#this was the first time i worked on a zine that was collaborative

[boxbug]

• THE CHAMPIONS OF MCC20 •

My piece for @winnerspovzine - done in collaboration with @revancy who knocked it out fo the park!

You can get the zine for FREE just by clicking on this link! Every piece is amazing, I can’t get enough of it. Trust me, even if you don’t know what mcc is, it’s a treat for the eyes.

A huge thank you to the mods for all their hard work, this was an amazing project to work on and I am genuinely honored to have been a part of it.

[enthusiastic-nimrod]

@shadamyzine is officially public!!! You can get the link to it here. I made this piece as a final farewell to the project- as for the art I made, I'll be posting it this weekend.

I cannot overstate how great of a time I had while working and collaborating with everyone on this; seeing the fruits of our labor has been really magical and I was so, so happy I got to work with all these amazing writers and artists on such a fun passion project.

Special shoutout to the Mods of this zine, who have been so incredibly kind during this whole experience, and really made my first zine feel like a special one. I really appreciate how much effort they put into this, and making it so great to be a part of.

[glitterock]

Call For Submissions

Hello! So i’ve decided i want to create a collaborative zine based on an essay I’m writing titled “Femme Dyke” on the lesbian experience and would love to collect other submissions written by and for the community! The title is based off of a piece I have written, but I don’t want this to be a femme-specific project. Ideally butch, femme, masc, dyke, androgynous, fluid, unlabelled, and any and all lesbian voices in between would be represented! I’ll be accepting around 10 (subject to change based on interest) pieces including essays, short stories, poems, songs, interviews, visual art, photography, and memoirs.

Rules for Submission:

* Must be a lesbian to submit. I love all my queer family, but this will be a collection of writing based on the lesbian experience

* Can be as short or long as you want as long as it’s 12 pages or under (size 12 font, regular 1.15 spaced). If you only want to write a few words, just write a few words! If you want all 12 pages, take all 12 pages!

*You may submit multiple pieces of work but only one submission will be chosen

* You can access this submission form until January 21st at 11:59 pm est (if you need up to a week extension please message me to work that out but try to stick to this deadline)

* Along with your written/visual submission, please include your full name/an alias you’d like to use, any socials/a website if you have one you’d like to include (not required) and a short biography (one paragraph long) about yourself, where you’re from, and any additional information you’d like to add written in the 3rd person. You may add a picture to your biography if you feel comfortable doing so!

* All submissions will be edited by me, but this most likely won’t go farther than spelling and punctuation changes. If I have any notes whatsoever i’ll run them by you and you’ll see and approve of the final copy of your piece before print/posting

* This goes without saying, but transphobia, racism, and hostility towards other queer identities will not be tolerated or printed

Examples for what to write about include but absolutely are not limited to:

* how your sexual identity as a lesbian intersects with other minority identities you may have

* your "Ring of Keys" moment

* your place in the lesbian community and how you relate to it

* coming out story and how that shaped you as a person/the relationships you have

* an interview with a lesbian you know

* being trans and a lesbian

* guide to eating pussy for beginners

* your first time falling in love/getting your heart broken

* a funny life story or anecdote that relates to lesbianism

* your identity (butch, femme, etc.) and what that means to you

* sexual experience/advice/ stories or how you relate to sex as a lesbian

* the colonization of gender and sexuality

* write a love letter! to lesbianism, your partner, a lover, a hook up, to butches, to femmes, to trans lesbians, to POC lesbians, to your friends, to yourself, to your vibrator!

* poetry, an original song, or a visual art piece about any of these topics or a topic related to lesbianism (note that visual art will be printed in black and white)

If your work is chosen, I will be in contact with you by January 28th to discuss further! Not every submission is guaranteed a spot.

Thank you so much and I look forward to reading all submissions!

submission form:

[tf-bigbang]

We've put together a little infographic for those of you who may still be wondering what a Big Bang is, and how it works ✨

Full text under the cut!

Big Bangs and You

As presented by the mods of the Transformers Big Bang

What is a Big Bang, Anyway?

The First Big Bang

Big Bangs are an ooooold fandom tradition, dating back to the bygone times of 2005, when the very first Big Bang was banged. 

The original Bang, the “Big Bang, Baby Challenge”, was invitation only, and the minimum word count was 50,000 words! The goal was to create a huge influx of novel-length, illustrated fics for the fandom.

Other people thought this was a really neat idea, so they started hosting their own Bangs.

Banging in the Modern Age

Big Bangs today are a little different. They’re usually open-invitation, and the minimum word counts are often much shorter (ours last year was only 10K, and this year it’s 15K!)

But the goal is the same: to create a massive influx of new, illustrated longfics in the fandom, which drops all at once with a BANG. 

There are also Reverse Big Bangs, where artists create their pieces first, and writers make fics for them!

How to Bang

Everyone who’s interested signs up .

Fic writers and fanartists are paired together to collaborate!

The ficcer writes a fic that meets the word count and kicks ass.

