gundam Wing’s chillest Weed Grandpa. Yes, this includes content that promotes/celebrates/normalizes the consumption of marijuana and adjacent substances recreationally. The FREE digital zine would be presented like a cookbook, with room for meta, fic, general advice, art, graphics, crafts (Gundam-themed pipes anyone?), and of course, dank recipes.  More info to come this month, with sign-ups planned for October.

NOTE: Due to the nature of the theme, this zine will be considered 18+ NSFW. Be mindful of your local laws regarding creating and engaging with content of this nature.

Spooky prompt idea generation for the GW Hallows Event will kick off mid-September, and posting period will happen in October.  Stay tuned to @thisweekingundamevents!

Keep an eye on @gwoc-october​ while you’re at it for news on the GW Original Character (OC) October Event.  You can expect a prompt calendar to go live in September with posting in October...but you can also just use the month to showcase works with your original GW characters!

Also, @thisweekingundamevents​ will be opening sign-ups for the 2021 Holiday Gift Exchange in September!  Participants will get their assignments in October, followed by the creation period November-December and finally posting in early January 2022.

Got an event you want us to showcase?  Let us know!

[transhawks]

Hey everyone! We're finally able to post our work for @birdofpreyzine and I wanted to share this fic with everyone! I've loved talking about mutant discrimination in BNHA and this is really me putting a lot of my thoughts in fic form, in the form of a discussion between Spinner and Hawks. It's rated T and it's non-shippy (there's some implied spinhawks but it's a throwaway line).

I had a really good time in the zine. Big thanks to the mods for working so hard, and please go look at the account and share the art and fic other people have made. You can also read under the cut if you choose to, or just click the ao3 link.

Summary: Once upon a time, a little boy looked through the pages of Hero magazines, wishing of the day he could turn the page and see someone just like him. Once upon a time, another boy smiled for the camera, spread his wings, and sold him a lie.

It's only years later that Spinner learns Hawks is a good liar.

Shuichi spends his afternoons after school dreaming of places he’d rather be than tending the register at the one conbini in his town. The walk there always makes him feel even more lonely; in such a small place, it’s obvious that few students would choose to be part of the so-called going home club, not when most of the local entertainment was to be found in clubs and each other.

He doesn’t have that option.

Today, he dreams of an ocean. He's been to one, once, when he was very young and his mother had the energy to venture out of their little mountain town and down to a city by the ocean. He remembers being overwhelmed; so many people, unlike home, and so… colorful .

The people were colorful too, unlike home. Some even looked like him.

So, every time he opens the cash register to drop coins or utters an irasshaimase in response to the bell that alerts him to new customers, he wishes its waves instead. A group of girls he recognizes as his kouhai enter and he wishes their talking and laughing was the squawking of seagulls.

The girls pay him little mind noticeably, but that’s how it usually is. An obvious sort of show of not looking at him.

Shuichi just continues cleaning.

The girls crowd over a magazine rack that’s reserved for the latest hero magazines and tabloids. He just restocked it, too, taking his time and inwardly cheering for how good it will feel to go home and read all the latest ones. He loves the new editions of Heroes Weekly, loves looking at the profiles of all the new up-and-coming heroes.

“Oh, wow, look at this one!” One of the girls says loudly, opening the magazine and showing the other girls a two-page spread Shuichi can’t see from the register. Her friends peer over her shoulder.

“He’s new, isn’t he? He’s so…”

“Good-looking! Wow, he’s dreamy… are those real?”

Shuichi resists the urge to roll his eyes. Heroes weren’t meant to be hot or pretty; they were meant to be cool. Inspiring . Just like it felt to look at his almost life size poster of Gang Orca. Ridicul-

“Don’t you think he looks, well, bird-ish?”

He stills.

“Yeah, well, that’s his…thing, isn’t it? His theme.” A bird-themed hero? How…dumb.

“I mean, look at those wings, what else can he make a theme after? Do you think that’s eyeliner or…?” Shuichi looks at the girls. It was strange, hearing them discuss a man’s attractiveness like this, a man who sounded, well, like a mutant . An animal mutant, no less.

He’s heard things about girls with mutations, especially animal mutations. A boy at school had spoken in depth of that other new rookie hero, Miruko, and her thighs. When it was a girl, it was “cute”, he guessed. Not too mutated, a classmate had whispered, looking at him as if he couldn’t hear. Still human-looking enough .

Unlike Shuichi.

No, Shuichi has come to learn that on the spectrum of Acceptable Mutant, he’s on the unacceptable end.

“It’s probably eyeliner,” One of them mumbles as she reaches for some snacks, followed by another girl getting some drinks. “It’s kind of hot; gives him a bad edge. He looks really young, doesn’t he?”

“Well, it says he’s only 18,” The girl still holding the magazine closes it, tucking it under her arm as she joins the other two at the counter. He rings them up monotonously, trying very hard to not make eye contact even though he can tell they are trying not to stare at him, at his scales. The girls leaving through the door feels like releasing a breath he didn’t know he was holding in — but the door doesn’t close fast enough for him not to hear a “ugh, he always looks so weird!”

Sometimes Shuichi wonders why the only place that hired him ended up being the only conbini here. Like a cruel joke to be played on him, as if everyone didn’t try to avoid him enough in this town.

Towards the end of last year, in middle school, Shuichi had watched as all the boys around him in his tiny school had gotten chocolates from the girls in their school. His dread had risen as he realized there’d be one boy without any.

Him of course.

Whatever. It didn’t hurt. He has games and hero magazines and manga to care about. But at the end of his shift, when he makes his own purchases of soda, Mutiny Games points, and a fresh new stack of hero mags, he reaches for the one the girls had been looking through.

When he gets home, it’s the first thing he looks through as he flops down on his bed, a large poster of Gang Orca smiling down on him. He flips through each page when he finally stops on a glossy two-page spread of a new hero with large red wings. The spread seems like the hero is in mid-takeoff, wings spread wide but with a clear shot of the man, well, boy? He looks younger than the age given in the profile — and given it’s eighteen he must have just graduated, though the school isn’t listed. He’s also clearly pretty, or handsome, Shuichi doesn’t know the difference except that it’s some sort of tangible quality that draws people in a way he’s always yearned to be able to do but never has.

But Shuichi’s pink eyes are drawn to something else. Smaller things — the texture of hair that looks merely fluffed up and wavy and wind-blown but to sharper eyes doesn’t look all that human in its stiffness, or eyes that show sharp slitted pupils even through a visor. Contrary to the girls’ guesses, Shuichi doesn’t think that’s eyeliner. Those eyes don’t look human, no, and they send a shiver up Shuichi’s spine. Some reptilian instincts he doesn’t (want to) feel particularly connected to arise and make him so aware that those are raptor’s eyes looking down on him. Not for the first time Shuichi asks himself if anyone else would feel that immediate tingle of fear he does, or is it only Gecko?

