Writer Templates and Guidelines

Content

Main Zine:

The main zine is rated Teen/16+. It will be available for purchase to all ages, but with a parental content guideline of 16+. This means that pieces created for the main zine can include content such as swear words, kissing/romance, lightly implied sexual relationships (flirting, innuendo etc.), canon-typical levels of dark themes and sensitive content (mental illness, PTSD, violence, death, brainwashing, body modification). Pieces for this zine cannot contain any graphic or overt sexual content, intensely graphic violence, or implied sexual relationships between characters under 18 years of age and characters over 18 years of age.

We understand that the level of graphicness can be hard to judge, and that different canons have different degrees of canon-typical violence and graphic content, so if you’re ever not sure, please don’t hesitate to reach out to the mod team and ask. We’d be happy to help!

NSFW Add-On Booklet:

The NSFW add-on booklet is exclusively for M- and E-rated content, with a focus on the adult, sexual relationship between Tony and Bucky. All pieces for this zine should be 18+ in some way. All characters in both art and writing must be depicted as over 18 years of age.

Structure

Fics should have a maximum wordcount of 3,500 words. Leeway will be given for different word processors measuring in different ways. We recommend a minimum wordcount of 1,000 words, but this is not a hard rule.

If you believe you will need any special formatting (text messages, embedded images, right justified text, social media posts) please contact the mod team as soon as possible so we can discuss what print limitations may be and make sure your fic will look the way you want it to for production.

In order to ensure an even aesthetic to the final zine, we will be adhering to the Chicago Manual of Style for spelling, punctuation, and grammar (SPaG). You can view the style manual here, however there is no need to review it before beginning creating. This will mostly apply to British vs. American spellings (colour vs. color), certain punctuation like the use of em-dashes, and how some dialogue is punctuated. All pieces will receive a final SPaG check before publication so if you do not feel confident with this standard, we will absolutely help you edit your piece to fit. If this is not your normal style of spelling and punctuation, it may be easier for you to write in your usual way and edit the changes after the piece is finished.

Format

You can submit your final files (and your check-in files) as a gdoc link or file, or another formatted text filetype like .docx or .odf. For providing feedback, your text may be copied into a google doc to make collaborative commenting easier. You will be given the opportunity to review a proof before your typesetting is finalized, but if you have concerns about any of your formatting coming through with the filetype you use, please get in touch and we can double check things.

Collaborations

Comic Scripts

Matches for collaborative comics will start with artists filling out a small survey about their preferences. Writers assigned a script will then have the opportunity to review those survey answers and select the partnerships they think would suit them best. We ask that you try to be as open and flexible as possible to make matching easier, but we don’t want to saddle anyone with a universe or genre they feel they can’t create for.

You will receive instructions for matching by email in the week before the creation period starts so keep an eye out! We are hoping to have all matches finalized by the beginning of the creation period.

Spot Illustrations

Matches for spot illustrations will begin with writers filling out a short survey about their preferences. Artists will then indicate to the mods which partnerships they think would suit them best. If you have been assigned a fic with spot illustrations and have not yet filled out the survey in your acceptance email please do so immediately. Once matches have been made, you should receive your match via email by the beginning of the creation period.

Feedback

If at any point between check-ins you feel like you need feedback on your piece, please don’t hesitate to share your WIP in the appropriate Discord channels and ask for the kind of feedback you’d like. If you’re not comfortable sharing in that manner, you can also reach out to the mod team, who will provide whatever support we can.

Check-Ins

Each fic will be reviewed by a member of the mod team after each check-in, however feedback will be provided as desired. At minimum, you will receive notice that your piece is in line with content restrictions and you are good to continue working. If you’d prefer more in-depth feedback, you will have the opportunity to indicate as such on your check-in form, and a mod will be in touch about details. If you prefer not to receive feedback during the creation process, we will only alert you if there is content in your piece that violates the content guidelines and will need to be altered.

Final Submission

Each fic will be reviewed by a member of the mod team after final submission and receiving feedback will not be optional, however you will be able to indicate the depth of feedback you wish to receive. Each fic submitted will receive a SPaG (spelling, punctuation, and grammar) edit by the mod team to ensure it complies with our set SPaG standard (see above), and any corrections will be confirmed with you before final typesetting. You will also have the option of requesting more in-depth review re: flow, word choice, pacing, plot, and characterization if you wish, though any changes of that nature will be ultimately under your discretion.