Cheers! A Dionysus Fanzine

This Zine has officially concluded!
Thank you all for your support <3

Last updated: July 25th 2023

Schedule & FAQ
Mod Team
Product Details
Contributor Line-Up
Bigcartel

Schedule & FAQ

SCHEDULE:
~~October 18 - Nov 7th: Interest check~~
~~Nov 22nd - Dec 19th: Contributor apps~~
~~December 20th - January 2nd: Contributor evaluations~~
~~January 10th: Contributor results sent~~
~~January 16th: Pitches due~~
~~January 30th: Check-in 1~~
~~January 31st - February 6th: Feedback phase~~
~~February 27th: Check-in 2~~
~~February 28th - March 6th: Feedback phase~~
~~March 27th: Check-in 3~~
~~March 28th - April 3rd: Feedback phase~~
~~April 24th: Final pieces due~~
~~May 1st: Last-minute changes due~~
~~Throughout May: Promo Events~~
~~June 1st: Pre-orders open~~
~~July 31st: Pre-orders close~~
~~August and onward: Production & Shipment~~
This Project is now completed! (July 25th 2023)

About
Cheers! is an unofficial English-language print and digital fanzine, centered on Dionysus from Supergiant's video game Hades. This zine is all about showcasing our favorite God of Wine, Madness, Theater, Androgyny, and so much more! Due to themes of alcohol, participation and purchase of the zine will be limited to those aged 18 and above. We will also feature a smaller printed NSFW companion zine, Bottoms Up!
We have an anti-hate and anti-discrimination policy with everything relating to our zine. That means that we will tolerate no forms of racism, sexism, ableism, fat- or queerphobia here, and the same goes for any other type of discrimination and hate speech. This zine is not a place of discourse! We also understand that colourism and whitewashing are an issue within fandom communities — we are therefore are making every effort to combat this by bringing on sensitivity monitors and actively following the advice given.What is the zine's stance on ships?
Our stance is that all ships featuring Dionysus and other characters from Hades will be accepted. If you're interested in depicting characters that aren't featured in Hades, but are part of Greek mythology, that's also possible! We hope to feature a good spread of solo-Dionysus content, as well as romantic and platonic relationships — sexually explicit content is reserved for Bottoms Up!, our NSFW companion. Non-con or dub-con will not be featured in either zine; this includes sexual content involving minors.Anything else I need to know?
Yes, three things!
1) This project's proceeds will go towards contributor compensation! You can find our compensation model at the bottom of the contributor info page.
2) Cheers! and its NSFW companion Bottoms Up! are unofficial fanzines and not affiliated with Supergiant Games in any capacity.
3) However, honoring SGG's sustainable workflows, we have also implemented an anti-crunch policy and are commited to prioritizing the well-being of our contributors and staff above all else.Where can I find the results of your interest check?
Right here! In total, we received 169 responses (nice), all of which gave us tremendously valuable input on potential directions we could take the zine. Thanks so much for your input!

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Meet the Mods!

Graphics & Organisation Mod Artsy
(she/they)
Dionysus just lives off of vibes and having a good time — and god Artsy wishes that was her.
Twitter | Tumblr

Finance Mod Asteria
(she/her)
Asteria cannot wait to learn more about Dionysus throughout this zine's life cycle!Carrd | Twitter | Tumblr

Merch & Production / Shipping Mod Noct
(she/her)
Noct just thinks Dionysus is neat, pretty, and has that good kind of chaos energy!
Carrd

Art / Writer & Layout Mod Tulip
(he/him)
Dionysus sure as heck knows how to party — and while Tulip aspires to be like him, he's stuck at cowboy school and doing two bachelor's. Good times.
Carrd | Twitter | Tumblr

Socials & Sensitivity Mod Nat
(she/they)
Dionysus is just so flipping pretty and such a cool dude — and Nat is beyond excited that there's this awesome zine to honor him and give him the love he deserves!
Instagram | Tumblr

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Product Details

Our Project has now concluded and we will be leaving the store closed indefinitely. Thank you for your support!