(Is there a Shuichi without Gecko? Are they separate things or the same?)

The sudden irrational fear fills Shuichi’s stomach with something shameful and bitter, a product of knowing just how it is to be looked at and judged down to the last molecule, a foregone conclusion of genetics and quirk factors, judgment he should know better to cast upon others but it’s hard when it’s all he’s ever known to do.

There’s little about him — a hero name, a quirk name, a location, and a blurb that tells Shuichi he’s just debuted at the age of eighteen and might break the top ten within months.

Hawks.

There’s a mention of an exclusive online interview done with Hawks by the magazine, so Shuichi quickly pulls it up on his phone and sees the young hero in a radio booth that looks too small for him and his wings and yet there’s a wide, bright smile etched on Hawks as he is welcomed to the show.

It’s clear from the first minute on that the good-looks are not merely photogenic — he’s charming, even animated, if not slightly off beat in humor. But not in the way anyone would be turned off. Everything about this man seems magnetic and just ‘enough’ to be different, but not repulsive. His jokes, his mannerisms, and his mutation all seem to be perfect and likable.

Shuichi doesn’t know why he’s starting to feel nauseated.

“So, your quirk is named Fierce Wings.”

Hawks perks up when the quirk is named, feathers fluffing up with him. Shuichi has never seen anyone so proud of a quirk before. Or anyone so openly uncaring about how he comes off to the baselines.

“That’s the name! These wings come in real handy,” Hawks practically fucking chirps , flicking one of his wings. “Versatility is really what they’re best at.”

“They do more than just help you fly right? We’ve seen that video of you taking down the Hakata Horror with feather swords, and how you managed to evacuate all those civilians from the ruins...”

“Yeah,” Hawks chuckles. “It’s like having two limbs full of hundreds of Swiss Army knifes. I can make them hard and inflexible, or as light and soft as down. I can hear and feel through them too, that’s how I got all those people out.”

The interviewer leans forward, clear interest in his eyes as he goes in. Somehow Shuichi knows exactly what he’s going to ask, and he feels his chest tighten with rage.

“But that’s not the only thing, your wings, I mean, that you have. No disrespect intended but your eyes…”

“Like a bird’s?” Hawks asks, smile wide and bright as he tilts his head to the side, undoubtedly avian-like. “You want to ask me about my other mutations? Don’t worry, man, it’s all cool — I’m not offended, why would I be?”

Shuichi’s mouth drops and Hawks keeps going.

“Honestly, it’s real funny everyone is so cagey about asking us about mutations outside our quirks, or inside them. I think it’s ruder to pretend they’re not there, as if it’s something to be hidden. Real talk? I rather be called a mutie and insulted than for someone to pretend as if the things I used to save people every day and make me me aren’t there. Yeah,” He stops to tap his visor. “These are raptor eyes.”

Shuichi barely manages to catch a brief flash of something clouding Hawks’s eyes, and with some small bit of awe he realizes the avian hero had merely blinked his third eyelids, much like Shuichi’s only pair of eyelids were his brilles.

“I think a lot of heteromorphs, especially us animal ones, get too easily offended about the differences between us and baselines and end up trying to fit in.” Hawks finishes, leaning back. “What, you want me to get mad at being called a bird?” There’s raucous laughter as he tips his head back and his whole-body shakes with it. Shuichi has heard less noisy shoebill flocks.

The host chuckles too, but the laughter is a bit more nervous, as if merely following in the hero’s lead. As the blond settles down and returns to looking straight at the camera, there’s a far sharper look to those slitted pupils and golden irises. It makes that shiver return to Shuichi’s spine as something in him tells him to run .

“Well, I am a bird and I’m proud of it.”

Shuichi swipes away from the video and tosses his phone away in disgust.

He’s not sure what he wanted from Hawks in the first place. Someone like that, who throws around words like mutie so casually, probably has never felt the sting of that word in the first place. Even in his own family, he isn’t safe from the judgment, with all of the mutant and the lack of a good quirk present in him. Distant cousins from the parts of his family that left the countryside haven’t fared much better — one did a stint in jail but from his mother’s rantings another third cousin or something was so talented and blessed with such a good reptilian quirk that she was shoo-in for some big hero school in a few years.

The only thing Shuichi remembers about that particular family member is that she, much like the blond hero, favors the human-looking. Acceptably mutated, like Hawks and Miruko and Uwabami. Never one to make “Looks Like a Villain List” like Gang Orca does all the time.

Sometimes Shuichi wondered what it was like to be a hero. He could only dream of it. With a useless quirk like Gecko…

Well, even his own family laughs at him

And it’s easier for them, he supposes, mutated enough to be extraordinary but not cursed. Maybe that’s why his own eyes devour every single tic and minutiae of the mutant heroes, looking for signs, subtle mutations that the baselines might not see, but those like Shuichi can. Like a way of exposing them — “you’ve got all the baselines fooled but really, you’re just like me” . They can’t hide from kin even if they’ve clearly been treated better for their mutations than people like him.

It’s negative, unhealthy, and Shuichi knows thinking like this isn’t good for him. It leads to self-pitying spirals of calling in sick to school and work and not leaving his room for days because it’s so much easier to lose oneself in videogames than find strength to go and face a world that is relentlessly cruel to people like him.

It’s not fair.

“End up trying to fit in,” Shuichi mutters again, in disbelief. He could never fit in no matter how much he tried. Like that was possible when simple things, like blinking like a baseline, weren’t possible for him. Just thinking about that interview makes him think of Hawks like some trained parrot — there to squawk on command and get a good laugh from all the baselines relieved at some mutant finally saying the truth they’re too scared to in public.

Mutants weren’t the same as the rest and they’d never be.

For the life of him, Shuichi doesn’t get how Hawks can think that’s a good thing.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

One fact about PLF meetings is Spinner hates them. He’s usually one of the few holding the League fort down anyway because Dabi skips out, and Compress is also a flake, so it’s usually him, Toga, and Twice, and well, that’s a recipe for disaster these days. And if Dabi and Mister are both gone, well then, he gets snarky comments from Trumpet and Skeptic about the ‘devotion’ of the League to the PLF and he starts wishing Tomura was back.

Not that he doesn’t really want that anyway, regardless of the Meta Liberation Army stooges.

(No, he doesn’t actually…miss him. He just kept them together, somehow, even in aimlessness.)

Today, however, seems to be a day about breaking rules because both Mr. Compress and Dabi are here and so is someone else who rarely gets to go to these things.

Hawks.

Hawks is here.

