Welcome to COMET; an unofficial Pokemon astrology zine!
About
COMET is an unofficial Pokemon astrology zine.The intention of this zine is to be a creative project, as well as a learning experience for anyone interested in western astrology. There will be a mixture of informational text alongside creative works.
A5 zine
Physical and digital copies
Full Colour
Non-profit with a charity to be voted upon by our contributors!
18 page artists, 1 cover artist, 8 merch artists
2 astrology writers, 4 fic writers
Contributors will be compensated with a digital zine as the bare minimum.
Please note you do not need extensive knowledge of western astrology to apply, however it would be a nice asset to have!
Schedule
Schedule is tentative and subject to change.
| Milestone | Date |
|---|---|
| Announcement | Dec 12th |
| Interest Check Opens | Jan 1st |
| Interest Check Closes | Jan 29th |
| Applications Open | Feb 6th |
| Applications Close | Mar 17th |
| Results Sent - Creation Period | Mar 20th |
| Check-in 1 | Apr 1st |
| Check-in 2 | May 6th |
| Final Submission | June 3rd |
| Formatting Period + Wiggle Room | June |
| Pre-orders Begin | Jul 1st |
| Pre-orders End | Jul 31st |
| Production Begins | Aug 1st |
| Shipping Begins | Sept 1st |
| Left-over Sales | Oct 30th |
| Left-over Sales Cut-off | Nov 19th |
Moderators
| Mod | Role | Contact | Experience |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ree | Social Media | +:｡.｡★｡.｡:+ | |
| Miniyuna | Art | +:｡.｡☆｡.｡:+ | |
| Cym | Graphics | +:｡.｡☆｡.｡:+ | |
| Kuroi | Writing | +:｡.｡★｡.｡:+ | |
| Mai | Finance | +:｡.｡☆｡.｡:+ | |
| Calamari | Production | Website | +:｡.｡★｡.｡:+ |
| Soul | Organization, Shipping | +:｡.｡☆｡.｡:+ | |
| G | Intern | +:｡.｡★｡.｡:+ |
F.A.Q.
Q. Is this zine only going to be about sun signs? It would be awesome to have a section on moon signs and rising signs as well. This could be like, the ultimate Pokemon-themed astrology handbook. :D
That was exactly our intention with this project! We hope to be a beginners guide into astrology, so while we won't be going super in depth - we hope to become the "ultimate Pokemon-themed astrology handbook".
Q. Where will this zine ship from?
This zine will ship from the United States!
Q. Will anime characters be included, or will it only feature the games? Also, will trainers be the focus or the Pokemon?
We hope to feature a wide variety of characters from the Pokemon series. Whether it be the trainers, the Pokemon, from the anime or from the games!
Q. Will this feature only Western astrology or will other forms of astrology be present in the zine e.g. Chinese astrology, Vedic astrology?
This zine will feature Western astrology.
Please understand that we would love this zine to be big enough to encompass all kinds of astrology, but due to the topic being as large as the skies themselves - we have to focus our efforts on only one type of astrology.
Q. I’d like to contribute as a fic writer, but I’m not sure how I’d write a fic with an astrology theme
Regarding written content, we have split our writers into two categories - Astrologists and Fic writers!Astrologists will write the informational text, the "what makes a leo a leo" content.Fic writers are different, as they will be assigned an element and asked to create content regarding that element. (ex. You were assigned the Fire element, so you decided to write about Charizard).
Application Links
Contributor Expectations
Page Artists
Artists will be assigned one Pokemon type to depict based on the preferences specified during the application period. Each artist is allotted one page, but may request a spread. Collaborations with writers will take the form of vignettes and spot illustrations, and will be assigned on top of your page artwork based on the preferences specified during the application period. Signatures are allowed on your artwork as long as they do not disrupt the piece. Streaming of pieces is allowed up to the finished stages, as long as you promote the zine while doing so.Merch Artists
Merchandise will be assigned based on the preferences specified during the application period. Collaborations with writers will take the form of vignettes and spot illustrations, and will be assigned on top of your merch artwork based on the preferences specified during the application period. All merch artists must adhere to the templates provided, as the templates have instructions on them from the manufacturer themselves.Astrology Writers
Astrology writers will work together to create informational text regarding the signs, and how they could relate to the Pokemon world.Fic Writers
Fic writers will be assigned an element based on the preferences specified during the application period. Fic writers will be writing one fic of 1 to 2k words. Our Writer Moderator will work alongside you to make sure you stay within the theme and provide a writing template within our Discord server.
Piece Expectations
Mods will be looking for pieces that combine Pokemon with astrology, which can be interpreted in many ways:
- A pokemon like Lunala spreading their wings and showing off the constellations inside them
- Pokemon with elements (fire, earth, air, water)
- Pokemon interacting with different expressions that portray their disposition and how that relates to a sign or element (ex: Piplup spawning little water spheres to attack when annoyed)
- A spread exploring different signs through pokemon (so a group of pokemon you think might fit under a certain sign with the sign hidden somewhere or displaying characteristics of the sign)
- Pokemon and star imagery; any space looking pokemon would fit.
- Gen-specific things having to do with stars and space, (such as the delta episode in or/as or the scene with Shauna, etc)
- For writers, we're looking to focus on research-based writing about astrology as well as fiction.
Portfolio Guidelines
All Applicants
- Applications are expected to have three samples provided alongside the portfolio.
- All portfolios should have little to no filler in between the completed focal points.
- There will be a section on the application for content warnings. Please use it.
- Any website submitted is viable as long as it is legible and easy to navigate.
- Double-check that your links work — especially for Google Drive users! A quick and easy way to check this is to view your portfolio on a private window (incognito mode).Page Artists
- Page artist portfolios must have pieces that are fully rendered, with a fleshed-out background — the kind of pieces you would submit to a zine! Depictions of Pokemon are encouraged but not required. If you do not have Pokemon art to submit, please submit artwork that you believe will best fit the zine theme. Overall, we will be looking for an understanding of anatomy, composition, and color theory.Merch Artists
- Merch artist portfolios must have pieces with a simpler style that will lend well to merchandise creation. Depictions of Pokemon characters are encouraged but not required. If you do not have Pokemon art to submit, please submit artwork that you believe will best fit the zine theme. Backgrounds are not necessary. Overall, we will be looking for an understanding of anatomy, composition, color theory, as well as scalability of art for merchandise purposesWriters
Writer portfolios must have pieces with a minimum of 100 words and a maximum of 2000 words. Samples of larger chapter-based fics are fine, but we expect at least one completed work. Depictions of Pokemon are encouraged but not required. If you do not have Pokemon art to submit, please submit artwork that you believe will best fit the zine theme. A sample of the style you would like to contribute to the zine with (ie. astrology information vs fics) would be highly appreciated.