What exactly is a zine?
A fanzine is a self-published anthology of works by and for a particular fandom community. Supergiant has confirmed through their Twitter that they allow this under certain conditions, which we will strive to fulfill. For instance, we have a temporal limit on our pre-orders, thus avoiding mass-production.When and how can I get my copy?
Thank you so much for your enthusiasm and support! Our pre-orders are open from June 1st to July 12th; Click here to view our store and our bundles!Will you ship to me?
Our goal is to ship the zine globally; however, with the ongoing COVID-19-pandemic, we are not able to make any predictions at this point.
Regarding UK Shipment, we are currently only able to ship flat items (i.e. physical zines and paper merch); we apologize for any inconvenience. We will keep you updated on further shipping-related information; if you have any other questions, feel free to send us an E-Mail or a Twitter DM!What will the zine look like?
The main SFW zine, Cheers!, will be released as a 8x10 inch perfect bound zine; the NSFW companion, Bottoms Up!, will also be available for purchase in print, and come as a stapled booklet in A5 format!
For physical merchandise, we are planning to offer notepads, drink coasters, washi tape, prints, and acrylic charms; digital merchandise will come in the shape of emote sets, wallpapers, and drink recipes. Besides that, Cheers! will also feature several stretch goals such as sticker sheets — stay tuned!

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Contributor Information

Our Contributor Line-Up has been released, thus we have archived this page :)