It’s definitely Jin’s fault because the guy loves Hawks. Constantly talking about him, and now dragging him everywhere like the hero’s a safety blanket, which makes sense because Twice apparently has been taking lessons from Hawks, overwhelmed by these meetings. It’s like the bird mutant became the unofficial Twice translator or something. It’d be funny if Spinner liked Hawks.

He doesn’t.

He was bothered by him as a teen reading gossip rags and he’s bothered by him as a grown villain trying to figure out why a sunny bright hero like him is here and doesn’t have an off button on his….

Fakeness?

What Spinner’s trying to say is… Hawks is sus .

Nothing still seems real about him to Spinner, and he’s glad that mostly everyone else agrees by keeping hundreds of little cameras nestled in those garishly red wings of his. Unfortunately, on the MLA side, Skeptic seems to like Hawks despite spying on and through him, and Redestro’s happy about how much Hawks seems to be into Destroist theory.

For now, the hero seems to be content to only speaking up when Twice’s having trouble getting some concept across or something.

So, when things go wrong, it’s not him.

It’s Dabi.

“…if we encourage corruption, what’s left for us?” Spinner spits out, angry at Trumpet for even suggesting they start bribing heroes they know look the other with some villains with cash to get them to join the PLF. “Do we need the numbers filled with people not even loyal to the cause and here for cash? Isn’t that exactly what we’re fighting against? The heroes motivated by money than any desire to do anything heroic? Stain might be locked away, but there’s millions of people out there looking for someone to carry on his ideals, we can’t just throw them away and spit in their faces.”

One thing you should know about Dabi is that if he shows up, he’s usually quiet, keeping his distance. Maybe he sits up and naps and everyone mostly ignores this because the League have long learned to let the guy get all the rest he can because he needs it. Also, because he has the balls to do that in front of the MLA and it’s a very admirable kind of fuck you, Spinner thinks.

But there’s also the times when Dabi is into it, and that’s when you learn he’s also a dick.

“Oh, yeah, because you’ve appointed yourself the new Stain, right, Lizard? His second-coming, a new prophet, huh?”

Like that. That’s him being a dick.

Honestly, Spinner doesn’t even know why Dabi would even decide to play devil’s advocate; he hates heroes, or anyone remotely connected to authority. But Spinner’s long learned that even people like Dabi can be cruel in ways they shouldn’t be.

“No, but you think Shigaraki would like it if we opened the doors to the same heroes we’re fight-“

“The handman’s not here, Gecko, so don’t speak for him eith-”

“Man, you really like your animals, huh?”

Spinner has been trying not to look at Hawks this entire time, given he’s one of the heroes he doesn’t want here.

Another reason is that he’s tired of dealing with Dabi’s words and putting up a fight every time the flame user decides to single out his mutations and it feels embarrassing to let it happen in front of Hawks.

But Hawks is smiling, widely, as he balances his head with one elbow propping it up while on the table, and yet that smile doesn’t match raptor-like sharp yellow eyes. It’s like looking at Toga sometimes, those pupils slit so thinly that Spinner wonders if it’s a sign how quick someone like Hawks can cut someone open.

And now they’re directed at Dabi, who looks bemused and uncowed.

“You have something to say, hero?”

Hawks snorts. “Just that if you really want to show off your zoology know-how you should go to the zoo. Might even be educational, dude, since apparently you have no idea what an actual lizard looks like.”

A few people chuckle at this.

Icy blue eyes narrow at him, but Hawks is still grinning. You could literally cut the tension with one of his feathers, and Spinner knows he’s not the only one watching this with trepidation.

Dabi looks like he might mouth off more but the chuckling from both parts of the PLF seem to leech the urge to continue being a bastard and he makes a noise like he’s sucking in his teeth before languidly getting up and moving to walk out. Before he fully leaves, he looks at Trumpet and says, “Your idea is as stupid as this entire meeting.”

No one comments once he’s gone and it’s Mister who makes the meeting move on.

It moves on quickly but there’s a strange feeling in Spinner’s gut left behind, and it increases whenever Hawks speaks up. Shuichi isn’t an idiot; he knows what just happened.

Hawks just stood up for him.

Hawks, who doesn’t mind being called a bird, makes a joke out of calling his fans his chicks, wearing the dehumanization like some badge of honor. That Hawks decided to cut Dabi down for his name-calling, when Hawks would have likely laughed and agreed if it had been him.

A mixture of anger at being pitied — is it so obvious that he was uncomfortable? — and a strange sort of gratefulness arises in Spinner and he doesn’t know what to do with either. But, above all, Spinner doesn’t understand Hawks.

It’s really this that makes him call out to Hawks as the meeting ends and the room clears, stopping the hero mid-exit.

“Hawks.”

“What’s up?” Hawks turns back, smiling brightly and Spinner regrets this already — it's like the man has some customer service personality he doesn’t turn off.

“You didn’t have to do that.”

The smile lessens a bit and Hawks shrugs. “Not much to do. Dabi’s like that, but that doesn’t mean I have to sit and listen to it. Or that you should take it.”

The same niggling feeling of embarrassment rips through Spinner and he wonders if it shows on his scales.

“I usually don’t,” he tries to defend himself. “Really. It’s just more annoying with him than anything because he’s...”

“The kind to poke holes where he can?” Hawks finishes for him, one feathery eyebrow raising. “Yeah, but it’s still okay to shut him down. He owes you more respect than that, Spinner.”

He blinks his brilles at him. Respect, huh? What happened to the man who went on a debut interview, declared himself a mutie, and then said heteromorphs were too sensitive? Or was that fake just like whatever else Hawks puts up; his smiles, his convictions, his reasons for being here? Is Hawks just one of those people who say whatever needs to be said in every situation, shedding beliefs like a lizard sheds skin?

“I’ve heard you say the opposite.” Spinner says, and there’s more than a little anger in his words. “Years ago. Did the industry change your mind?”

There’s a hint of surprise on the avian hero’s face as he mentions the interview.

“Didn’t figure you for a former hero otaku,” Hawks says, tilting his head in birdlike curiosity. “If it’s the one I’m thinking of, that was when I debuted — I don’t know if I can even find it these days.”

Spinner scoffs at the slight dig — this society is so full of hero worship that is it any surprise a teenager stuck in the sticks would be a hero otaku? It matters little, anyway, because he’s not one now.

“It’d left an impression.” He doesn’t need to say that it wasn’t a good one because it’s clear it wasn’t.

Hawks strokes his tiny wispy goatee while looking at Spinner thoughtfully.

“I think it’s less about what we take offense to now, and what we should want to be proud of.” Hawks says, moving to take his gloves off. As one slips off, Spinner notices that there’s scarring around his cuticles, and that the nails themselves are not the color baselines have, as if the keratin was closer to a raptor’s than a person’s.

“We shouldn’t be upset when they mark us different. It should be something to be proud of.” He affirms.

