Have a question about the Bottom Alastor Zine? See if you can find the answer here! If your question isn’t answered here, don’t worry! You can DM us on any of our Bottom Alastor Week social media accounts!
What is a zine?
A zine is a compilation of artworks of every kind in a collaborative effort between creators! It can feature art, writing, photography, cosplay, recipes, journalism, you name it! It’s a short version of the word “magazine”, as they are often much shorter than a full magazine.What is the theme of the Bottom Alastor zine?
Our theme this time will be the red light district! A “red light district” is a common English phrase referring to a part of town, literally a district, where sex work is conducted. We are hoping to showcase and portray all the ways in which an asexual person may engage in sex work and what that experience may be like for them!How will Alastor be portrayed?
This zine is an imagining of all the ways Alastor may engage with sex work. He may be either a sex worker or a customer, but regardless of whether he's paying or being paid- he will be the bottom. We will be allowing many interpretations of these scenarios and contributors may choose to work from a prompt typical of past Bottom Alastor Week prompts.
Even if the work is intended to portray Alastor as sex neutral or unfavorable, the nature of this zine could lead to some confusion. Audiences may not understand this intention or portrayal for what it is, and contributors must be prepared for their work to be misunderstood. Not everyone has the life experience and perspective to understand specific, deeply nuanced intentions behind a work. As creators we want to embrace this aspect of Alastor’s character and portray it respectfully, but misunderstandings do happen and we have to be at peace with that.So, what's The Red Light?
The Red Light is an establishment in Hell's Red Light District. This may be Pentegram City or the Lust Ring. It will serve as a setting for contributor works and be up to their interpretation as a bar, club, brothel, or any combination thereof!How will Alastor’s asexuality factor in?
For the contributors working on the zine: that is up to their interpretation! Many asexual fandom members see themselves in Alastor and we want to foster an environment where our contributors can express their unique understanding and experiences through their work! No portrayal is more or less valid than others.For the zine as a whole: We will allow for works to depict it in any number of ways or not at all! A picture may be worth a thousand words but getting into the nitty gritty of nuance can be difficult within a 2K word limit for writers, or no words at all for artists! Even if nuance is beautifully portrayed in the opinion of the artist, it doesn’t mean that every audience member will interpret it the same. That’s the beauty of art!Again we want to remind our potential contributors that your intention behind the work may not be recognized. Even if the work is taken in the exact opposite manner than intended, that doesn’t mean there was a failure at any point! Variety is the spice of life and art! Its the varied interpretations that make the work so much more personal to people and give it such deep meaning to the audience. Be not only prepared for a misunderstanding, but to also embrace it! The person that loves your work the most may not have understood what you meant at all.Do contributors have to be asexual?
Absolutely not! There is no way to even police this without a gross breach of contributor privacy.Will depictions of trans characters be permitted?
Yes! We love seeing trans depictions of every character. This will not only be permitted but welcomed.Will depictions of fem Alastor be permitted?
Yes! We love fem Alastor!Will AUs be allowed?
Yes, provided it can be a standalone AU and it is original for the zine. Any already existing AUs that would require additional, prior knowledge to contextualize the work in the zine will not be permitted.Is this zine SFW or NSFW?
Due to the nature of the show and the fact that we are focusing on sex work, the zine will be exclusively NSFW. It is not, however, intended to be purely pornographic. Exploring the topic of sex work is not inherently pornographic.How old do you have to be to apply?
Eighteen. Minors are not welcome to participate in, purchase, nor consume any of the work contained in this zine.Will the zine be physical or digital?
It is our intention that the zine be physical and come with merch options. However, the future of NSFW content and our ability to purchase it online is not on solid ground at this moment. We will adapt as necessary and still produce the zine in whatever form we are able to.What will the merch be like?
Though the zine will contain ships, all of the merch for the Bottom Alastor zine will be solo merch of Alastor.
We may also offer merch with the branding of The Red Light itself!What ships will be featured in the zine?
That depends on the interest check! We’ll see if people want lots of ships, only a few, or potentially even no ships at all! It depends on you, the audience! So do be sure to fill out the form!Is this zine for profit or for charity?
This zine will be for charity. We have not chosen the specific organization yet, but our goal is to donate all profits to a local cause in the New Orleans area, such as an LGBTQ+ support organization, a women’s resource group, or a program that provides services for sex workers. We will select several options and hold a vote before announcing the final choice.What kind of contributors are you accepting?
You can help out in a number of ways! We are looking for moderators, page artists, merch artists, writers, and audio contributors!What is expected from contributors?
Contributors are expected to provide a work in the medium for which they are accepted (page artist, merch artist, writer, etc.) by the set deadline and to participate at all check-ins. Extensions will be given for those that need it, we understand that life happens! When in doubt, communicate, communicate, communicate!Contributors will be held to a certain degree of reasonable professionalism- that means no sharing WIPs from the zine of their own work or that of others. Contributors may share their work up to 50% completion, but beyond that, it should not be shared publicly or privately. Exceptions for trusted beta readers will be permitted.No conversations from inside the server may be screenshot or shared.A zine is a big commitment and takes a great deal of team work! We want to provide and maintain a standard of positive interaction and participation as some zines can run 4-12 months!How long will this zine run?
Our target time is 10 months total, but it could be longer depending on merch production and shipping deadlines.How will the zine communicate?
Upon acceptance, contributors will be invited to join the zine discord server! There we will communicate announcements, deadlines, and conduct the check-ins. All communication relating to the zine should be done in-server.Can mods be contributors?
Yes! But they must apply through the contributor application- a mod that hopes to write, must apply as a writer separately from their moderator application. They must receive a high enough score on their portfolio from the other mods in order to be approved as a contributor.How many contributors will be accepted?
20-25 page artists
5-6 writers
3-5 merch artists
Ultimately the interest check will help us finalize these numbers.How will contributors be compensated?
Contributors will receive a fully complimentary copy of the zine and the merch items of their choosing!What languages will the zine be offered in?
The zine will be produced in English and so we hope that our contributors will have some understanding of English. Enough to understand instructions set forth. However, those that may still be learning finer points of English should apply! We will work with you to clear up any confusion!How will contributors know that they are accepted?
Acceptance messages will be sent out via email and contributors will have 3 days to acknowledge and accept!How are contributors determined?
Mods will review applications and assign a rating to each portfolio and sample set. In the end, we’ll have scores for everyone. Contributors and pinch hitters will be accepted based on their score.Will you be sharing the scores of contributors, detailing the decision making process, or offering feedback on the work submitted?
No. We will not be offering feedback.How much will it cost for customers?
That depends! We want to keep the cost of the zine as low as possible, but there are certain realities to the production of a printed work and merch. We will take the results of the interest check into consideration to know where we should aim for the final numbers.Will there be merch bundles?
Absolutely! We hope to have about 5 bundle options available, including merch only that will come without the zine!What are the application guidelines?
You can find those here!