Your Journey Awaits! is a free digital, ready-to-print zine focusing on the beginning of the Pokémon journey. From receiving a starter Pokémon to that first major battle, our phenomenal team of writers, artists, and merch artists sought to explore the beginnings of the Pokémon journey from various angles. A number of journeys await you in this zine! May they inspire you to begin a new journey of your own!
Zine Specs
This will be a small, free, digital zine in A4 format available for download upon completion. A printer-friendly version of the PDF will be available as well.
The overall tone of the zine will be relatively lighthearted, so as long as your pitch isn’t angsty, it should be fine. If you have questions about whether or not your pitches fit the tone, ask us on Twitter or our Curious Cat!
1 cover artist creating a double spread and 16 single-page artists. We’re looking for 2 page artists per region.
16 writers creating pieces between 1.5k-3k words. We’re looking for 2 writers per region.
3-5 digital merch artists creating phone, tablet, and desktop wallpapers, emoji/digital stickers, printable merch like planner/to-do sheets.
Contributors applying as a digital merch artist may also apply to and be accepted as either a writer or page/cover artist.
All writers may be given the option to create a ficlet, blurb, or other small piece if needed to fill space.
All artists, including digital merch artists, may be given the option to create spot illustrations for full-length or smaller written pieces.
Contributor numbers include moderators who are planning on contributing.
The zine will not feature AUs or ships.
Schedule
| Phase | Dates |
|---|---|
| ▸ Release | June 8th ◂ |
Mods
TheThirteenthHour — Head/Writing Mod
Hi! I go by Thirteenth, and Pokémon is the reason I’m a writer. I started writing Pokémon fanfic as a kid and the rest is history. After contributing to a few zines myself (Fated, Brigid Pride, and Goddess Reborn), I’ve really wanted to participate in and create a zine for the fandom that started it all for me. My professional job is project management, but Your Journey Awaits! will be my first time fully modding a zine. As a result, it’ll be free and digital, and I’m looking to keep the team small so I can do the best job I can. Thank you to everyone who’s interested in this project and who wants to come on this little journey with me! (Pun genuinely unintended, but once I wrote it, I had to keep it.)Twitter: @ThirteenthHr
AO3: ThirteenthHr
Tumblr: thirteenthhr
Aurea — Writing Mod
Lifelong Pokémon fan and Sinnoh enthusiast. I've been daydreaming and writing about Pokemon for the past 18 years. I’ve taken part in a few other zines as a contributor (Fated and Faces & Facades) and am also a moderator on a small Pokémon forum. I can't wait to take this journey with you as one of the writing mods on this project!Twitter: @aureafolia
AO3: aureafolia
Prin — Art Mod
I like eggs.Twitter / DeviantArt / Twitch: @itsprinny
Instagram: @its_princetv
TheRareHunterH — Graphics Mod
Starting a new journey is exhilarating! With so many potential paths, I can't wait to see which ones this zine will take! Fun fact about me: My number one Pokemon-related dream is to take a yoga class from a Lucario.Instagram: @TheRareHunterHunter
Twitter: @RareWishes
Paola / pancake — Graphics/Layout Mod
I will never recover from the ending of Pokémon Black and White.
Twitter / Instagram: @parriagapls
FAQ
Is there no chance of there being a physical zine?
There are no plans to make this a physical zine. This is mainly because this is the head mod’s first zine, and keeping it free and digital makes the project more manageable. However, there will be a CMYK version of the PDF made available for printing at home or through a service like Lulu.Will OCs be allowed in the zine?
Technically speaking, no, OCs are not allowed in the zine. However, there’s a plethora of NPCs that you can create a piece for. Artists will need to stick to their official designs, unless they’re seeking to do a piece on a younger version of a character, like depicting Kabu starting on his Pokémon journey. But there’s some more leeway for writers. Because many NPCs are extremely minor characters, if you want to write a piece focused on them, you’d likely need to create an entire character for them. This also applies if you’d like to write something from the perspective of a Pokémon.How heavily are pitches weighed in the application process?
The quality of your sample pieces and portfolio will be considered first and foremost. For page artists and writers, we’ll try to assign regions according to what each contributor is most excited to write, as indicated in your application. Pitches will also help us determine who we feel will be the best fit for each region.Will I potentially be assigned a region I didn't pitch for?
This is a possibility. But since we’re asking applicants to list all the regions they’re most interested in, you won’t be asked to create a piece for a region you didn’t include in your application.Will canon characters from side games be allowed?
No, this zine will focus on the characters and locations from the main series games:
Red, Green, Blue, Yellow, FireRed, Leafgreen
Gold, Silver, Crystal, HeartGold, SoulSilver
Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald, Omega Ruby, Alpha Sapphire
Diamond, Pearl, Platinum, Brilliant Diamond, Shining Pearl
Black, White, Black 2, White 2
X, Y
Sun, Moon, Ultra Sun, Ultra Moon
Sword, Shield