ZaiNE

faq: zine & content

What's a fanzine?
Put simply, it’s a booklet full of creations. Drawings, written stories, photographs, they can contain any number of things! They’re often created and sold by small-time artists.
An unofficial fanzine, like this one, is a zine based around an existing piece of media, created by and for the fans of said piece of media.

Will the zine be physical or digital?
We are currently planning to offer both physical copies and PDF copies!

What are the specs for the zine and its pieces?
-6.69" x 9.61" size, 300 dpi
-Portrait orientation
-Full colour
-48 pages
-3 fanfics of approx. 1500 words each

Where will the proceeds go?
All the profit after paying suppliers, shipping orders, giving copies to our contributors, etc will be going to charity.

We asked for charities in our interest check, made a list of options, and then presented 4 to our chosen contributors. From there, they have chosen The Trevor Project.

Who's running this?
You can find out about us here!

What is AI: THE SOMNIUM FILES?
AI is a video game that released digitally on September 17, 2019 for the PS4, Switch, and Steam, with a physical release following the week after. It was written by Kotaro Uchikoshi of Zero Escape fame.

The story follow Kaname Date, a detective with the Tokyo MPD who lost both his memories and his left eye 6 years ago. He works together with his partner, Aiba, an AI that resides in his fake eyeball, and is able to use the special Psync Machine to go inside the dreams of witnesses and suspects alike to find the information they can’t or won’t say.

One rainy November evening, a woman’s dead body is found in an abandoned amusement park, stabbed to death and her left eye gauged out.
And so, the story begins…

Will the zine have a specific theme?
No, there is no theme - just AI in general. If you need help coming up wit ideas, let us know after you're accepted, and we'll help you brainstorm!

Will the zine contain AI spoilers?
It likely will, yes. For this reason, we recommend finishing the game before purchasing a copy, or before the application period ends if you’d like to apply.

Will pairings be allowed?
Yes, with a few exceptions.

Romantic relationships involving Mizuki will not be permitted, for the obvious reason of her being the only minor in the cast.

For characters aged 17-19, such as Iris, established relationships will only be allowed within a maximum age gap of 2 years. Relationships with a larger age gap will have to be handled carefully, and discussed with a mod before before the idea can be executed, to make sure no boundaries are crossed.

The 2 year age gap limit does NOT apply when both characters are 20 or over.

Will the zine be SFW?
Yes, 100%!

faq: applying

Where can I apply?
Unfortunately, applications closed on December 15th, and we don't plan to reopen them.

Can I apply for multiple positions?
You can apply to as many positions as you like, but if you’re accepted, it will only be for one position (artist, merch artist, or writer).

What's a "pinch hitter"?
It’s someone who, although rejected at the initial application phase, will be on standby and possibly brought in if any of the contributors need to drop out. This is entirely optional, and up to each person on if they'd like to be added to the pinch hitter list or not.

How will the contributors be chosen?
Each mod will give each applicant a score based on their skills in various aspects of the trade.
Zine artist scores will be on colour usage, composition, anatomy, backgrounds, style, and polish.
Merch artist scores will be on colour usage, anatomy, creativity, style, and polish.
Writer scores will be on grammar, characterization, word usage, pacing, and creativity.
The highest ranked applicants will be chosen as contributors.

Can I include NSFW examples in my application?
Sticking to SFW pieces would be preferred as this is a strictly SFW zine, but you may include NSFW examples, as long as they are clearly marked that they are NSFW and at least one piece is SFW. This goes for both writers and artists.

Is it okay if I include spoilers for (X) in my app's examples?
There's no need to worry about spoiling AI or the Zero Escape trilogy.
For anything else, if you're concerned about spoiling a mod, just make a note of what it spoils. Thanks for thinking of us!

What should my examples be like?
For zine artists, please try to have as many full-colour examples as possible (one at the minimum). Include pieces that represent the style you would use in your zine piece, if accepted. Showing full-body pieces or pieces with full backgrounds is also important.
For your portfolio, it’s best to use a site that displays multiple pieces on the screen at once. Google Drive, deviantART, Instagram, and ArtStation are all some free options. However, it’s very important for there to be as few personal posts, doodles/sketches and shitposts as possible.

For merch artists, again, it’s important that you showcase the style you would like to use for the zine. For example, if you’d like to draw a chibi charm, then show us your chibis. If you’ve created merchandise in the past (or simply done mock-ups of merch), be sure to include it.

For writers, please only include up to 1500 words each in your main examples. Snippets of longer fanfics are fine. It would be ideal if at least one was of either AI or Zero Escape (since all mods are familiar with ZE as well) so we can get a better grasp of your characterization, but that’s not 100% necessary.

Can I use fics that are over 1500 words as examples? What about under 1500 words?
It's completely fine if you'd like to go under the limit, but please do not go over it. This is both to make it easier for us to go through all the applications, and to confirm you can still write quality fic with a shorter word count.

If you wanted to have one 3000 word fic and one 1500 word fic, that would count as your three examples and would also be fine (but please don't have 1 fic that's 4500 - we still need at least one short example). However, keep in mind that you'd still have to keep your zine fic under 1500 words, if you're accepted.

Can I include sketches as examples?
You can, but preferably more as a last resort - for example, if you have a sketch that shows off your composition skills better than any finished work, then that's fine. However, please include at least one colored and complete work.

I'd like to do traditional art for the zine, can I still apply? Or what about (X unique medium)?
You can! However, you’ll need to showcase not only your traditional works in your application (please don't use digital examples if you want to make a traditional piece), but also proof that you’re able to get a 300 DPI, high-quality, clean image of your work.