The artist creates the required number of illustrations for it, which ALSO kick ass.

Everyone posts their fic and art all at the same time, creating an EXPLOSION of new kickass content

Everyone profits- even the people who didn’t participate!

Is it Like a Zine?

NO. THIS IS NOT LIKE A ZINE. THERE ARE NO APPLICATIONS, NO PUBLICATION, AND IT’S ALL FREE. 

You Mentioned Something About a TF Big Bang?

Heck yeah I did. This infographic  is brought to you by the mod team of last year’s Transformers Big Bang- now in its second year!

Last Year

The TF Big Bang produced 63 fics, 91 illustrations, and over 1.3 million new words for Transformers fandom.

This year we hope to be even Bigger and Bangier. 

How Do I Participate?

Watch this space for announcements! We'll be opening sign-ups for writers, artists, and beta-readers this year, and those will be posted SOON. The official discord will launch as the sign-up period ends. The rules and FAQ are pinned to the top of our blog, and we encourage you to read through them so that you can decide whether or not this is an event for you.

Sign-ups open March 18th! See you at the event!!

[conscydraws]

Participating in @mxtxfoodzine this year.

It was a long and complex project. Worked for 9 months on two of my entries, creating one of them in collaboration with my dear friend Aseneth. Both of the works are dedicated to Mo Dao Zu Shi. I've made a really big research of Chinese cuisine that resulted in nice and balanced recipes I'm quite proud of.

🌶️ First is the chili oil recipe. My goal was to recreate demonic cultivation in the field of cooking. To think like Wei Wuxian, combining unconventional approaches and twisting traditional ones. After numerous attempts I can confidently say I succeeded. I created chilli oil with crispy bits and rich meaty aroma. It's more tasty than Lao Gan Ma. I hope you will take some time to make it after the zine releases. Let me know if you do!

🥓 The second recipe is crispy clay pot rice. This one was created in collaboration with Aseneth. I took a more classic approach here, but enhanced it with exceptional balance of ingredients and an ancient recipe of meat curing, attained from 103 years old Chinese woman. I also adapted the recipe for cooking in a stove. We had so much fun with brainstorming, drawing the illustrations and cooking the dish! The experience totally worth of repeating again!

The zine will be released in about a month. Make sure you'll check it out and share what you will cook! 😋

[neondownpourzine]

RAIN CODE ZINE - Interest Check Results!

Hello! After a week, we've gathered an encouraging 88 responses! With that in mind, I've decided to go through with the zine 🎉🎉🎉

Here is the full results report:

In terms of participating, we have an overwhelming majority wishing to participate as artists! There's a fairly even split between writers and readers only, and just slightly less on anyone willing to take on either writer/artist roles. With this in mind, I've considered having this zine include 24 artists, 3 digital merch artists, and 6 writers, not including the moderators.

Here are the results regarding the zine's theme. We will be focusing on a general RAIN CODE zine! However, there will still be a theme so the zine can remain cohesive.

The theme is: A Trip Down Memory Lane!

For this theme, I'm hoping for a variety of pieces focusing on each chapter of the story, from the prologue to the epilogue. I'll permit some pre-game and post-game works as well, but would prefer a major focus on the canon story.

We have a staggering dominance of people preferring to be an art moderator. Even with this in mind, we will be accepting one art moderator and one writing moderator. I will handle scheduling. Applications for both will be sent out soon.

Most people have agreed on a writer/artist collaboration, which means that 6 of the artist participants will be paired with a corresponding writer to draw art that accompanies their writing.

Most folks would be willing to have digital merch attached to the zine! We will accept 3 artists to make digital merchandise. The merchandise doesn't need to fit into any one chapter, so the rules will be a bit looser on what the art can portray.

And those are the results!

Regarding some suggestions and questions asked in the interest check:

You should add keychains/physical merch/ physical copies. Full disclosure, this is the first zine I've ever run, so this zine will be a free, digital only PDF. This is to keep it as simple and manageable as possible.

A cosplay section? I would count cosplay under art. When I release artist applications, cosplayers are welcome to submit cosplay photos and even create them as entries to the final product.

Artists should make promo art! Once I have co-moderators and participants, any artists who are willing to offer simple doodles for promotional material are welcome to contribute.

Link contributor's Ao3 accounts in the zine? The zine will offer full credits for all participants in the zine. This includes any preferred social media accounts for sites such as Ao3, Wattpad, Twitter, Tumblr, and anywhere else.

How will this be scheduled? I intend to drop a full schedule post soon, but the basic rundown will be: 15 Jan - 22 Jan: Moderator Applications 24 Jan - 25 Jan: Moderator acceptance/rejection emails sent out, mods invited to the zine's discord server and emailing list. 1 Feb - 20 Feb: Artist/Writer Applications 25 Feb - 29 Feb: Artist/Writer acceptance/rejection emails sent out, participants invited to join the discord server and emailing list. 1 March - 15 Jun: Production period, with monthly progress check-ins for all participants 16 Jun - 29 Jun: Countdown period 30 Jun: Zine releases

I assure you, Vivia Twilight will appear at least one time in this zine!