There it is.

The admission of fakeness — because Spinner can hear it in his voice; Hawks isn’t proud. Or, with those surgical scars, he’s likely not allowed to be. But Spinner doesn’t have in him to be kind about this because he bears his own scars, even if they’re not as visible and they hurt.

“That’s easier to say when you look like you do.” Pink eyes scan the face made for movies, the pretty wind-swept blond locks that look halfway to feathers, the enormous wings that seem like something out of a fantasy game. “When it’s people like me it’s damn hard to want to be proud rather than just wishing someone could see you as a person.”

A frown finds its way on Hawks’s face and for a moment he looks sad.

“I’m sorry people made you feel that way,” He leans over and touches Spinner’s shoulder briefly, startling him. “I know what it’s like to be both too much and not enough. My heteromorphic traits were far more apparent than either of my parents.”

The hand leaves and Spinner shudders, not used to being touched like that.

There’s less of the cheer now, replaced with a pensiveness that feels more natural than anything else he’s been selling them. Hawks looks lost , and Spinner realizes that even if it’s different, this society’s been weighing down on him too.

“What you said, about being a person... It’s true for me too.” Hawks says, putting his gloves back on. “My fans... my bosses... sometimes they just talk about my wings like it’s all there is to me. Sure, it’s usually nice things they say, but I wonder if they see me or just my wings. And while it’s nice to be wanted, people pick and choose what they want from us so often, don’t they? They want my wings, but I partially wear a visor because my nictitating membrane might scare civilians I’m saving, and my nails are off, and I have to get my toenails trimmed all the time. But all of that makes me...me, doesn’t it? I want to be proud of all of me, not just one part. But being open doesn’t mean we should be targets, too, Spinner, because ultimately don’t we just want to be free to be ourselves?”

The smile is back, but Shuichi thinks it might be honest and earnest for once.

“You were as chained as the rest of us,” He whispers, in shock and sadness.

Hawks shrugs and nods. “I guess so.”

It’s weird, feeling empathy for a hero like Hawks. Having a shared experience. But isn’t that what Spinner wanted all those years ago as a boy scanning every hero magazine and tabloid hungrily for a face like his?

Someone who understood.

“I think,” Spinner says, stuttering over his revelation. “I think I finally get why you’re here now.”

Hawks chuckles and the mood lifts.

“Glad to have cleared that up. But, really, Spinner, it was nothing.”

And as the hero leaves, Spinner thinks to himself if everyone had that same attitude towards small kindnesses that Hawks had just shown, the Paranormal Liberation Front would have far more empty seats to fill — because that boy who read those magazines nightly after school wouldn’t have needed to be here.

He allows himself a second of imagining what that boy would be doing these days in a kinder world, what places he would have seen by now outside the village that raised him, and then banishes the thought from his mind.

There’s work to be done before the world Spinner dreamt of will stop being a dream, and he’s nothing but devout.

[bldcine]

Welcome to the Black Girl Magic Zine!

What is ‘Black Girl Magic’?

The obvious connotation aside, ‘Black Girl Magic’ is a collection of art, fics, and videos compiled into a zine to increase representation of some of our favorite black, female characters from the Arrowverse. The zine will be for sale through storenvy.com with 100% of the profits going to two wonderful charities: theokraproject.com and http://ffbww.org. The only costs that reduce the gross profits will be charges from vendors to process sales.

Who is represented in ‘Black Girl Magic’?

The characters represented in either fic, video, or art pieces are all of the wonderful black, female characters from the Arrowverse that you know.

Who is contributing to ‘Black Girl Magic’?

The zine is a compilation of the work of various writers, artists, and videographers coming together for a worthy cause. Some you may already follow, while the work of some may be new to you. You can contribute to this project by purchasing a zine to show these actresses how much they’re loved. OIt is also to show DC Comics and The CW how much we want to see more of these characters. 

Why does this project exist?

It’s no secret that systemic racism pervades most, if not all, countries. If you watch the news, you’ll be inundated with information about protests organized in reaction to the latest racist attack. The negative stereotyping of black people in the media has created a schema that directly relates to violence against the Black Community. This project aims to combat that negative messaging and show powerful, loving black women in a more positive and therefore realistic light. This also provides role models for black girls and young adults (or people of any age).

When can I purchase a copy of the zine?

The zine will be available through storenvy.com with an expected release date of 10/15/2020. The link will be posted here on Tumblr. Please follow to get future announcements about the zine.

[moldy-mold]

Diary Post: My Thoughts and Processes on Making “Silent Strength” It’s lengthy, taking place over long period of time. Mainly written for my future-self to remember what I went through, but also for anyone who is curious. Now that the project is over, I can post without reservations. There are certain things I need to keep secret though, so if I’m vague I do so intentionally!

Basically, a lot of number-crunching, physical labor, and psychological labor.

It started off as kind of a joke tweet I made. I had enough content to make a Tales Of art book and people were receptive to it. So… I thought maybe I could go somewhere with this. A few weeks later, I suddenly had a lot of Kratos art. Like. 80% of all my Tales art was Kratos. It didn’t make sense to make a broad Tales Of book when really most of it was Kratos.

I hadn’t made a book since I was in college despite it being one of my favorite things to do. They were never art books, just some editorial design projects that totally didn’t count. This book… would be my first-ever art book.

Several times, I came close to having enough art to print a book - the last time was my large collection of Yusuke Kitagawa, but the quality wasn’t where I wanted.  At that time, I was still experimenting with my iPad Pro and figuring out Procreate, so that was what I used him for.

NGL, I was pretty afraid of looking like a clown. After doing all this work, what if no one actually buys it? I was talking to some friends and they said they would buy it. It was enough for me. In the end, I’m creating something that I love. - The first thing I really wanted to work on was the cover. It needed to be epic but also mysterious (lol)… It was a good time to practice lighting and backgrounds. The cover had to be freaking Fantastic. I spent 3 days drawing nonstop. I was on vacation so I could spend full days just drawing. It was really intense. I would stop in the evenings to go for a run or else my legs would never get circulation again.

The hardest part was keeping it secret. I wanted to share it with the world right away bc I was so proud of it. Well, all I could do was show it to my parents and some close friends. They didn’t know who Kratos is, but it was obvious I was crazy about him.

Initially, I was doing some hand-lettering for the zine title instead of using a typeface. Tbh, I was so sure I was naming this zine “Blame Your Fate!” bc that is such an iconic line. But it just didn’t work with my cover, which looked… a little too serene for that. So… Silent Strength or Divine Strength? I asked around and got my answer.

