きみにきめた!

✦ welcome! ✦

I Choose You! is a free, unofficial digital PokéAni fanzine starring Ash Ketchum and his best friend Pikachu as they traverse the Pokémon world. Pack your bags and join us on our journey!

This zine will celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Pokémon anime series in April 2022. Works will feature Ash and Pikachu enjoying thrilling battles, zany adventures or relaxing moments in one of eight regions — or embarking on other activities that pique the contributors’ interest!

To focus on the theme, this zine will not include shippings/pairings and will be suitable for a general audience.

✦ Notes
After the Interest Check is complete, I Choose You! will be finalized as either a free digital-only zine, or a digital-only zine with optional charity donations (charity to be confirmed)Contributors above the age of 13 are welcome to participateThe final contributor count hasn't yet been determined.
✦ Disclaimer
We are unaffiliated with Pocket Monsters (ポケットモンスター) or Pokémon the Series, which are the property of The Pokémon Company.

schedule

Deadlines are according to PST (Pacific Standard Time).

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

✦ General requirements

All linked portfolios must be accessible (if using Google Drive, set to “Anyone with the link”)Contributors may only share the full pieces created for I Choose You! after the April 1st releaseSpecify your most preferred regions to your leastPitch two to three ideas for your pieceNo NSFW samples.
✦ For artists

Submit three samples of your selected workAt least one sample is recommended to display a full backgroundWithin the application, indicate whether you are interested in being a cover, section cover, or merch artist.
✦ For writers

Submit two samples of work under 2,500 words; these may be excerpts from longer piecesIf possible, at least one sample is recommended to contain the characters or setting from the Pokémon anime universe.
✦ Contributor count

We are looking for a minimum of 8 writers and 14 artists, including a cover artist. There is currently no definite cap for contributors welcomed into the zine, though this is subject to change depending on volume of applicants.

ZINE GUIDELINES

✦ About the theme

I Choose You! shines the spotlight on Ash and Pikachu’s bond throughout the anime series and Pokémon movies.

Contributors will be allocated one of the eight Pokémon regions to create content for. We will aim for an equal spread across the different regions.

Please note that, while applicants' top regional choices will be considered, it's possible contributors will not receive their first choice.

✦ Cover art

As this is a digital zine, only one cover page of art is required.

✦ Page art

General page artist guidelines:
Paper size will be A5 (5-⅞” x 8-¼” or 148mm x 210mm) at 300 PPIPages in portrait view.
Artists are welcome to submit comics to the zine, but should note that these will not be viewed as a full spread.

✦ Section cover art

Up to eight different artists will be selected to illustrate the region title pages within the interior zineEach region title page will depict a recognizable location from the Pokémon region (e.g Mt. Coronet in Sinnoh)Section cover artists will be selected from the accepted pool of contributors after Contributor Applications concludeSection cover artists will be welcome to make other contributions to the zine.
✦ Written works

Writers will primarily submit a flash fiction piece between 500 and 1000 words in length.

Letters, poetry/prose, meta essays, mock-research articles, news articles and other creative outlets as opposed to the traditional fic are also encouraged.

General writer guidelines:
Rated G, with no excessive cursing or adult themesAll names, locations, and Pokémon (etc.) will follow their English translation, not their Japanese romanized equivalents (e.g. Ash rather than Satoshi, Pallet rather than Masara)All text will be edited/formatted to meet the I Choose You! house style.
✦ Merch art

Merch artists will be provided dimensions for digital items such as wallpapers, icons/emoji and so onPrintables like coloring pages, dress-up paper dolls, or daily to-do lists may also be createdMerch will not relate to particular regions.
✦ On collaborations

Contributors may collaborate together, but are recommended to do so once the regions are allocated.

FAQ

✦ What is a zine?

I Choose You! is a Pokémon the anime series fanzine. A fanzine (fan + magazine) is typically an unofficial publication of collected fan works created by fans for fans.

✦ Why is this only a digital zine and not a physical one?

Although we would love to produce a physical zine, our team will not take the risk of creating profit when distributing Pokémon fan works. We would like to be as careful as possible during this zine’s creation process.

Other physical Pokémon fanzines have and will hopefully continue to exist.

Furthermore, the mods are excited to provide a free, accessible zine with digital merchandise for those who would not have otherwise been able to afford it. We will also be able to allow a broad range of contributors, rather than capping numbers due to printing limitations.

✦ Who can apply?

If you create art, illustrations or writing, you are qualified! No previous zine experience is required.

We have a zero-tolerance policy for endorsing pedophilia, incest, abuse, racism, homophobia, and other matters of hate speech. Your application may be rejected on those grounds if brought to our attention.

✦ Can minors apply?

As this zine will be a free fan work collection, contributors above the age of 13 may apply. 13 is the minimum age to create a Discord account.

✦ Will shipping/pairings be allowed?

No — I Choose You! will focus mainly on the theme of adventure and the bond between Ash and Pikachu.

✦ Can characters other than Ash and Pikachu appear?

Team Rocket, past human characters and various Pokémon may all feature, but the primary focus of each piece must be Ash and Pikachu.

Fan-made Pokémon and other OCs will not be permitted for this zine.

✦ Can I pitch an AU?

We would prefer to see references to canonical events; however, slight divergences are allowed (e.g. Ash battling a Gym Leader from Galar that he has yet to meet in the anime).

✦ Can there be references to the movies?

Yes — contributors may draw inspiration from the Pokémon movies.

the team

➜ MARIEL • lead mod
duties: organization, graphics, layout
✦ elsewhere: neocities

HELLO! kitty and i have always talked about creating a zine specifically for pokeani and it's finally here! i've contributed in a few zines as a writer before and have also been an organization/graphics/layout mod once in the past. i am currently starting a career in a design-related field after recently graduating and i love planning, especially for things that bring me joy! ash n pika 5ever…

➜ KITANA • writing mod
duties: copy editing
✦ elsewhere: tumblr

Hi — I go by Kitana! I am emotionally invested in dictionaries and Pokémon openings!

Exp-wise: I've spent more than half my life editing fics, essays, poems, stories, reports and dissertations, so I am stoked to be working on a zine starring a kid from Pallet Town and one (very cute) electric rodent. Let's party!

➜ VIDHI • communications mod
duties: organization, social media
✦ elsewhere: carrd

hi i’m vidhi! i’ve been a pokémon fan for what seems like forever and i’m so excited to be a part of this project! i want this zine to show how much we all love ash and pikachu and how they’ve evolved over the years 😊

➜ KOMA • art mod
duties: art direction
✦ elsewhere: twitter, instagram

Hello, hello, my name’s Koma. I’m a self-proclaimed prince and professional cute boy artist. I’ve participated in many zines before, both as an artist and mod. I was the Organization Mod for the Galar Zine, Art/Organization Mod for Memory Link: A Zine from Unova, and am currently the Discord/Social Media Mod for Oh Boy, Monsters! A Monster Boy Zine and Head Mod for [[BIG SHOT]] A Spamton Zine. I love participating in Pokemon zines, as Pokemon has a dear place in my heart, and I’m very excited to be the Art Mod for this project! I used to watch Pokeani every chance I got when I was younger, and I may have made multiple wishes to turn my Pikachu plush into a real Pikachu.