As an additional note, I'd like to thank @rararazaquato for coming up with the title of the zine!

And thank you everyone for your responses!

[fbczine]

Before we open contributor applications, the mods would like to answer questions raised through responses from the Interest Check and expand upon our carrd’s guidelines/FAQ.

If you are potentially considering applying for the zine as a contributor, please take the time to look over this post and read the carrd. 

Zine’s Themes: 

For our second zine, we decided to have a centralized theme for the overall project: investigation. Solving mysteries, puzzles, and problems are key elements of Remedy games. All pieces featured within the zine will focus on these ideas. 

The Oceanview is a connecting point between the Alan Wake and Control universes. It is a place of power individuals pass through on their way to somewhere else, so it’s had many guests over the years. However, pitches for the zine do not have to feature the Oceanview, they can involve different settings featured or referenced in these games, excluding the Oldest House. 

Interest Check Feedback

During the interest check, we received several common questions we would like to address:

Can we submit pitches related to Alan Wake? 

Yes, as both Alan Wake and Control both fall under the Remedy-verse, we want the zine to have a diverse spread of content featuring characters and themes from both games. 

Are Alan Wake 2 spoilers allowed? 

The zine will release a year after the first game, so we will be allowing content featuring spoilers. All pieces with spoilers will have a warning tag in the zine’s table of contents, allowing consumers to pick and choose what content to enjoy. 

Are meta/theory-crafting pitches allowed? 

No, the zine will only be featuring fanart and fanfiction. 

What about lore related documents such as dossiers/letters/case files etc? 

Yes. As with our previous zine, in-universe documentation is welcome so long as it fits the zine’s themes and criteria. 

Can I submit something which has already been posted to social media? 

No, all contributors must submit a new, original piece of content never shared before. 

Is there any specific content which will not be allowed in the zine? 

We will not be accepting typewritten, out of context manuscript pages. If a typewritten manuscript page from Alan happens to be one part of your overall story, that’s fine. 

No pieces featuring places found within the Oldest House. As much as we love the Astral Plane, the Quarry, and the Clocks Threshold, we want the zine to feature many of the other interesting settings within this universe!

All art pieces must be polished lineart or equivalent. We will not accept sketches. 

Pitch Process 

Please do NOT submit pitches that state “I’ll draw/write anything” – these will be automatically rejected. 

Please submit three detailed pitches. Include any characters or ships featured in the piece along with the general idea. Give us the elevator pitch.  

If you’re pitching a piece featuring shipping content, please state the overall plot of the piece. The mods will not be accepting stories that do not take into account the zine’s investigative themes. 

All art pieces will need to have a background. No negative white space will be allowed. 

The mods will be trying to diversify the zine’s content through the provided pitches. Of your three pitches, the mods will select what pitch to move forward with based on the zine’s tentative content spread, so please make sure these pitches are something you are passionate about and willing to create. 

Collaboration and the Creation Process

Remedy fans are a passionate bunch. Love for these games is shown in each and every creative work. And just like Remedy collaborates to bring us these amazing games, we are looking for that same dedication for the Oceanview Guestbook zine. 

We would like each of our applicants to feel comfortable collaborating with both the mods as well as their fellow contributors. We will be encouraging contributors to share WIPs with each other through more organized check-ins to receive feedback. With each phase of the creation process, the mods will provide detailed feedback and constructive critique with each individual contributor. 

Our primary mode of communication will be through Discord. The mods will be available should contributors need any assistance, to communicate any unforeseen circumstances, or to answer questions which may arise throughout the creation process. 

Final Notes

The mods are fans of the Remedy universe and love the games. We want to talk and create with fellow fans. This project is for the community, and we can’t underscore that enough. This is why our previous and next zine are digital and free. We don’t want to hide the fanworks behind a paywall. This unofficial project is made for fans by fans as a labor of love. 

We hope you’ll join us on this journey!

– The Admin Team

[b-marsollier]

👻 haunting news 👻

I'm launching a kickstarter for my very first zine this February!  

“100% Modern Ghosts” is a humorous horror journaling zine that delivers the experience of playing spooky games at a slumber party. Volumes I & II will be available simultaneously, and each 24-page volume will contain 3 ghosts: at least one solo-play ghost, at least one 2-5+ player ghost, and journaling prompts for all three ghosts.

