Bound by Blood is a passion-fueled fan project dedicated to showing our dear vampire companion, Astarion, some much needed love. We will be a digital focused zine for charity to keep the project at a lower cost for everyone to enjoy. The charity will be decided at a later date and by the community.Contributor Apps are closed. Emails will be sent out by June 8th unless an extension is needed.Be sure to follow our socials for more frequent updates.
The mod team is voluntarily working on this project out of passion and not for profit. Our focus is to ensure that all contributors have the creative freedom to use their talents to celebrate the fandom as a collaboration.
We are honored to have been able to bring on a group of talented and passionate creators for this project. Ninety-three contributors in total to be exact! Trust us when we say there's going to be an absolute feast by the time it's all done. <3(We will be adding them all as we complete their spotlights.)
Bound by Bound
Main SFW Zine
Artists
Cosplayers
Writers
Ascended
An NSFW Add-on
Artists
Cosplayers
Writers
This schedule is meant to give you an idea of the timeline expected for the zine but nothing is set in stone. Depending on the needs of our mods and contributors, the schedule is subject to change.Follow our socials for updates.
| Phase | Dates |
|---|---|
| Creation Phase | June 15th - Nov. 16th |
| Pitches Due | June 29th |
| Pitches Assigned | July 6th |
| Check-in 1 (Short outline/Rough Sketches) | July 27th |
| Check-in 2 (25% done/Spot Art Sketches) | Aug 24th |
| Check-in 3 (50% done) | September 21st |
| Check-in 4 (75%-100% done) | Oct. 19th |
| Deadline for Finished Pieces (100% done) | Nov 16th |
| Formatting | Nov 17th-Dec 14th |
| Release | TBA |
The following guidelines are for all applicants interested in joining the project. Be sure to read through them carefully before applying to ensure that you're following the requirements laid out for the zine. For further instruction on specific guidelines such as Artist, Writer, and Cosplay, please use the links provided above.Contributor Applications are closed.
Must be at least 18 years of age to apply.
Any Google links you share must have viewing permissions set correctly or we cannot see them!
Either have Discord or be willing to create an account since this will be the primary method of communicating.
Carefully read through the Artist/Writer/Cosplay guidelines when applying. Keep in mind the word count and required quality for submissions as straying from these could affect your application.
Please try to keep your application as anonymous as possible. We want to give everyone a fair chance.
NSFW samples are accepted but those containing sensitive content such as non-con, dub-con, blood, gore, etc, must be tagged accordingly. If you have any questions as to what could be considered a trigger, please reach out to the head mod or use our Retrospring to inquire. (It is always good practice to have a separate section in your portfolio for NSFW content to keep it divided.)
Sexual content involving underaged characters is the only thing not allowed. Everything else is fair game.
Tav/OC and ship content is encouraged, especially if Astarion is involved.
You do not need to have any Astarion or BG3 samples in your portfolio but it is encouraged.
The NSFW section will have a mix of different adult themes ranging from sexual content, darker angst, blood/gore, and extreme feels. Anything that's not suited for the SFW section.
AI is prohibited. Any portfolio found to include AI will be immediately tossed out. Any contributors found to be using AI generation will be asked to leave the project.
Page, Comic & Spot Art
All general guidelines still apply.
3-5 high-quality samples of your work. Not all of them have to be BG3 or Astarion related, if at all. Samples will give us a quick look into your work and can be included in your portfolio if you so choose.
At least 1 of your samples must have a background. Having more is encouraged.
Your portfolio should include as much of what you would deem your best work for our moderators to see! We want to see your use of color theory, anatomy, composition, light, shading, and backgrounds (if applicable).
You may submit traditional art just as long as it is a high-quality scan/photo, so we can see your hard work.
You may submit 3D art if that is what you speaclize in. 3D art will be accepted into the zine since it is still an artistic medium.
Page Artists, if accepted, will be required to complete either a full page illustration or a spread (2 pages) with backgrounds.
Comic Artist, if accepted, will be required to complete 2-4 pages of a cohesive comic that tells a short tale.
Spot Artist, if accepted, will be collaborating with a writer to illustrate their story with at least 1-3 small drawings. These do not require backgrounds.
Merch
All general guidelines still apply.
3-5 high-quality samples of your work. Not all of them have to be BG3 or Astarion related, if at all. Samples will give us a quick look into your work and can be included in your portfolio if you so choose.