When can I apply?
Thank you for your interest — our contributor apps are now closed, but you can expect results to be sent to everyone by January 9th!How many contributors will you accept?
We are planning to feature up to 10 writers, up to 30 page artists, and up to 7 merch artists, guest contributors included — depending on the amount of applications received, those numbers may change.
Every contributor will by default work on the main SFW zine, with participation in the NSFW zine being on an additional, opt-in basis; however, due to the NSFW zine's planned physical release, slots may be limited.Do I need to be over 18 to contribute?
Yes — due to themes of alcohol, participation in and purchase of Cheers! will be limited to those aged 18 and above.What do I need to apply as a writer?
For writers, we request a Google Drive portfolio of at least 3 pieces, each no longer than 2,000 words. The total wordcount of the portfolio should not exceed 8,000 words. At least one of the works must be complete, whereas the rest can be excerpts from longer fics or pieces. Ideally, at least one of the works will feature Dionysus or other Hades characters in some capacity, but that is not a requirement. Content warnings and a list of ships must be provided, either at the top of each piece or in a separate document! PDF files are strongly preferred.
You will also be able to provide us with up to three pitches of what you'd like to write — while not mandatory, keep in mind that an interesting pitch may give you an edge over the other applicants!
If you're also interested in working on the NSFW companion zine, please make sure your portfolio also showcases your skills in that regard.What do I need to apply as a page artist?
For page artists, we request a Google Drive portfolio of exactly 3 pieces, preferably in the art style you would like to create in. You will also be able to link us to an extended portfolio through any social media site containing more illustrations, should you so choose, but we will primary rely on the 3 sample pieces.
Within the Drive folder, we request a Google Doc containing ships and content warnings, if necessary. At least one of your illustrations should have a completed background. Hades- or Dionysus-centric pieces are preferred, but not required.
If your art is traditional, please make sure it is scanned at at least 300 DPI. You will be asked additional questions in the application about your levels of interest concerning drawing Dionysus and related content.
If you're also interested in working on the NSFW companion zine, please make sure your portfolio also showcases your skills in that regard; in that case, the total limit of submitted pieces will be 4 instead of 3.What do I need to apply as a merch artist?
For merch artists, we request a Google Drive portfolio of 3 sample pieces in an art style fitting to the types of merch you're interested in creating. Those sample pieces do not have to be of actual merch — we will prioritise design skills over merch experience! You will be able to select in your application which merch types you'd like to work on; currently, we are planning to feature sticker sheets, washi tape, prints, acrylic charms, notepads, emote sets, wallpapers, and recipe cards.What will the judging process be like?
We will be evaluating the linked pieces anonymously — therefore, make sure that your folder/file titles do not contain any identifying information such as your name or social media handles (art signatures can be left in, however). The reason we are requesting that your samples are uploaded to Google Drive instead of an external site (Twitter, Instagram, AO3) directly credited to your name is to ensure an impartial voting process. While you are encouraged to link us to an additional portfolio that can be on an external site, you are not required to.
Our request for direct and anonymous samples is to provide an extra layer of security to verify that the mod panel is not inadvertently voting based on social media following or other perceived biases. While all of the mods will have a say in the judging process, the art and writing mods will have the most prerogative regarding their respective contributors.Can I feature non-Hades characters from Greek mythology?
Yes, absolutely, as long as the connection to Dionysus is clear and this figure's relationship to him is centered in some way or another. We're excited to see what you can come up with!How about ships?
As stated in our FAQ section, we are open to showcasing any and all ships between Dionysus and other characters, so long as they are consensual. What ships will be featured will depend solely on contributor pitches!Can I apply for more than one position?
Yes, you are welcome to apply to more than one position — however, we are at present planning to feature as many different contributors as possible. Therefore, we will only be able to accept you for one main position (writer, page artist, or merch artist).Will you feature collabs?
Yes! Cheers! and Bottoms Up! are open to featuring collabs between page artists and writers. However, we will not be able to provide matching services for our contributors, so please already have a set partner you want to work together with. You will be able to indicate in your application form whether you have a collab partner, and if both of you are accepted as contributors, you're welcome to create the multimedia-piece of your dreams! Whether that's with accompanying artwork, spot illustrations, comics, or something else is up to you to determine.What will contributors create?
Cheers! is focused on canon- and canon-adjacent depictions of Dionysus! This extends to pre-canon, post-canon, and canon-divergent settings, and if you're interested in depicting other characters from mythology that didn't make it into Hades, that's definitely going to be possible — as long as the focus is on that character's relationship with Dionysus.
- Writers will create a one-shot fic between 1,500 and 2,000 words; for the NSFW companion, the targeted wordcount will be between 1,500 and 2,500.
- Page artists will create a one-page illustration, with a limited amount of slots reserved for comics or spreads; the same goes for the NSFW companion zine.
- Every merch artist will be responsible for the design of two items — Cheers! will feature sticker sheets, notepads, drink coasters, washi tape, prints, and acrylic charms as physical merch, and emote sets, wallpapers, and drink recipes as digital merch, as well as an enamel pin stretch goal. Some item types will have multiple items associated with them; at present, we are aiming for all our awesome merchandise to be SFW!Your schedule mentions feedback phases. What are those?
As you may have seen in our schedule, every check-in is followed by a 1-week feedback phase. During that week, our mods will provide you with feedback on your piece and give tips and suggestions on where you could take it. All contributors must therefore be willing to work with the feedback provided by the mods. In the case of writing, this means advice about e.g. characterization or pacing, whereas in the case of page art and merch art, this means advice about e.g. composition or anatomy.
Do not see this as us backseat-driving your artistic vision — rather, consider this an opportunity to hone your skills and make your zine piece the best version it could possibly be!What will be expected of me?
A general attitude of respect and courtesy is expected! This zine has a strict policy opposing any sort of hate speech and discrimination, and we will further not tolerate any ship-bashing in this zine. Our goal is to make this project as inclusive and safe for everyone as possible!
Furthermore, you must be willing to contribute the piece you have agreed to work on within the given timeline, and also willing to work with the feedback the mods will provide you with. If you experience any scheduling concerns, please always let the mods know in advance so we can accommodate that and find the work flow that is best for you — but clear communication from you and accountability in that regard are necessary. Therefore, missing two check-ins without prior notification will result in us reaching out to our pinch-hitter team.
We will be using Discord as our primary communication platform. However, if that is not accessible for you, please reach out to us and we will do our best to find a solution that works for everyone involved!What can I expect?
You can expect a caring, anti-crunch team! We are committed to making this project an enjoyable and fun experience for everyone involved, and good organization and communication is a key component of that. The well-being of all our contributors is a priority for us, and you can always approach us if you have questions, comments, or concerns — we're always looking to improve and will be happy to do what we can so you have a good time working on Cheers!.How will contributors be compensated?
Depending on the results of our preorders, we will work according to the following tiered system:
- Tier 1: Physical copy of the SFW zine provided, remaining items at production cost & shipping!
- Tier 2: Physical copy of both the SFW and NSFW zine provided, merch and extra copies at production cost & shipping!
- Tier 3: Full physical bundle (merch and NSFW zine included) provided, partial shipping coverage!
- Tier 4: Full physical bundle and shipping covered for all contributors!Please note that all tiers above are assuming that profit is made following production cost, which we unfortunately cannot guarantee at this point in time; however, regardless of break-even point or tier reached, contributors will be compensated with a full digital bundle and everyone will be able to purchase up to 3 full physical bundles at production cost & shipping!
Any financial proceeds made after the funding of Tier 4 will be equally split amongst all contributors. Contributors not wishing to receive financial compensation may opt out fully or request its value in a voucher that can be redeemed for additional zine items; the same applies to contributors not wishing to receive a physical copy of the NSFW zine.I have a question that wasn't answered here. What do I do?
CuriousCat doesn't seem to work at the moment — therefore, please direct any questions you might have to our Twitter DMs or our email account! You'll find the links for that below.

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Contributor Line-up

Contributor Info
Bigcartel
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