Can I change my application later?
Yes, just submit it and leave a note so that we're aware, and can update our sheets accordingly.

Will you be checking apps as you get them, or only after they close?
We’ll be giving apps scores as we receive them to save time, but we’ll only actually decide on contributors after apps close.

faq: contributing

How many contributors will you be accepting?
We have 30 zine artists (+1 cover artist), 3 writers, and 7 merch artists.

How will contributors be compensated?
The goal is to give everyone a full bundle of zine + merch for free, including shipping. If sales don’t go well enough, however, we will for certain give all contributors a free zine, and offer the merch at only the cost of production.

If I’m accepted as a contributor, can I receive only a digital copy as compensation and forfeit my physical copy?
Yes. In that situation, you could choose to either give your bundle to a friend, or we could put it in a giveaway - your choice.

Can one contributor do multiple pieces?
Currently, the plan is for all contributors to do one work (the exception of sticker sheets, where one artist may do multiple stickers).

Can zine artists do horizontal spreads?
Unless something happens and space needs to be filled, we won’t be allowing horizontal spreads. If you’d really like to do one, please discuss it with a mod after you’re accepted.

Are OCs allowed?
If you want to have them as side characters in the background, that’d be alright. However, the focus must be on existing characters. This goes for both artwork and fic.

Will the merch artists have to get the merch made themselves?
Definitely not! We’ll handle the ordering and such, all the artists have to do is design the merch according to the specifications.

How will you be corresponding with contributors?
We will be sending announcements and info for everything through both email and the Discord server we have set up. Joining the server is recommended, but not required.

Will the mods be contributing pieces as well?
All mods interested in contributing applied and were ran through the selection process the same as everyone else. We made every effort to be as unbiased as possible - they were treated just like any other applicant.

With that said, yes - Siplick and Juno will be contributing illustrations, while Maxigregrze and Shevi will be helping with merch.

schedule

Please note that the schedule has changed, as of December 28th.
The new schedule is as follows:

Interest check: October 18 - November 1
Contibutor applications: November 15 - December 15
Results sent out: January 6th at the latest

Check-in 1: January 26
25% done.
Zine and merch artists should have sketches done.
Writers should have a solid plot and at least 300 words.

Check-in 2: February 16
50% done for zine artists and writers; 65% done for merch artists.
Zine artists should have base colours done.
Merch artists should be past base colours, in the process of shading and the like.
Writers should have at least 800 words.

Check-in 3: March 6
80% done for zine artists and writers; 100% done for merch artists.
Zine artists should be in the final stages with their piece.
Merch artists should be completely finished. This is to make sure there’s time to produce the merch, as it can take longer than the zine itself.
Writers should have at least 1200 words.

Final pieces due: March 26
This is the final due date for both zine artists and writers.

Pre-orders: April
Production: May-June
Delivery: July

Schedule is subject to change.

old schedule

Recorded here for posterity.

Interest check: October 18 - November 1
Contibutor applications: November 15 - December 15
Results sent out: approximately December 31
Check-in 1: January 15
Check-in 2: February 15
Check-in 3: March 15
Final pieces due: April 1
Pre-orders open: Mid-April
Production: May-June
Delivery: July

mod list

Name: Maxigregrze
Accounts: Twitter, Tumblr, Redbubble, Teepublic
In charge of: general organization, Google Sheet making, Taking care of the other 4 mod health.
Previous experience: Moderator of the (canon) AI Discord, content creator for the @lemniscate_tesa Twitter account
Favorite character: Aiba. Because Aiba.
Comments: The other mods are way more funnier than myself, so I’ll just say
mmm bones

Name: Siplick
Accounts: Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr
In charge of: layout designing, pre-printing and revisions, merch managing, postage
Previous experience: Co-organized and printed “Thank You Zero Escape”, a Zero Escape fanbook. Participated in over 15 zines as artist and merch creator and organized 2 of them. Has worked professionally in the pre-printing process and has experience with making merchandise for conventions
Favorite character: Date and Aiba
Comments: It's no use, you were born a shitter

Name: Mori
Accounts: Twitter, Twitch
In charge of: finances, forms, correspondence with contributors
Previous experience: organized the AI: THE SOMNIUM FILES countdown
Favorite character: Mizuki (good girl), Mayumi (I’m still crying), Mama, Boss, Pewter, fireworks
Comments: Secretly either a brain in a vat or Ota Matsushita.
AI: THE SOMNIUM FILES is my single personality trait.

Name: Angel / Juno
Accounts: Twitter, art Twitter, art Tumblr
In charge of: General organization & communication
Previous experience: participated in various zines, sole mod (organized, curated, and sold) the PDF-only Final Fantasy XV Lunafreya-centric zine “Shedding Grace”, organized the AI: THE SOMNIUM FILES countdown
Favorite character: BOSS, mayumi, mizuki
Comments: Have you ever seen a termite mound? They are splendid structures. Some might even call them works of art

Name: Siobhan / Shevi
Accounts: Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram
In charge of: social media, promotional images, forms
Previous experience: participated in to the Persona 5 sleepover zine “Starlight”, participated in the Persona 5 Pegoryu zine “Next to You", organized the AI: THE SOMNIUM FILES countdown
Favorite character: Iris owns my heart but Mizuki owns my soul.
Comments: Do you ever just think about Mizuki Okiura and cry?
Because A-set you bet I do.
Every. Single. Day.