+ SOMEWHERE IN THE HEAVENS +
A MARATHON FANZINE
+ ABOUT +
SOMEWHERE IN THE HEAVENS is a for-charity unofficial fanzine dedicated to celebrating the artistic side of the Marathon community. This zine will be safe for work and contributors must be 18 or older to participate.Interest check results are currently being reviewed. Moderator applications will be opening soon -- stay tuned!Questions? Feel free to reach out to us at any of our socials linked below, or shoot us an email ([email protected])!
+ MODS +
SKIP | ONETHOUSXNDVOICES
Head Mod, Organization, Accounting / Fulfillment | they/she/he
Howdy, I'm Skip! I've been a Bungie fan since the D1 days, but I was pleasantly surprised to see how much Marathon ended up captivating me. I gave it a shot during the Server Slam and absolutely fell in love with it :) I'm a Thief / Triage main and my favorite faction is NuCaloric!I have a couple years' worth of experience with making merch and running an online storefront (which you can check out here!). I've also been a page artist for a number of different zines (INFINITY: A Generation Loss Zine; Hi-Fi RUSH: ENCORE!; Hi-Fi RUSH: MEGAMIX; Strike True, Weapon - Cover Artist), but this is my first time stepping up to bat as an organizer! I can't wait to share this project with you all <3
Hi everyone! I'm Blaze, a part-time Traxus employee & full-time idiot. I'm terrible at this game and die first in every teamfight, but I love playing it and I love this game's art.I'll be responsible for assembling & formatting the final zine, along with other behind-the-scenes organization work. Please name your files correctly & follow size specifications, or I'll be forced to send my spider drone after you....
+ SCHEDULE +
| Event | Timeframe |
|---|---|
| Interest Check | [ COMPLETE ] |
| Mod Applications | May 22 - June 14 |
| Contributor Applications | June 29 - July 19 |
| Contributor Results | July 27 - 29 |
| Check-In 1 | September 2 |
| Check-In 2 | October 7 |
| Final Submissions | November 6 |
| Formatting + Production Period | November - December |
| Pre-Order Period | December |
| Shop Opens | December - January |
| Fulfillment + Delivery | January - February |
+ GUIDELINES +
PROJECT GUIDELINES
Applicants MUST be 18 years or older to participate.
A Discord account is required. Due to the scale of a collaborative project like a fanzine, the most convenient way to communicate with contributors is through our Discord server. Invites will be sent out shortly after the Contributor Applications period has ended.
Generative AI will not be tolerated in any capacity. Applications sent to us that contain genAI will be automatically disqualified from the selection process, and any use of genAI both within and outside the project will be grounds for dismissal from the zine.
GENERAL APPLICATION GUIDELINES
No prior zine experience is needed to apply! We welcome any and all experience levels of zine contribution. If this is your first time participating in a project like this, this is your opportunity to try it out!
Applicants MUST have a viewable digital portfolio. A Google Drive folder with share settings on is ideal, but we also accept links to art blogs/social media platforms.
Portfolio pieces should reflect the type of contribution you are applying for. For example, page artists should send in illustrations; merch artists should send in examples of merch they've made; and writers should send in pieces that generally match the format they plan to submit their piece in.
Portfolio submissions do NOT have to be Marathon related! While Marathon fan art is a plus, ANY pieces that showcase what you want to offer to the project are happily welcomed.
MOD APPLICATION GUIDELINES
Mods must be 18 years or older to participate.
Mod experience is recommended, but not required. We will prioritize applications that showcase previous mod experience on other zine projects, but all experience levels are welcome!
Critique experience is required. Mods must be ready to provide feedback to contributors throughout the project in a friendly but professional manner.
Moderating is a major undertaking. Consistent communication, adaptability, and commitment to long-term projects will be expected from ALL members of the mod team to ensure the zine progresses as smoothly as possible. Please do not apply to be a moderator if you are unable to dedicate a significant amount of time to this project.
PAGE ARTIST APPLICATION GUIDELINES
Portfolios must contain 3-5 pieces. Applications with less than 3 pieces will not be reviewed.
Submitted artwork must be in the style you intend to use for the project.
Final submission expectations will be one fully-rendered page OR a two-page spread with a background.
MERCH ARTIST APPLICATION GUIDELINES
Portfolios must contain 3-5 pieces. Applications with less than 3 pieces will not be reviewed.
Submitted artwork must be in the style you intend to use for the project.
Fully physical merchandise photos are preferred, but not required. Please feel free to send in mockups or digital files if you have them!
Final submission expectations will be one to two merch pieces, depending on the final scope of the project.
WRITER APPLICATION GUIDELINES
Portfolios must contain 2-4 works between 500-2.5k words per piece. Applications with less than 2 or more than 4 works will not be reviewed.
Samples are encouraged! You are free to pull excerpts from longer works as long as they fit within the application word count range.
Submitted work should be written in the style you intend to use for the project.
Portfolios must be written in English. (British English and American English are both accepted.)
Final submission expectations will be around 2.5k words maximum.
+ FAQ +
+ What is a fanzine?
A fanzine is generally a collaborative artistic project featuring fan art and fanfiction of a specific subject. It is independently published and can sometimes include fan-made merchandise.
+ Is there an age requirement to participate?
Yes. All mods and contributors must be 18 years or older at the time of application to participate in Somewhere in the Heavens.
+ Will this zine be Safe for Work?
Yes. We intend for this zine to be for all audiences.
+ Is this a paid zine?
Yes, this is a paid, for-charity zine that will come with merch bundle options at different prices. Price listings will be finalized closer to opening pre-orders.All profits will be donated to [CHARITY TBD].Contributors will be provided a free copy of the zine / merch bundle as compensation for participating in the project.
+ Will this zine be digital or physical?
Due to popular demand, we will be doing both!
+ Will there be merchandise?
Yes! The zine will include several different physical merch bundles to choose from, and all physical zine purchases will come with a digital copy + the digital merch bundle baked in.
+ Will shipping/OC content be allowed?
Generally, no; the primary focus of Somewhere in the Heavens is on the game / world / characters of Marathon. Ship content can be implied, but it should not be the focus of a contributor's piece.OCs will generally not be allowed, but custom Runner skins are happily welcomed. If you have a unique design for one of the Runners that you'd like to use in your piece, go for it -- just make sure that the base Shell is still easily recognizable!
+ What counts as a "custom runner shell"?
Just about anything, so long as the design 1) fits the overall aesthetic of the game and 2) is easily recognizable as a custom design for a canon Runner Shell. This also includes furry/anthropomorphic renditions of the shells!
+ Will 3D art / game photography be permitted?
Since this zine will be sold to paying customers, we cannot permit game photography on its own in order to avoid any possible copyright infringement. However, 3D art made in Blender, photo collages, etc. ARE allowed (and encouraged!) -- the only requirement is that these contributions MUST be transformative in some way.
+ Will there be collab opportunities?
Ideally, yes! Depending on the final number of contributor applications we receive, we will open up opportunities for writers and page artists to collaborate on a piece together. The mod team will communicate further details to the contributors once logistics are finalized.
+ How will you communicate updates on the project? / What if I have other questions?
Application results will be sent via email.
Contributors will be invited to our zine Discord, through which all production communications will be hosted.
Supporters of the zine can keep in touch with us via our social media channels or our email ([email protected]).