But what size? All of my art has been on letter canvases. I wanted it to be large so you could see the details in the art. I’ll just start with that. - Luckily, I had all my Kratos-related art in one place. I started my InDesign file and threw everything in there just to see what it looked like. Man, I draw a lot of boxes… But I didn’t want them all next to each other. I also wanted to kinda organize it by the people Kratos hangs out with. There’s a Yuan section LOL… and a Lloyd section… and an Anna section. Idk, I tried to get some kind of order in there with a sprinkling of full spreads here and there to keep it fresh and interesting for the eyes.

I hadn’t worked with InDesign on such an intense level since college. I forgot all of the tips and tricks we learned in class. Spent some time reading on how to do things again… like adding page numbers. - I started drafting my pre-order form. It’s my first time making a google form like this. It’s kind of fun? I spent a long time on it, despite how simple it was. This was going to be my “Store” so it had to look and sound good. - My friend introduced me to charm-making. It seemed easy enough, and I wanted to give my zine more oomph. Besides, I’ve always wanted to make a charm.

I remember someone saying they’d buy a book of just the 4 Seraphim if it existed. I like them too and they lack art imo. In the end, I decided to do a polaroid charm. It’s not really that unique but I wanted Kratos to have actual friends to hang out with for once LOL.

She was going to do a group order to try to reduce the costs. I thought maybe 4 weeks would give me enough time. In the end she said I only have 2. I work well under pressure, so needless to say, I did make that deadline. I actually sketched the whole thing on the plane headed home. - After playing the game the second time, watching the OVA again, and reading “Offerings to a Star,” I have gained a real soft spot for Yuan.  My friend once said, “If you weren’t stolen away by Kratos, you would be in love with Yuan.” Lol. I’ve been in a “Kratos and Yuan hanging out” mood lately, so of course I needed something good for the zine. They’re so cute together! Now… what is the bro-est thing I can draw?

I was currently in Florida for my friend’s wedding. I was friends with the groom and his best man since high school, so that makes it 10 years now. Seeing how they’re still friends after all this time, despite living in opposite sides of the country, was really moving to me. Of course, me being me, I could see Kratos and Yuan’s long friendship being similar to this, if they had gone to school together. I just had to draw it. - When I got back from vacation, I did some research on zine sizes. Mine was HUGE compared to others. I just didn’t quite realize it until I held a magazine in my hands. It really is huge…

I settled for a medium size. 7x9. I really liked how it looked. Petite but not too petite. Unfortunately resizing my book had messed up my artwork placement so I spent hours rearranging all the text and resizing my images. I found out afterwards that there’s a way to retain the format while changing the document size. Gee, that would have been helpful 4 hours ago.

Sadly, choosing a custom size booklet makes printing more expensive. But I wanted it badly enough that I’d be willing to pay for it. Letter size is just too large… - I decided to stop dragging my feet and post a promo. I just really needed a deadline for myself to get this all done before July ended. I’m happy it was well-received. A lot of people like Kratos huh…

Anyway, the pre-order is due in a week and I still don’t know what all the costs are yet. I need a physical proof ASAP to weigh at the post office! - Something possessed me one day to do another drawing. I don’t usually do painterly style (mainly because it’s really difficult and takes 10x longer) but I just REALLY wanted to push myself on this Final Piece to the zine. I wanted it to be… radiant. Almost religious. I worked on it obsessively. From breakfast to sundown. The only time I would stop was at 7pm to go running or else my legs would give out on me.

Call me crazy, but I would save my progress on my phone so I could examine it for errors during my warmup. I also spend an hour examining it for errors before going to bed. It’s a miracle I hadn’t dreamt of the painting. - I sent my files in on Sunday in hopes that they start working on it first thing on Monday…. and it HAPPENED! They finished before I even woke up. I think they start work at like 6am…

Of course, I drove over there as soon as I heard so I can get a look. “Please… please let the colors be okay,” I prayed as I was driving. I barely remember driving there, I was so lost in thought. It would be another long ordeal if I had to fix all the colors.

Thank the stars. The press proof looked BEAUTIFUL!! I was screaming to the client coordinator how much I loved it. I mean, I worried for a looooong time that everything would turn out too dark (it usually does) but it was PERFECT. I was especially worried about the cover, which contained a lot of yellow and I def did not want it to come out mustardy… But it was great in the end!

The press operator is a quiet man. He’s got a scary face and never smiles but I think he’s secretly nice. He has done a lot of favors for me in the past without my asking. He was the one to print, bind, and trim the book for me. Obviously he had to have seen what I was drawing. I wonder what he thought of it…? He walked away before I could express how happy and thankful was. He didn’t need to hear it. It was like he already knew. So cool…

I immediately took it to the post office to weigh it. I needed as much info as I could get and plus, I was dying to know for myself. This is the week I was supposed to open pre-orders and there was still a lot I needed to do. Take pictures, create mockups, pricing, etc.

NGL, all of these costs were building up fast. It was so darn expensive to make a zine while also keeping prices down. But I wanted so much more for my baby. Extra glossy cover, perfect binding!! I knew by the end of this, I probably wouldn’t make much money. It hurt a little, but I tried to think that it was for the greater good. Learning experience and all that. And creating something beautiful. Especially something beautiful of Kratos. - Pricing was really the hardest part. I pretty much threw profit out the window. However, I definitely did not want to be losing money. My dad and I had worked together to create a spreadsheet of expenses to make sure my head was above water. I followed it… loosely.

My friend came to talk to me at the right moment. I was sort of panicking at the prices. She made me realize I was thinking way too hard about it and gave me some tips based on her own experience. It really put my mind at ease talking to someone who understands my woes.

The truth of the matter is, the book is wonderfully made and has a lot of pages - countless hours of drawing. There is only so much I can do about pricing. It is what it is… I just needed to come to terms with my own worth. - Boy, what am I going to do once the zine is done? My friend says that I’ll be so over Kratos that I’ll stop drawing him (but the love remains). It’s like… all of the intense planning, working, struggling nonstop will just suddenly… stop. TBH, I’m running out of ideas. I spent it all on the zine. - Photoshoot today. I had to paint my nails purple for this occasion. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get the look I wanted in the apartment. It’s just so naked without props. I think I’ll take it to a cafe for some nicer backgrounds. I talked it over with my friend and decided to do a quick flip-through of the zine as a promotional video. I used the most professional video program I had on hand… Snapchat. It actually turned out pretty legit and of course I slapped stickers on there because it’s Snapchat.

I had to tape/hide some of the pages for the video because I wasn’t actually done with the drawings. I had the printers print it anyway so I could examine it for color accuracy.

I’m really stressed about pricing now. It turns out I had a lot more international fans than I anticipated. I wish I took notes on interest earlier in the game to cater to them. I had a list of “possible buyers” and I only just now decided to check where they live? Foolish.

I did another cost analysis on paper to figure out what my goal was to make up for the charms. Right now they’ve cost me a fortune for something that was supposed to be giveaway. Other things that rack up are packaging costs, PayPal fees, and some other supplies I needed for this project.