Join the Bureau of Occult Observation (BoOO), and assist in the documentation of ghosts like:

A ghost that protects you in your sleep

A ghost that inspires beautiful works of collaborative art

The theoretical ghost of a betrayed party guest

A  time-traveling ghost of yourself

My Kickstarter launches Feb 13th, but in the meantime, please enjoy this teaser trailer, check out my pre-launch page, and hit “notify me on launch” 💖👻

[steve-rambo-leaks]

ＺＩＮＥ　ＣＯＮＴＥＳＴ　（ｗｉｔｈ　ｐｒｉｚｅ）（≧▽≦）

Ｉ　ｈａｖｅ　ａ　Ｚｉｎｅ　ｃｏｎｔｅｓｔ　ｆｒｏｍ　ＮＯＷ　ｕｎｔｉｌ　Ｆｅｂ　２４ｔｈ　（ａｕｔｉｓｍ　ｈｏｌｉｄａｙ）．　Ｐｌｓ　ｒｅａｄ　ｍｏｒｅ　ａｂｏｕｔ　ｈｏｗ　ｔｏ　ｓｕｂｍｉｔ，　ｔｈｅ　ｐｒｉｚｅｓ　ａｎｄ　ｗｈｙ　Ｉ＇ｍ　ｓｏ　ｈｙｐｅｄ．　

This is for BOTH people who consider themselves artists and those who don't. It doesn't have to be a comic. A ZINE CAN BE ANYTHING :D It can be a tech tutorial, it can be a comic, it can be flash fiction, it can be a local history guide, it can be Street Fighter II Turbo strategies printed out to be left in arcades, it can be anything!

The video below explains the process better than I could probably in text (I suck at conveying thing through text). My video also has a tl;dr that I would appreciate everyone read before submitting.

There's some other stuff below, but if you're more visual, like not the reading type (like me) then feel free to skip and just head to the video description to jump in.

Also, you may know me for my "Raspberry Pis are for paypigs" video where I try to advocate for the upcycling for ewasted Chromebooks.

I've been into the idea of leaving around Zines for a while. Every time I walk into a coffee shop or local business, I think "wow, I really would wish there was something cool to read." So I started making things to put there: 8 small 2.5 inch panels, folded into one 2.5 inch square for those interested to unravel. I put them inside of these origami boxes that a learned how to make, ones with a logo printed on them.

So far I've made: a zine template (I call it a dog ear zine for some reason), a template for the box to put them in, a zine about using yt-dlp, a zine about a reindeer working IT (along with a collaborator) and (coming soon) a zine about a monster in a cave doing stuff. All of the odg LibreOffice Draw template files to make your own zines or print out mine are on my archive.org page (linked at top of my Tumblr). I'd really like other people to try this 8 panel 2.5 inch zine format, and I'm willing to bribe people with sweet, sweet Gabe Newell bucks to do it. You can submit as many zines in this format as you want. Just make sure they're printed out and have pictures of both the front and back (plus other pictures if you want) . In the video I mentioned you can use my submit page, which is probably the easiest for me to keep track of. You can also use the #dogearzine hashtag to enter. Please read the video description before entering, though (which includes Youtube's and Tumblr's terms of service, though this is more of a youtube thing).

Also, and this is completely unrelated, there's a lot more to me than just the faux-clickbait Wojak thumbnails. I like doing tech, wrestling, japanese, vidya and other videos, but I love to throw art in whenever I can shoehorn it in. Like, the video where I go over inchworm, butterfly, colors 3D and flipnote sudomemo - colors 3D on a hacked 3DS was my sister's first experience with digital at (she's moved up to an iPad and Procreate). So, it hold a special place in might heart, as a lot of the things I talk about do. I made a Whomp video because I miss Ronnie. I made a Rockbox video because I wished more people used dedicated MP3 players and knew where and how to download music. I want to help people do interesting things. And I also want to thank anyone who read all of this. You are cool. I hope everyone who's able to can compete in this contest and challenge themselves to get out of their comfort zone, to try something new! Also, also, thanks for liking these posts, people on Tumblr. You all have cool blogs. (^o^)丿

[rememberthelaughtermp3]

SAOSIN COLLABORATIVE ZINE

title is a work in progress. the zine will focus on translating the name and along the shadow, but any of anthony's work with saosin is fair game too. some suggestions include: translating the name's 20th anniversary, what a song (or album/ep) means to you personally, artwork based off your interpretation of a song or album. I am not very good at thinking up these prompts so im hoping you guys are better at this than i am.

any kind of art or writing is very much welcome! no video/gifs or webp file sizes though. any written submissions would be ideally around 300-350 words.

one submission per person, unless you would like to submit an art piece to accompany writing (or vice versa), in which case please reach out to me so we can discuss it first, thanks.

submission deadline is the end of september (subject to change). once i have collected all the submissions, I'll put them into a canva document or pdf which I'll make available to you guys.

this is my first time running anything like this so some small details may change while I work everything out.

tag me in or send to me any submissions. posts about the zine will be under #saosinzine for now until I work out a better title

[mukubirdy]

A Nice Night at the Kaiju Bar

Before I forget again, I did a comic and this time with @spagonia for @ultra-zine's Vol. 3!!! This is my first comic collaboration where I get to do art instead. Spagonia's writing is so much fun and you should check out her other written works. Highly recommended! 👀✌

The comic itself is a crossover between two obscure Ultra media and characters:

Ultraman Nice - An Ultraman who debuted only in commercials as a means to advertise toys during the Tiga reruns in the late 90s and is a father of two children. While not completely obscure, he does make small appearances in stageshows and in web drama series as comedic relief.