Having samples of digital merch is not required, but it is encouraged. (Ex: icons, emotes, banners, wallpapers, coloring pages, prints, printable journals, bookmarks, calendars, etc.)
You may submit physical merch as well even though we are a digital only zine. These could aid us in seeing your creative range.
Your portfolio should include as much of what you would deem your best work for our moderators to see! We want to see your use of color theory, anatomy, composition, light, shading, and backgrounds (if applicable).
You may submit traditional art just as long as it is a high-quality scan/photo, so we can see your hard work.
If accepted, Merch Artists will be required to create 1-3 different kinds of digital merch. The mod team will be there to help spark your creativity and inspiration for what to design.
All general guidelines still apply.
3-5 high-quality samples of your writing. Not all of them have to be BG3 or Astarion related, if at all. Samples will give us a quick look into your work and can be included in your portfolio if you so choose.
All samples must be between 500 to 1,500 words.
Samples can be excerpts from fully finished or in-progress stories. The full story needs to be linked in the shared doc.
At least 1 story needs to be a completed work if possible.
Your portfolio should include as much of what you would deem your best work for our moderators to see! You may link your A03 as a portfolio but we would prefer to see your samples in Google Drive to keep it as anonymous as possible
Moderators will look at your grammar, spelling, interactions between characters, flow, and how well you portray the subject matter.
If accepted, Writers will be required to complete at least one story between 1.5k-3k.
All general guidelines still apply.
3-5 high-quality samples of your work. Not all of them have to be BG3 or Astarion related, if at all. Samples will give us a quick look into your work and can be included in your portfolio if you so choose.
Your portfolio should include as much of what you would deem your best work for our moderators to see! We want to see your craftsmanship in both building a cosplay, editing photos, and photography (you may have a photographer).
All photos submitted must be high quality files or scans.
If accepted, Cosplayers, will be required to put together, shoot, edit, and present at least one high quality photo but can submit up to three if they so choose.
Is this going to be a digital or physical zine?
This will be a digital zine in order to keep it at lower cost for more consumers to enjoy.Will this zine be free or for profit?
We are a 100% charity project.Is there an age limit for moderators and contributors?
Yes, all mods and contributors must be at least 18 at the time of application.Do you need prior zine experience to apply?
Past zine experience is not required and will not affect your application. We welcome first-timers as much as we do veterans.What content is allowed?
Most content is allowed and will be properly tagged with one exception: sexual content involving underage characters is prohibited.
All extreme and/or explicit content will be separated into an NSFW add-on. Such content sexual in nature, darker angst, blood/gore, and anything on the more twisted side.Will contributors be judged or excluded for any fictional content they've posted on other platforms, no matter how dark or "problematic"?
The Mod team for Bound by Blood is very pro-fic and we believe everyone has the right to create what they want without judgement. We do not tolerate harassment here and our main goal is to ensure everyone, no matter their stance on fiction, gets a safe place to explore their creativity. We will remain unbiased.Will this be an Astarion solo zine or will the content be Astarion ships? If yes to the latter, will these include Tav/OCs?
Ships are allowed and encouraged. Not all content will involve ships but there is that option for contributors. Tav/Durge content is also encouraged and we will have a section for those in the main zine.All Tav(OCs) and X-Readers (ex: fics from the reader's POV) will be organized in their own sections within both zines to make them easier to locate.They will be in both the main and the add-on but separated into their own "chapter" for lack of a better word. This helps to keep everything more organized and easier to navigate for those who want to enjoy Tav(OC)/X-Reader content & for those who do not. Canon characters will still make up most of the zine.Is 3D art allowed?
Yes, 3D art is still art and we encourage artists who dabble in that medium to apply.How will finances be handled?
We do not plan on handling any money. How it will work unless something changes is this: individuals wanting to purchase the zine will donate at least a minimum (yet to be decided) to the chosen charity, take a screenshot of the receipt, and will need to upload it to a form during the pre-order phase in order to get the zine(s) sent to their emails. This way no one in the zine is held liable for whatever reason, Paypal doesn't give us issues for having a NSFW section, and everyone has the freedom to donate what they want as long as it meets the minimum requirement.Is AI allowed?
No. Any art or writing created by using AI generation is prohibited. All applications should not include AI at all. Any contributors found to be using AI will be asked to leave the project.All other inquiries can be directed to our Retrospring.