Maybe I shouldn’t have made it 40 pages. It is an impressive number, but no one is really paying for quantity. I think 25 is a better number lol. If I had done that, I could have had my super-gloss cover like I wanted. :’(

There is hope though. And I’ve placed it in the hands of my followers to come through for me. I think I’ll open pre-orders on Saturday or Sunday, depending on what I finish. - “Losing your cool will only lead to poor decisions.” 
Thanks, Kratos twitter bot. You always know what to say.

I read this post today on what makes people buy zines. Very interesting!
 https://twitter.com/andythelemon_/status/1141469048653398019 - Photoshoot part 2 today. My friend and I went to a cafe nearby that had some nice atmosphere in hopes of finding the right shots. I brought all of my Kratos merch just in case. I’m glad I did though, since the tables were pretty sparse and it was difficult to capture the backgrounds without getting a bunch of random people in it too.

I would have been the photographer, but I definitely wanted my hands in the shots. In a way, it was meaningful - to show that this was made by my own two hands. Plus, I wanted to depict natural interaction with the product. It made it feel real.

The photos were cute! I feared it would look a little amateurish with all the merch in there, but I think fun was what I was really going for, not “professional.” And plus the flip-through was a Snap anyway LOL. As long as the photos have good lighting and tasteful composition, you really can’t go wrong with “fun.”

Now that I’ve finished editing my photos, there really isn’t anything holding me back from opening pre-orders. I’ve pretty much come to terms with my pricing. If I fail to break even, I’ll just have to open commissions to try to make up for it. I was telling my friend on the way home, “I gave this zine EVERYTHING I had to give. So at the very least, I won’t be disappointed in myself.” No stone left unturned, no detail left unchecked. It was perfect according to my standards. I really love my zine okay?!

I thought I was crazy for not only choosing a small fandom, I narrowed it down even further by picking ONE GUY to make this zine about. She replied, “Even if it’s small, those people who love him now must be EXTREMELY LOYAL to still be in love with a character from a 15-year-old game. All of them will want your zine.” - I went to bed that night with the intention of making the pre-order post live in the morning. I was so nervous I couldn’t sleep. I was wide awake until at least 5 or 6 am. Luckily, I was able to doze off for a an hour or two before I would shake myself awake again. It was a mixture of anxiety and excitement. It was the moment of truth - to see if all my effort made a difference. Was it going to sell? - The pre-order post looked really freaking good. I’ll give it that. I even made a YT account just to post that darn preview video on tumblr lol. It was definitely fun seeing everyone’s excitement and we all just freaked out together.

I broke even! That’s what really matters. Honestly at this point, I couldn’t care less if I made profit or not. I now know how much people really like the zine and that alone made me so happy I could die.

I was particularly fascinated at Google Form’s ability to transfer all the data collected into a spreadsheet. That is extremely helpful. I spent hours organizing the data. It was really fun…?! Now I can tell who gets invoiced and who paid and separate them into categories. IT’S FANTASTIC!

Stayed up late researching how much adding tracking could be. I had a slight panic attack thinking “what if my books got lost in transit?” It would really hurt me to have to reprint books and ship them again. And then I realized I will need to fill out customs forms for all international orders. Yikes, I’m gonna be living at the post office lol. You can print them out at home if you fill out the form online but there are still some things I’m uncertain about. I may visit the post office later this week to ask all my questions. - This morning I sent out everyone’s invoices. I gave the international people the option to purchase tracking. It’s expensive… but I need to provide that option just in case.

I received a nice message from someone who offered to advertise for me on Instagram. Of course, I gave them the OK! I’m really so shocked they would do that… They said the liked the zine so much it deserved more exposure. My dude… I love you… T_T

I thought about advertising on insta myself earlier in the week. For some reason I felt it was going to be fruitless since I don’t have an art account on there with a following. So, I gave up on the idea. Hey it worked out in the end.

I’ve never been so organized in my entire life. I want this zine experience to be perfect. The people have placed their trust in me, so I cannot mess up. - Edited some pages in the zine. The typography must be perfect… It made me think back to undergrad days in graphic design school. Man, if only I can present this as a project - photos, videos, matching accessories and all. I’d probably get an A lol. - Orders slow down after the first day. The rest is just about getting new people to see the post and giving other people more time to decide.

I finished my Kratos stationery today. It’s going to be so cute. My friend said people would want to buy it but I don’t have it in me to do more products at this time. Plus, I want it to be a surprise.

Why make stationery? Well my real job (no, I don’t draw Kratos all day for a living) is a stationery designer! It would feel really wrong not to put into practice what etiquette I’ve learned in this business. Plus, I felt that it was necessary to properly thank all those who ordered. And it’s fun?

I started designing the shipping labels for the domestic orders since I don’t need to fill out a customs form for those. I wish I had sticker labels but… it’s okay. It will still look good in the end. - Every so often, I would get nervous at the amount of money I’m responsible for. Perhaps, if I had a store with existing products I wouldn’t feel this way, but the fact that the books haven’t been printed yet made me scared. I know, I need this money to even print the books in the first place, but I’m just baffled at my customers’ trust in almost a total stranger. I felt pressured that I could not let them down and lose that trust. It probably didn’t help that I watched a documentary on Elizabeth Holmes (Theranos) that day.

So, I prayed every single day that nothing would go wrong. I’d check my spreadsheet constantly for any mistakes. It was a little obsessive, but I would rather be that than overlook something.

I began collecting cardboard boxes. My plan was to cut them up to protect the books during transit. I would have preferred hard envelopes but they were a bit pricey. If I have to do more work myself, so be it.

I’ve been getting nice DMs from some buyers. I think my invoice due date scared them… I really did not intend to be strict, but I wanted people to pay now if they can rather than forget about it. This happens at work all the time, so the best thing to do is have it due immediately. It would not look good to have to wait on stragglers when I close pre-orders, so I’ll probably reach out when there is one week left. - My Kratos stationery arrived! Aww it is SO CUTE!!! My babies… I have a lot of notes to write so I got started right away. It’s going to be a lot of work trying to come up with creative ways to say “thank you,” but I don’t mind. I said I was going to put my all into the zine experience so I will.

At long last, the charm order has been put in motion. My friend said it could take a while… I hope it won’t be longer than 3 weeks. I really do not want to keep everyone waiting. I may ship out the ones who did not win a charm first. I mean, there is no reason to make those guys wait. I should ask the charm winners if they still want to wait and see if anyone wants to give it up for someone else who is more patient. Hm. - I finally stopped by the post office today to collect customs forms. I have my work cut out for me since I’m filling all of them in by hand. D:

I’m not used to international addresses so I think I’ll ask for help in checking them for spelling errors and typos. Heaven forbid I mess up on the very last part of the zine experience.