Meitei! Kaiju Bar - A 2015 comedic web manga series by Aoki Ume that features various stories centered within the titular Kaiju Bar, and protag Uruma's experiences there working part-time. (You can read all the chapters here! It's in Japanese though.)

It's a lot funnier if you read it in the zine itself.

ALSO SPEAKING OF THE ZINE!!!

You can get the digital copy of Volume 3, alongside previous volumes now at Ko-fi! Which just opened recently!

GRAB A COPY OF SHUWATCH!! AT KO-FI!!!

Proceeds for the zine will go towards Ultraman Foundation.

[chickenmetenders]

💝💕💘 [ FALL(ING)DOWN FOR YOU ] 💖💌💞

Happy White Day! To celebrate, here's a Valentine's/White Day-themed collaborative MAMIYA fanzine!!

Featuring lovey-dovey art & fic from 12 creators!

Read it digitally or print it out yourself!

⚠️ DDD spoilers

Get it here! ➡️ Google Drive (pdf)

Directions for printing/binding + contributor credits below!

PRINTING

This zine was designed for letter paper, but I think it should print fine on A4 (I haven't tested it, sorry). If it helps, each individual page is 5.5 in x 8.5 in (140 mm x 216 mm).

We're going to print using the Booklet setting, which requires Adobe Acrobat or Foxit to use. Both programs can be downloaded for free. (I'm using Acrobat for this tutorial, but Foxit works the same way)

To print:

Download the zine file to your computer and open it in Acrobat/Foxit.

Open up the print menu using ctrl+P or by finding the printer icon near the top of the window. The print menu looks like this:

3. Select your printer from the "Printer" menu, then select the "Booklet" option under Page Sizing and Handling, as shown in the image above. You can also check the box near the top of the window to "Print in grayscale (black and white)" like I'm doing, or leave it unchecked to print in color.

4. Select the "Print" button to print.

BINDING

Honestly, you can bind however you want! I chose something fancy this time (because I'm trying to show off for photos), but normally I go for something simpler. Here are some methods I've used to bind zines/booklets before:

Three-hole ribbon binding (this is the method I used here)

Stapling

Pamphlet binding/saddle stitching

Methods I haven't tried but would probably work fine:

Another three-hole ribbon binding method + ring binding

Perfect binding

Machine sewing

Regardless of which method you use, I always recommend pre-folding all the pages before doing any binding. I usually try to fold like 1-3 sheets at a time--enough pages that it doesn't take forever to fold all of them, but not too many pages because I want to ensure each sheet gets creased really well.

Watch out for page order, by the way, because these pages aren't numbered!!

Depending on how you've bound it, it should come out looking something like this. Isn't it so cute??

Feel free to contact me if you need help!

CONTRIBUTORS

Thank you to everyone who participated in this zine!

Gizzia (twitter @ GizziaAobara) Nana (instagram @ honeyqtea) Nikki Bane (twitter @ Ghosty_Bane) Kiwi (@kiwifie) WovenSnow Easter Cha (me) madhu (@bunycube) Rionne (twitter @ dawnspring45) Mio (twitter @ nifocide) Alle (@tindoiimu)

It was my first time organizing something like this, so I'm really glad it turned out so great!! You guys are all so talented and awesome and I love what we've made!!!!!!

[chrisairgames]

A Year in Retrospect

The social media diaspora began a year ago, and I've been neglecting Tumblr. Trying to come back, slowly, so here's what I've been up to since November 2022.

Bio-Drones & Cryo-Clones

From November to February 1st, 2022, I worked on my Zine Month campaign, a Kickstarter for my first ttrpg zine, a Sleeper Crew Adventure for Mothership RPG called Bio-Drones & Cryo-Clones.

I was blown away by the immense show of support. The crowd-funding allowed me to pay for even more art, better and bigger maps, development and editing, and professional layout. I got to make the zine into the amazing package I'd dreamed up.

The zines were sent off to the fulfillment center last Friday! A ton of my ttrpg work time was spent on what's in these boxes, and it's pretty scary to see it go off into a truck. That does mean the zines will be available at retailers soon, though, which just feels nuts to me.

The Unseen City

I also wrote The Unseen City, the first 3pp setting and adventure for Cloud Empress, the ecological science fantasy RPG, the successful Mothership hack from Worlds by Watt.

I go into depth about how this 20pg zine turned evolved from the "Pamphlet Duet" I originally conceived in my most recent newsletter. A lot of struggles, gained some killer art from HodagRPG, and all for a game I'm really quite happy with. I do plan to return to writing more adventures for The Unseen City as well!

Mitosis, Escape from STAR Station

Last year, RV Games published my Mothership pamphlet series The Cerdo Cycle (that was my last Tumblr post!). Shortly after the campaign, Violet asked me to write a giant 8x16 inch pamphlet adventure for RV Games' upcoming in-universe Mothership board game, Mitosis.

