The Wind Beneath Me:
A Cyril Zine
About
The Wind Beneath Me is a physical charity zine focused on Cyril from Fire Emblem: Three Houses.
This will be a SFW zine that will feature general and shipping content of Cyril both pre- and post-timeskip.
This zine will feature 20-25 artists, 8-10 writers, and 3-5 merch artists.
The proceeds for The Wind Beneath Me will be donated to Defense for Children International Palestine.
Application Requirements
General Requirements:
At least one of your pitches should be a solo Cyril piece with no ships, but the other two may include romantic ships or gen/platonic relations if desired.Portfolio links may be in the form of a Google Drive folder, a curated website, an AO3 account for writers, and so forth—but please avoid linking your full social media. All samples must be SFW.Must be 16 years old or older by the time applications close (Nov 19).Must have a Discord account, as this is where all discussion and collaboration will occur.Must be willing to work with others. This is a collaborative project, and we would like everyone to get along to ensure this project feels fun and worthwhile for all involved.Because this zine is intended to be a safe space for creators and contributors, anyone in support of racism, colorism, homophobia, transphobia, xenophobia, or complacency with and acceptance of ships involving taboo content such as the following: incest, non-con, and pedophilia will not be allowed.
Note: All applications will be made anonymous to the team of reviewers.
Writers:
3 samples — all of which must be under 3,000 wordsIf you would like to write poetry, please include poetry samples; if you would like to write poetry or prose, include samples of bothAt least one FE3H sampleAt least one sample with a character of color (Cyril is recommended, but not required)Link to portfolioThree pitches of the type of piece you would like to create — at least one of these must be gen/platonic and not a romantic/shipping pitch, and at least one must be a solo Cyril pitch
Artists:
3 samplesAt least one FE3H sampleAt least one sample with a character of color (Cyril is recommended, but not required)Link to portfolioThree pitches of the type of piece you would like to create — at least one of these must be gen/platonic and not a romantic/shipping pitch, and at least one must be a solo Cyril pitch
Merch Artists:
3 samplesAt least one FE3H sampleRequired to have a merch piece of the type of merch you'd like to createLink to portfolioThree pitches of the type of piece you would like to create — at least one of these must be gen/platonic and not a romantic/shipping pitch, and at least one must be a solo Cyril pitch
Contributor Requirements
For the zine, we ask the following things of contributors:
Be polite, kind, and considerate to your fellow contributors and the modsHave a Discord account, or be willing to make one for all major communicationKeep us in the loop: turn in check-ins on-time, or ask for extensions a day in advance. If you ghost the project, you will have to forfeit your position in the zine
Writers:
Create one piece of prose [or poetry] no longer than 2k words [or 4 pages long] that adheres to your approved pitchMods Rai and Grey will provide a full beta-read after final submissions, but you are encouraged to ask for beta-reads/advice at any point in the creation process
Artists:
Create one full piece [at A5 size (148 x 210mm or 5.88 x 8.25 inches)] that adheres to your approved pitchMod Bushra will offer advice about the progress of your piece during the creation process, and you are encouraged to ask for advice at any time
Merch Artists:
Contribute your assigned pieces of merchandise, that adheres to your approved pitches/merch typesMod Bushra will offer advice about the progress of your piece during the creation process, and you are encouraged to ask for advice at any time
Schedule
Interest Check: 1 Sep-14 Sep
Contributor Applications: 18 Oct-19 Nov
Decisions Sent: 6 Dec
First Check-In: 31 Dec
Second Check-In: 28 Jan
Third Check-In: 25 Feb
Final Submission: 31 Mar
Pre-Order Period: 2 May-10 Jun
This schedule is subject to change based on the needs of the moderator team and the contributors.
Mods
Bushra
Head and Art Mod
Bushra is an illustrator and writer. They center their creative works around leftism, diasporic experiences, and found family. They have prior zine experience as the art moderator for Beyond the Horizon: a FE3H POC Zine.
Cyril, along with Khalid, is Bushra’s all-time favorite Fire Emblem character. For them, he represents growth and tenacity in the face of tragedy. A headcanon Bushra has of Cyril is that he makes sure to start his day with a cup of masala chaa. It’s a quiet moment of peace he holds for himself in the morning before he plunges into the chaos again.
Grey
Writing and Discord Mod
Mod Grey (VeloxVoid) has been writing Fire Emblem works since December 2019, contributing to the fandom frequently in zines, weeks, and big bang events. They have experience as a mod in 4 Fire Emblem fanzines, and thus are very excited to get to work on The Wind Beneath Me!
Cyril is Grey’s favourite Three Houses character, loving him since the original character reveals! Grey’s favourite Cyril headcanon is that he finds it comforting to be very warm when he sleeps, including sleeping in a big oversized sweater with a hot water bottle and wyvern plushie!
Rai
Writing and Social Media Mod
Rai is a writer and artist who has loved Fire Emblem since a young age and has written many works spanning multiple titles throughout the years. They value mental health and disability awareness, often exploring said themes in their writing.
Finding Cyril's character to be complex and interesting on many levels, he is not only Rai's favorite character but something very important to them as well. They headcanon Cyril to be artistically inclined, a sketchbook being one of his few personal belongings that he practices in during rare moments of leisure.
Maru
Finance Mod
Maru is an Illustrator and designer who loves to draw cute characters with engaging stories and vibrant aesthetics. She is also a small shop owner who sells cute merch of her original characters and select Pokémon.
Maru’s headcanon for Cyril is that he probably enjoys learning languages on the side. He finds interest in connecting and understanding people, and probably the challenge of it as well. He probably prefers speaking to wyverns though, they are a little less aggravating sometimes.
Devin
Production and Shipping Mod
Devin has six years of experience shipping online orders through their wife’s store. They were shipping mod for Cavalier: a Sylgrid zine, and A New Bloom: a Dedue zine. In their spare time they’re a writer, an artist, and a fates stan.
Devin’s favorite headcanon for Cyril is he has a difficult time accepting gifts, and not wanting to appear ungrateful he decorates his wyvern with them. His classmates catch on and start gifting him things like flower crowns. Nobody’s wyvern is as pretty as his.
SnailRoyal
Graphics Mod
SnailRoyal is forever shackled to the whims of their hubris, and so their work is never finished. While this will be their first experience as a Graphics mod for a zine, they do have prior experience as the graphics & publicity head for various organizations, as well as a contributing artist to other zine projects like: Fódlan Cuizine, Beyond the Horizon, and PinOP Calendar.
SnailRoyal’s favorite Cyril headcanon is that he raised his wyvern from an egg! When it hatched, it would follow him around the campus as he did his duties. After the timeskip, he is seen to have the strongest bond with a wyvern and can decimate a whole battlefield together.
FAQ
Is this zine for-profit or for charity?
This zine is for charity. The organization will be announced as the project continues. All zine profits will go to this organization.
Will this zine be physical or digital?
The zine will be physical.
Is this zine safe for work?
Yes, this zine will not contain any NSFW content.
Can I apply for more than one role (ex. both artist and writer)?
You may apply to more than one position, but you will only be accepted into one position for one zine.
How will contributors be compensated?
All contributors will receive a print copy of the zine, and if funds permit, will receive the full bundle (with merch).
Will shipping characters be allowed in this zine?
Yes, although we would prefer solo or gen/platonic pieces, we will allow romantic shipping. All pieces involving ships must center Cyril in the work. Only Cyril/student ships are permitted.
Will alternate universes (AUs) be allowed in this zine?
Yes! We love AUs and would love to see what ideas you have.