In my nervousness, I decided to reach out about invoices early on. If someone wanted to cancel, I would rather find out sooner rather than later. Everyone was really nice about paying and thank goodness they’re still excited.

Feeling kind of overwhelmed by all the things I need to do, but it’s a good thing. If I don’t know what to do, I can either: cut cardboard, write letters, type shipping labels, draw more Kratos for a… possible volume 2? Someone I talked to today already said they’ll pre-order a second book if I make one. Omg I think I’ll die. But we’ll see. It’s just a joke right now haha… - Preorders end today. I had another nightmare last night that the books could not be printed properly and there was nothing I could do. Why do I keep getting nightmares about the zine! I had one a few days before about people canceling their orders when I asked them about the invoices. I’ll take these dreams with a grain of salt. I’m probably just stressed/worried but everything is going to be okay. When I open my eyes, nothing is on fire.

I received my final proof a few days ago. With all of the artwork completed and changes applied. The book looks good, no doubt about it. There was only one thing I was nit-picky about but it can be fixed. The press operator offered to print another book for me to inspect. I’ll go see it on Monday and then submit the rest of the orders. I also asked to to have a meeting with the press operator so we are on the same page. It would be beneficial to have an understanding of how my book is made so that I may be more helpful to him.

I spent the day preparing shipping labels. I hate to admit, I am not too familiar with the format international addresses so I had an address validator open as I was typing them in. For the most part, everyone was helpful in already formatting their addresses in the preorder form! - My parents called me the day after preorders were closed. They wanted to say congratulations on my success. No one thought it would do this well. I couldn’t be offended by that since I was also guilty of it. I’m happy though. It feels like my love spread across the world and was contagious.

I tried to think of what advice I would give to others. Obviously, genuine love for the subject and hard work were a necessity. But it would be good to consider value. If I were selling it at this price, I had to make sure my pieces and presentation looked the part. I ask myself, if someone else sold it, would I buy it?

I sent out messages to all the charm winners in the morning. I wanted to apologize profusely at the ridiculous amount of time it has taken to get them made. But no, I’ve got to stop apologizing. I stated the facts and left it at that. Everyone was really kind and patient⁠—to which I was thankful for. I don’t usually get that when I’m working customer service. - All the books were done printing in one day. Wow! I went to pick it up immediately of course. I can’t believe all of this is coming to an end. I finished preparing the mailers. All that was left was to stuff and seal the domestic orders. They were the easiest to do so I’m going to ship those first. The rest will need customs forms, which I haven’t filled out just yet. It’s going to be a while for those…

The mailers were quite sturdy with the cardboard cutouts I slipped in them. I have nothing to worry about. I’m sure my babies will be okay! - I took a whole box of domestic orders to the post office today. Wasn’t sure what to expect. But my clerk had to input every single address one at a time while I checked for errors. Omg, why are the post office shipping labels SO HUGE. I thought it was going to be half the size. And they’re ruining my designer labels! Slight panic but oh well…

I had a long long line behind me. I’m so sorry, people. Luckily there were two clerks or I would be really sweating. Despite my intimidating box of zines, the clerk and I had Synergy and we managed to ship all of these in about 15 minutes. I received a very long receipt and quite the bill lol. - Shipped the international orders today. I was kind of a mess since I had no idea what to do. I keep wondering if I can help speed up the process in any way but I don’t think I have the option to ship first-class at home.

When shipping international, keep the post office copy of the customs forms together with the package since they use that to type the address info into the system. Also, we get free tracking, which I did not know about. The other clerk told me that we did not get tracking for international first-class but I guess he was misinformed. It’s good to know for next time. - The charms finally arrived!! And THEY’RE HOLOGRAPHIC?! It was pretty awesome, but it makes picture-taking kind of difficult!! Anyway, I was a tiny bit disgruntled that they got my order incorrect, and I even asked for a reprint. But they said no, so I left it at that. Besides, it seems the holographic effect was well-received.

I like this size that I made. It’s really cute! Larger than your normal charm but not too huge. It’s almost like an Instax photo! - There was one customer who I found lives near me! I asked her if she wanted me to hand-deliver it to her in a public setting and she agreed (to my amazement). We finally met a few days ago and talked for hours and hours lol! I’m glad to have finally made a new friend here in this town but of course she’s moving away in two weeks. <:’3

We’re going to meet again to make the most of her time left. - I shipped the rest of the orders on the following Monday. I HAD to get these out. The poor guys have been waiting over a month! I think I picked a bad time to go because I had a huge line behind me and only one guy working. People in line were getting antsy or mad. The clerk at the other post office was super fast but not this guy…

For some reason shipping to the UK and Japan nearly doubled in price since the last time I checked. RIP. T_T - Omg I finally made a mistake. I wrote a letter to the wrong person. And the contents of that letter are too personalized!!! I am dying of embarrassment!!!!! Screams!! Had to apologize to both customers too!!! Luckily they were good sports about it but I’m seriously kicking myself AAAAAAAA!!!! - The most rewarding part after sending all my babies away is seeing the commentary on my project. It is so so nice to receive positive feedback. People are happy! Happy with something I created out of thin air. Everything was worth it 1000 times over. I can die happy!

I’m especially thankful to those who show understanding for how much effort went into it. It definitely wasn’t easy and I poured way too many hours into it… not that I regret that.

I don’t want to jump the gun but I would really love to make a volume 2. Because I know I can do better than last time. New and improved art and comics! But we’ll see if I make enough pieces for another book. I was against printing 40 pages before but now I kind of like it. It feels more worth it than a 25-page zine. If i’m going though so much effort, might as well bring in the entire package.

I’ll be printing more of this volume for Aselia Con 2020. Now I know people will appreciate it.

[bnha-kokoro-zine]

Tips for first-timers in Zines

Hello! I hope you don’t mind if I show your question like this @angel-of-darkness-217 ; this is something I would’ve loved to know when I started applying to zines myself, and that I’m sure it will help more people who are thinking of applying to this one.

There are many different types of zines out there; free, for charity, for profit, only for artists, focused on writers, focused on merch (like tarot projects), and with all kinds of contributors working in them. Every zine is unique, so their applications may vary, but there are a few essential things you always need to take into consideration if you want to be a contributor to one of them.

I will divide this answer into the different stages of a zine for a better organization.

Getting interested in a zine

When you first bump into a zine, all zines look like shiny little jewels you want to get your hands on asap. However, a lot of zines sadly fail through in their earliest stages, so you need to take into consideration a couple of things before thinking of applying:

Who’s the mod team? Try to find a list/post with some information about the mods of that project. See if they have prior experience in modding a project like this one. If they have experience, there are more chances that the project will follow through until the end. Be careful, though! Zines with heavily experienced mods can also fail for multiple reasons, and people without experience can also produce a really good product. It all depends on the next points.