I wrote Escape from STAR Station, a gonzo adventure about a Prison Break amidst two warring factions: Cyberviral Pirate Goons & STARS Staff Brainiacs. Both sides are infected by experiments with the Mitosis board game microorganisms. It's a crazy lil adventure with awesome art by Sigmacastell. You can pick up an abridged print-at-home version for free on my itch page, even.

5 Million Worlds RPG

For the One-Page Game Jam this past summer, I submitted a pocketzine Space Adventure hack of Mothership, called 5MW RPG: Avatar Basics.

In this little A4/US Letter space, I've designed two main pulls away from sci-fi horror to space adventure. The first are Push Tables. Similar to the end of act in a Star Trek episode, these tables push the conflict in new and unexpected directions.

The second is a switch from Stress into Limit. Limit is your PC's XP, used to improve Stats/Saves, build towards projects, etc. Notably, instead of a Panic Table, 5MW has two tables: a Break Down table (similar to Panic), and a Limit Break table (like in FF).

When characters are in the shit, and they have to roll a Limit Check, the players can decide whether to spend their XP and do some cool shit to overcome the circumstances, or accept the Break Down. Good ol' @christiansorrell even did a TikTok video discussing the game, if you wanna check that out.

I'm very excited to continue to pursue creating a player's handbook, 5MW RPG: Avatar Primer. If you download the game on itch, I'll keep y'all apprised of substantial updates. Next up is developing the chargen, and reconfiguring the pocketzine as an A6 booklet: 5MW RPG: Avatar Basics+.

Outer Rim Uprising

I was extremely honored to join 11 other designers to create pieces of the Outer Rim Uprising Megabundle, spearheaded by our intrepid leader, Iko of The Lost Bay Studio.

Several months of brainstorming and collaboration went into this 20+ piece bundle. I contributed two pieces for this bundle. The first is a 12pg adventure module Rusted to the Core. Androids aboard an aerostat station floating in a gas giant's clouds have gone on strike. Can the PCs resolve the issues before the Rust overtakes the station?

The second is the more "experimental" Bones on the Ground. Bones is a bifold adventure into an android museum-prison, paired with three diegetic fliers supporting the ARA, the Android Rights Association (or Android Rebel Alliance, depending on who you ask!). Pieces of the three flyers contain clues for PCs who join the ARA to better succeed when they begin their museum infiltration.

A Buncha Spaceship Deckplans

So I have ADHD, and experience bouts of summer mania. Spaceshiptember rolled around, and I thought, "Hey it'd be no problemo to write 30 deckplans and release them this month, while I'm also trying to print BioCryo, promote ORU, starting a newsletter, and finishing up The Unseen City." Totally sane decision, right?

Well, I got through half the month. And I sketched out a third week's worth of ships on paper too. One of those sketches caught Adam STATION's eye, even, and he asked me to join An Infinity of Ships to turn it into a micro-adventure!

As long as this quick-n-dirty zine remains unfinished, it'll be free on itch.io. Again, if you'd like, follow along and I'll send out dev updates when new pages are added!

the dying tides

Another Jam entry, this time for The Lost Bay Studio's system agnostic fantasy setting + coloring book, SKYREALMS.

I made the dying tides as a short, lightweight fantasy adventure to venture among wavebros and squidillies. The art is based on my 4 yo daughter's paintings. Since she loved coloring the SKYREALMS books so much, I figured it was a poetic homage to the kind and mysterious heart of this game.

An Interactive Terminal Network

Last but not least, I smashed my skull against Twine on and off for six months to create a unified Interactive Terminal Network for my Mothership adventure, Bio-Drones & Cryo Clones.

The terminal is absolutely free to play on itch.io. Though passwords that can be found in the zine lock off a few areas. That said, I'm sure many folk could dig out the passwords without the zine. I don't know how to do that stuff. The fact that I even MADE this thing is a miracle to me, hahaha.

Goal for 2023

Talk about this stuff as it's happening so I don't infodump on people like this, haha.

What I'm working on now:

Twisting Unseen

Untitled Liminal Horror adventure

Provisional sketches, for the artist/layout designer.

Also, if you made it this far, thanks.

-Chris Air

[focusontheheart]

Meet the Team Lead - DinoKieran

Give a warm welcome to the passionate Lead for the Seyka route, it's DinoKieran! You can find them on AO3 as DinoKieran!

Hi! The name’s Kieran (you can call me Dino) , long time nerd and longer time Fanfiction writer. I played Zero Dawn for the first time a few weeks before Frozen Wilds came out, and I’ve been enamored ever since. Before playing Burning Shores, I was a solitary fan just keeping to myself, but I finally decided to take a step out into the wider community and now look where I am! I’m knee-deep in Horizon Fanfiction WIPs, 3D printed Machine miniatures and the beginnings of cosplay, not to mention this huge project. I’ve never been a part of something so collaborative in a fandom before, and I can’t wait to share what I’ve made!

Q&A with Dino under the cut!

What is a favorite piece of work you've done (completed/ working on/ in-concept)? 

