Beyond the Horizon

A FE3H POC Zine

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Mission

BEYOND THE HORIZON is a charity zine aiming to celebrate the characters of color in Fire Emblem: Three Houses through the works of creators of color.

The narrative of Three Houses is one that prioritizes characters that are coded as white. Whether it be the Tragedy of Duscur referring to regicide rather than the ensuing massacre of the Duscur people, or the reduction of the Goneril's use of kidnapped Almyran children as servants to a one-off line that is never addressed again, the narrative is largely unsympathetic to characters that are marginalized within Fódlan society. Their pain is used as a backdrop for conflict, but the story is more concerned with exploring the effects of those conflicts on white-coded characters.

Despite being part of a fictional setting, the majority of these marginalized characters are coded along familiar lines drawn within modern racial divides under white supremacy. That is, the characters that are not coded as white make up the marginalized.

Both the in-game narrative and fandom's consciousness fail to give these characters the same weight or consideration as those coded as white. For example, Glenn Fraldarius, despite having no lines or character portrait, is present in more fan content on AO3 than characters like Cyril or Hapi. An enormous amount of energy within the fandom is dedicated to expanding upon the background and personalities of white-coded characters in a way that is not afforded to characters of color. Just as they exist in game, they exist on the margins of fandom's consciousness, and often fail, even in transformative works, to grow beyond the limited bounds given to them by the developers.

This zine intends to draw the spotlight to these characters so underserved by the narrative. For creators of color, this should be an opportunity to explore portrayals from fresh perspectives that place these characters at the center of importance, and not at the borders where they reside in the Eurocentric fantasy that makes up Fódlan's design. We wish for this to be a celebration of their unique backgrounds and potential; one that expresses the joy that may be found within their pasts, and hope within their futures.

Characters of Color

Based on evidence from FE3H lore and support conversations, the included characters experience othering as a result of their race and/or coming from countries outside of Fódlan. Due to Fódlan being European-coded, a character of color in FE3H is anyone who is born in, mixed with, or a descendant of any of the countries outside of the four Fódlan provinces (Kingdom of Faerghus, Adrestian Empire, Leicester Alliance, and Garreg Mach). The only exceptions to this would be those such as Hapi and Balthus, who are descendants of minority populations casted away by Fódlan.

Zine Specs

We are aiming to create a printed A5, perfect bound, fully colored book, with digital merch options. Physical merch may also be included should we reach our stretch goals.

The zine will feature 10-25 page artists, 5-15 writers, and 3-7 merch artists.

This information is subject to change based on the number of applications received and the interest expressed in purchasing a physical zine.

Charity

Black LGBTQIA+ Migrant Project

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Applicant Requirements

General Requirements:

The Importance of Pitches:

Pitches will help us to determine application acceptances, as we would like to have a diverse range of characters and ideas represented in this zine. While we don't expect you to have a fully developed idea from the start, the more specific you are in your pitches, the better. We will accept both canon and AU content. Please make sure to familiarize yourself with the characters to be included in this zine before submitting your pitches.

Note: All applications will be made anonymous to the team of reviewers.
You may apply to more than one position and to both the print and DLC zines, but you will only be accepted into one position for one zine.

Artist Requirements:

Three samples — This is a SFW zine; SFW samples only

All samples should be placed into a Google Drive folder, with each one labeled by number only (Ex: Sample 1)A link to your portfolio hosted to Google Drive or your own websiteAt least one sample must depict a character of colorAt least one sample must be related to FE3HArt samples, ideally fully colored with backgrounds, must demonstrate clear understanding of anatomy, composition, and color
Three pitches

Pitches must focus on characters of colorThis is not a shipping-focused zine; romantic ships that include only characters of color are preferredContributors are encouraged to explore their cultural headcanons for the characters of color; if they would like to include a specific cultural tradition, they are free to do so

Writer Requirements

Three samples — This is a SFW zine; SFW samples only
All samples should be placed into a Google Drive folder, with each one labeled by number only (Ex: Sample 1)2.5k words at most per sample, with at least one being a completed pieceAt least one sample must depict a character of color At least one sample must be related to FE3HA link to your portfolio hosted to Google Drive, your own website, or a fan fiction websiteWritten samples must demonstrate clear understanding of grammar, punctuation, and storytelling
Three pitches
Pitches must focus on characters of colorThis is not a shipping-focused zine; romantic ships that include only characters of color are preferredPreference will be given to fics that only have characters of colorIt is preferred that the piece is written from the perspective of at least one character of colorContributors are encouraged to explore their cultural headcanons for the characters of color; if they would like to include a specific cultural tradition, they are free to do so

Merch Artist Requirements:

Three samples — This is a SFW zine; SFW samples only
All samples should be placed into a Google Drive folder, with each one labeled by number only (Ex: Sample 1)A link to your portfolio hosted to Google Drive, your own website, or your own webstoreAt least one sample must include a character of colorAt least one sample must be related to FE3HSamples must demonstrate clear understanding of composition, color, and anatomy for non-chibi work
Three pitches
Pitches must focus on character of colorsThis is not a shipping-focused zine; romantic ships that include only characters of color are preferredContributors are encouraged to explore their cultural headcanons for the characters of color; if they would like to include a specific cultural tradition, they are free to do so

DLC Zine Application Requirements:

Three SFW samples — This is a SFW zine; SFW portfolio works only

All samples should be placed into a Google Drive folder, with each one labeled by number only (Ex: Sample 1)Due to the nature of this project, we will be waiving the requirement to include a sample that depicts a character of color and/or is related to FE3H. That said, if you do have samples handy which fulfill those requirements, we highly encourage you to include themIf you are interested in contributing written work, 2.5k words at most per sample, with at least one being a completed piece
Three pitches

Pitches must focus on characters of colorThis is not a shipping-focused zine; romantic ships that include only characters of color are preferredContributors are encouraged to explore their cultural headcanons for the characters of color; if they would like to include a specific cultural tradition, they are free to do so

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Schedule

This schedule is subject to change based on the needs of the moderator team and the contributors.

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FAQ

Why is this zine so light-hearted and full of jokes? Shouldn't you be taking the characters of color and their experiences more seriously?
When creating spaces for uplifting POC, or any marginalized group, it's important to define what the space is as well as its purpose. Sometimes that purpose involves more serious portrayals and discussions that break down white supremacy in intimate detail, but for this zine that is not the goal. The goal is to have a space where POC feel comfortable engaging and having fun with fandom when they're rarely given the chance to, due to the consistently racist and neglectful treatment by white fans. We are choosing to have a space that doesn't shy away from discussing race in fandom, but where the focus is on the act of creation and the joy of POC. We believe that this separation is an important boundary to acknowledge because both are essential and neither are mutually exclusive from the other. However, having a dedicated space to the goofs and antics of POC is something we feel strongly about. Engaging with anti-racist work can be an experience that holds a lot of anger, re-traumatization, and pain. It's something that needs to be done, but for this space we are hoping to offer a reprieve from that and to remind creators of color that they can have fun, too.
What do you mean by "creator of color"?
Because Fódlan is coded to be read as fantasy Europe, and the story places the most weight on the perspectives of white-coded characters, we want this to be a zine allowing those on the margins to tell their own stories through art and writing. Those people, in the context of this zine, are people of color, who have been historically oppressed for their racial identity by systematically engrained white supremacy. That being said, because defining POC has been debated since the term's conception, this is a working definition that may be subject to change.
To put it simply: If you identify as a person of color, we encourage you to apply!


How will you determine if an applicant is a person of color?
As it is not within our place or right to know personal information about our potential contributors, we will be including in the contributor application a similar question as follows: Do you identify as a person of color? Yes/No. An optional section will be included for those who want to self identify. This is a system of trust, and we hope that those who do not identify as POC do not claim otherwise. We will not tolerate race faking of any kind.
Is this an international zine?
Yes! We would love to have contributors from all over the world. Should the zine be successful enough to go to physical print, we hope to include shipping options beyond the United States.
If you have any questions that weren't answered in this carrd, please visit this link to view questions that have been answered since the posting of this FAQ. If your question has not been answered, please reach out to us through the question mark (?) icon below.

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A New Dawn - DLC Digital Companion Zine

BEYOND THE HORIZON is excited to announce the addition of a special DLC zine, A NEW DAWN! This zine is a digital-exclusive companion zine featuring creative work that would normally be considered “non-traditional” for a zine. With this project, we aim to celebrate the works of people of color in all their forms, particularly those which have traditionally been left out of zines

Some examples of work we are looking to include (but are in no way limited to):
Essays (whether on the characters of color or how the fandom interacts with them)MusicKnitting patternsCeramics, pottery, and sculpturesCosplayFan games (video games or downloadable board games)Recipe cardsAlternative writing (scripts, choose your own adventure stories, etc.)
As long as it can feasibly be included in a digital zine, potential contributors may pitch just about anything! We will not be accepting pitches for “standard” fanfiction or fan art.

Like the print zine, A NEW DAWN will focus on promoting the works of people of color. The number of contributors accepted into this zine will be determined based on the quantity and quality of the applications submitted. This zine is currently planned to be included for free with any purchased zine bundle, but will also be available to download on its own on a pay-what-you-want basis.

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