Check their FAQ and guidelines. A properly structured FAQ including details of the project shows very well the organization of the team. A good FAQ makes a good project. I’d also advise you to read through the FAQ to make sure you’re really interested in the project.

Is the mod team communicative? Do they answer questions regularly? Are they clear in their answers? Are they polite? Do you think you’ll be comfortable working with them? Have they answered all the questions you’ve left in their ask box? (check if it has been answered before or that you’ve left them enough time, though) If you have answered with “No” to one or several of these questions, I’d rethink my wishes to apply to that project.

Remember, if a project doesn’t follow one or two of these points it doesn’t necessarily mean the project itself is bad. However, this is what you ideally need to find in a project like this.

Applications

Now it comes one of the most nerve-wracking parts of a zine: applications. You really want to get into this project, and you want your application to knock the mods off their feet. Applications may feel daunting, but they’re pretty straight-forward once you get the hang of them!

Follow the guidelines carefully. Mods usually leave some rules for applications, like the number of samples, the maximum word count, the theme, etc. Make sure you follow all these rules, or else you risk your app being disqualified.

Make sure your work is easily accessible. Make sure the mods will have no issues viewing your samples (for example, that the links you’re posting aren’t restricted only to your followers, that the link is still active until the end of the applications period, or that you’re sending the correct link). Mods can’t give you a score if they can’t see your work. 

Answer all the questions as clearly as possible. Make sure to read them all carefully before submitting your app. Don’t worry if you have to take a while to write a proper answer, or if you need to ask the mod team about clarifications for some questions -- Mods will gladly answer any doubt you have. 

Make sure your application fits the theme. Normally, it doesn’t matter much if your samples stray a bit from the theme of a zine, but some zines ask specifically for samples that fit a certain, general theme, like nature, love, fairy tales, etc. For zines like that (and essentially all zines if you want to get more attention from the mods), it is nice to make a bigger effort to find samples that fit the theme. A very important note! To all artists who also apply as a merch artist, please don’t apply with the same samples you used for your artist application. It shows a lack of care and it might hinder the mods’ opinion on you. Including actual designs for merch in your samples and/or portfolio helps a lot.

Offer pitches if they ask for them. Sometimes it’s not obligatory, but well-explained pitches really show how interested you’re in the zine. It will leave a good impression on the mods! Again, don’t worry if you need to take some days to think about them, and get feedback if you need it. Just make sure you submit it before apps close.

Have a good portfolio. Our dear Mod Dev has written this post about what makes a good portfolio. It’s a very interesting read, so I recommend you read it, guys!

Again, if you don’t follow one or two of these rules it won’t affect your application much. Mods are pretty flexible, and they can adapt to most situations without hindering their opinion on the application. However, it will look really good if you do follow them.

And remember the most important rule of them all:

Don’t be discouraged if you get rejected. Sometimes zines get too many applications and have very limited contributors spots. Mods see themselves in a situation where they have to choose between several really good applications and discuss for hours to see who they accept and who they reject. 

Being rejected doesn’t mean you’re bad; sometimes, someone else’s application fits the theme better, they explained themselves better, or they were just very lucky and were chosen over you. So, please, don’t let a rejection email let you down and keep trying! 

Most of the people who have participated in a zine sometime have been rejected heaps of time before. I have been rejected dozens of times before (at this point it’s part of the zine experience*). However, if you keep trying and learn from your mistakes, it’s only a matter of time until you get into one yourself.

You won’t get in if you don’t try.

*And please, remember not to bring someone else down if they have been accepted in the zine you wanted to get in, and never, never say they got accepted because of their popularity. Most mods score blindly or know they can’t be influenced by someone’s popularity, and that someone has already been rejected dozens of times before, just like you.

They have tried just as hard as you, and they were lucky enough to get in, so make sure to congratulate them.

Creation process

You’ve finally gotten into a zine, cool! However, there are still a few things you need to take into consideration while working in a zine.

Follow the zine guidelines. Be it dimensions, standardizations, limited word counts, etc., make sure you follow them. Every contributor has a limited space assigned to them in a zine, so make sure you can stay within those limits and ask for help if you need it.

Be communicative, ask questions and be patient. Don’t be afraid to ask questions to your team -- mods are there to organize the project, and they will gladly answer any question you may have. But remember to be patient; modding a zine is a hard job, and sometimes the team needs to discuss the answer to your question before they can give you an answer. Don’t worry; your answer will come eventually. Feel free to remind them if they haven’t answered you in a while, though; they may have forgotten about it!

Follow check-ins down to a T and in time. Check-ins are there to help you go through your workload seamlessly while letting the mods see what you’re creating. It still shows the mods that you’re still very interested in the zine - they won’t know if they have to find someone else for your position if you don’t answer. Don’t be afraid to ask for an extension if you need it.

If you’re a writer, find a beta. Some zines offer betas for their writers, but some don’t. However, that doesn’t mean your work doesn’t need to be anything less than the best (after all, it gets to be in a zine!). Try to find a beta to spot any mistakes you could’ve missed before submitting the final piece.

If you follow all these points, I’m sure the mod team will love you forever. 

Preorders/Shipping

All the final pieces have been submitted and the zine has been assembled, so now preorders start. You obviously want this project you’ve worked so hard on to succeed, and you can actually help to make that happen if you follow these little tips:

Reblog the Preorders open post in all your social media. And if you have social media where the mods don’t have accounts for, post the link yourself! You want to attract as many buyers as possible, and that will only happen if we spread the word.

Make sure you post a preview of your work if the mods ask you to. Previews help hesitant people to finally decide to buy a zine. If you like the concept of a zine but you don’t know if you really want to pay $X for it (remember, zines are usually quite expensive), some cute art and snippets can convince even the most stubborn of buyers!

Ask for updates. See how things are doing and help promote preorders and events like giveaways if necessary. You can also ask for photographic proof when the physical zines get to the mods in charge of shipping; who doesn’t love to see shiny, beautiful products all of you have worked so hard for?

Sometimes, zines don’t make enough money to provide their contributors with a free copy of the zine. It’s really sad, but it happens. And if you’re sad, believe me when I say that the mods are absolutely devastated; they’ve made their biggest effort to lower the expenses as much as possible, but math sometimes just laughs at them in return. If it comes to this, be supportive and, if you want a copy of the zine, try to find alternatives; see if you can buy the zine at production cost, or if you can pitch in with the shipping/fees expenses.

And that’s about it! If you follow these points, I’m sure your experience in the zine scene will be very enjoyable! If you have any questions about them, feel free to ask. Our ask box is always open :D

Lots of love,

Mod Lie