Because I’m still such a newcomer to the Horizon fanfic world, almost all of the works that I’m most excited about are all works in progress (keep an eye out though, I’ve got a lot on the way! I love a good rare pair ship and it shows!), so instead I would like to draw your attention to a fic that connected me to an unexpected ship: "Snowburn" by OutOfRetirement. Ask anyone in my social circle and they’ll tell you just how obsessed I am with that fic!

What are some of your favorite tropes (to write/ draw/ read)?

Give me a slow burn, honestly. Getting the opportunity to detail the long and complex construction of a relationship from first meeting to falling in love speaks to my soul! It’s a perfect opportunity to carry out in-depth character studies. A good Modern AU wouldn’t go amiss either. I enjoy being able to take characters out of their world and creating a less chaotic, simpler world. Gives me a break from writing drama, I guess you could say lol.

What is an unexpected thing or fun fact about you?

Outside of writing, I have what I like to call my ‘roledex of hobbies’. These hobbies are a mix, from whittling and embroidery to wildlife photography and houseplant collecting, I know I never have to worry about being bored! 

What has been your favorite thing about working on this project so far?

Honestly? Just getting to be a part of it! I’ve been a fanfiction writer for over a decade, but have never had the chance to work on anything collaborative outside of a singular joint fic I wrote a few years ago. Over the years I found myself watching other writers getting to be part of projects like Zines and believed that was something out of my reach, but now I’m here, surrounded by a wonderful community, and part of a project I never saw coming. Words cannot describe how thankful I am for this opportunity!

[saintseiya-zone]

We’re happy to announce the next SSZ Zine!

The theme will be autumn-oriented and you can collaborate with fanarts, fanfics, photos and cosplays. Stay updated by joining our Discord!

Sign-up timeframe: 1-15/Aug/2023 (extraordinary sign-up 16-23/Aug 23:59 UTC -6, Costa Rica time)

Sign-up form: here

Taken Character list: here

Deadline: 22/Oct/2023 23:59 UTC -6 (Costa Rica time)

Description (in text) and FAQ under the cut

[About the Zine]

Description: Autumn is coming, and with it, spookiness is rising. Imagine your favourite Saint Seiya characters in autumn-themed scenes from around the world!

Participation: You will submit one (1) original, new fanwork (older/already published work is not accepted) to be compiled into a zine. Please do not share your final work until the zine has been properly published by SSZ (you may, however, share WIPs, previews, and/or close-ups as you work on it)

Type: The final compilation of all fanworks will be a free, digital PDF file (no physical versions will be made, no money will be earned or paid)

Character: restricted to one (1) character to be the main focus of the fanwork submitted (for fics: 1-2 characters)

The Taken Character List will be updated daily at 19:00 UTC -6 (Costa Rica time) until the sign-up period is concluded. We appreciate your patience while this occurs. Once you are added to the list and your character is confirmed, you may start working on your submission.

** Please note this zine does not review/approve/reject sign-ups, everyone is welcome to take part in the activity as long as they sign up and follow guidelines. If there are any issues, we'll get back to you.

Deadline: 22/Oct/2023 23:59 UTC -6 (Costa Rica time). Fanworks submitted after this will not be included (this is non-negotiable). However, if you are facing challenges with your submission, let the staff know ASAP.

Submission: Send via email to saintseiyazone@gmail.com. The email subject should be "Saint Seiya in Autumn Zine, [Creator], [character/fic name]", and the file name should be:

Visuals: [Character name] - [Creator]

Fics: [Creator] - [Fic title]. Writers, please also include a 400x400 px image you want us to use in the credits page

Examples: 

Email Subject: Saint Seiya in Autumn Zine, El Cadejos, Alioth Fenrir 

Fic file: Zeuse - “Encallar”

[About the Submissions]

Art/Photography Canvas size: 300 dpi, JPEG 

2480 x 3508 px (portrait orientation) OR

3508 x 4960 px (landscape orientation)

Fics: docx file, prose, it doesn't have to be in English. You must include a title (please keep it short), but it won’t be considered towards final count

4 OR 6 full pages in total as exact as possible, Arial font, 11 pt, single space

Margins: 1 in (each)

Paper size: Letter (8.5 in x11 in)

There must be spaces between your paragraphs 

Allowed:

Age reinterpretation (e.g., an adult character as a child)

Alternative Universes

Other applicable characters (including OC), please check FAQ

Not allowed:

AI-generated content of any kind

NSFW/Explicit content (contact staff for case-by-case reviews)

Non-official genderbends

Crossovers with non-StS series

[Frequently Asked Questions]

May I draw whichever character I want? As the purpose of this zine is to include as many characters from the Saint Seiya universe as possible to bring variety into the final product, submission types have the following limitations:

Fanarts: 1 main character per submission (restricted ✪)

Fics: focus on 1-2 main characters per submission (not restricted)

Cosplays: 1 main character per submission (not restricted)

Merch Photographs: 1 main character per submission (not restricted)

Before filling out the sign-up form, check the Taken Character list. For fanarts, you'll input 5 different options, from your top choice to least. Your final selection will be made visible later that day. This is on a First Come, First Served basis.

✪ This means there will be only 1 fanart per character, no duplicates

May I include more than one character in my submission? Yes, as long as there is a clear hierarchy where your chosen character is the main focus. Original Characters (OCs) may also be included in the background as long as they follow this guideline. There is no problem if those secondary characters are already taken, or if the mix of characters would not make sense in the official material (for example, Sasha interacting with Hilda).

May I use spinoff characters? Sure! All characters officially included in the Saint Seiya universe are applicable (except those without an official visual design, like Chronos). Please note that even though there are characters with different versions across the franchise [ex: Aiolia], they are not counted as different options for the Zine, so if said character is already taken, no other version of them will be available. The only exceptions to this rule are Milo (Legend of Sanctuary) and Shaun (Knights of the Zodiac).

I changed my mind about the character I chose, and the new one is still available. Can I switch? To prevent confusion and misunderstandings, all character selections are final and cannot be changed/traded.

Can I switch from one contribution type to another (e.g., fanart to fic) after I signed up? To prevent confusion and misunderstandings, all contribution type selections are final.

Am I allowed to change certain aspects of a character’s official design? It depends on the aspect, and should be reviewed case-by-case.

Example 1: as a Latin American, Io could differ in skin tone to the one seen on the official materials. However, characters like Hagen and Aldebaran, who have darker skin tones, should not be given lighter tones.

Example 2: if due to a personal headcanon, you believe a character has a certain scar or marking that is not seen in official materials, it can be included, but once again, please reach out to Staff for a case-by-case review.

What qualifies as "autumn-themed"? This season is experienced differently all around the world, which is why the theme is broad on purpose. Any activity, scenery, meal, clothing, and celebration that is typical of this season is applicable. That includes (but is not limited to) All Hallow's Eve, Día de Muertos, Thanksgiving, Diwali, leaf color change viewing, and more.

What is the difference between an Alternate Universe [AU] and a Crossover? Some AU use popular tropes as a base, while a Crossover uses an already existing material as base.

Examples:

Popular tropes for an AU: magic school, space fantasy/sci-fi

Existing material: Twisted Wonderland, Mass Effect [games], Little Witch Academia, Star Trek [series], Heralds of Valdemar, Dune [books]

So making a fanwork of the general "Saint Seiya × Magic School" or “Saint Seiya x space fantasy/sci-fi” concepts is an AU, but "Saint Seiya × Twisted Wonderland" or “Saint Seiya x Star Trek” are considered a crossover. In essence, heavy references to other existing fandoms are not allowed. Could you please elaborate on what is/isn’t considered Not Safe For Work (NSFW)? If it is not appropriate for a general, non-specialized office work environment, then it is not accepted.

Examples: ✅ blood depictions/mentions of it ❌ graphic/detailed gore, mutilation, or body horror  ✅ sensual themes (e.g., pin up) ❌ sexual themes (including, but not limited to: genitalia, specifically erotic gestures like blowjob, etc.) 

May I submit more than one work?  If, after the sign-up period is over, you would like to collaborate with a second submission, reach out to us. You may send different submission types if you want (e.g., 1 fanart and 1 fic). Please bear in mind the second character must still be available for you to take.

The sign-up timeframe already passed. Can I still join? The extraordinary period is 16-23/Aug. Please check the Taken Character List first to ensure the one you want is available, fill out the form, and contact staff (El Cadejos, Zeuse) so we can add you to the list. After this extraordinary period, sign-up will be officially closed.

May I include a watermark on my submission? Yes, we encourage you to submit already watermarked fanworks to the zine.

I’m a writer! What is an acceptable image for the credits page? You can send an official StS work, fanarts (as long as it is made by you, gifted to you, or commissioned by you), or a picrew-generated image (as long as the picrew allows that use)

What are check-ins? Do I need to send something?  Nope. Our check-ins act as reminders only, so you know exactly how much time you have left to send your submission.

I’m unable to complete my submission and would like to withdraw. Is that okay? Yes, you can withdraw at any time, for any reason (you don’t need to explain). Please just let us know in advance.

[peculiarmarsu]

Quickly thrown together 2023 art summary. Picked some pieces I like but also some that hold specific meaning or moreso a reminder of an occasion.

Jan - I don't think Untamed 2 zine will mind this little crop :D Feb - I just really liked this pic of Ronski posing. Mar - A fun Digimon pixel art collaboration! Apr - A silly gift art for a streamer of his Aggron named Krapula (Hangover) May - So far my only TotK art. I think it's really ugly, I should have left it uncoloured :D Jun - A lil Digimon phase continues with MegaSeadramon (I need to get to the Metal one at some point) Jul - One of my fav comics. Pear. Aug - I like how the colours turned out with this. Sep - Art contest work~ Oct - I took part in an on-site 24 hour comic event for the first time, and finished a whole thing even if slightly overtime. Nov - Sportgrip Runsafe. Dec - Gerenuk from accounting.