Almost, Always is a project that will feature collaborations between artists and writers, with the goal of showcasing Sylvain & Felix in alternate universes. From historical AUs to modern AUs, from fantasy AUs to science-fiction AUs — this project aims at celebrating Sylvain & Felix’s love in any and all possible scenarios, bound by time and fate even when they should pass each other by.

Zine Info

Full Info Doc
Click here to see our full info document. If you have any questions that aren't answered here, please contact us through CuriousCat or Twitter.

Important Details
This zine will have 36 contributors: 1 cover artist, 15 artists, 15 writers, and 5 merch artists (including guests & participating mods)Our zine will exclusively feature collaborationsAfter compensating our contributors, we’ll donate our proceeds to charity
Zines Specs
A5 Physical book (SFW, hardcover — stretch goal dependent)A5 Digital NSFW companion book (interest check dependent)Merch (interest check dependent)
Compensation
A free PDF of the main book + a free PDF of the NSFW digital companion book;A physical copy of the main book if the project breaks even + the possibility to buy the merch at wholesale price;A full merch bundle if the project breaks even for one bundle per contributor
AU requirements
You can find our current, non-exhaustive AU category list under this link. Please do tell us if we’ve missed any obvious ones!Canon-divergent settings or fix-it fics will NOT be considered AUs (ex: Sylvain has no crest, Felix is a Black Eagle, the Duscur war never happens...).References to the canon setting inside an AU (ex: city/country names, religion, etc) are allowed.Reincarnation AUs are welcome as long as the main setting of the piece is an alternate universe. Characters can have memories of their past lives in the canon setting, but they shouldn’t be too prominent.Crossovers with universes from other media and franchises are welcome (ex: MCU AU, AUs of other video games or anime, etc.), as long as the setting is clearly recognizable.While mild liberties in characterization are accepted since this is an AU project, the characters must all still be recognizable and feel true to their canon selves. Any character-bashing will also be strictly prohibited.
Content guidelines
Anything from fluff to angst will be allowed. MCD (Major Character Death) will be allowed on a case-by-case basis.No polyships involving Sylvix. Background ships are allowed as long as they are not the focal point of the piece.The main book will be strictly SFW: no depiction of sex scenes and no extreme violence. Mild nudity, suggestive scenes, and non-graphic violence are permitted.The NSFW book will not feature any extreme kinks (including incest, dub/non-con, necrophilia, graphic gore, non-sexual bodily fluids).For the NSFW book, both Sylvain and Felix MUST BE EXPLICITLY 18+. The AU context must be one in which both of them are expected to be 18+ (with regards to jobs, living situations, etc.).Trans and nonbinary headcanons are welcome for both Sylvain & Felix.
Collaborations
This project will exclusively feature collaborations between writers and artists.Artists and writers will apply alone, and will be assigned a collab partner upon acceptance. These partnerships will be decided through the application process: we will ask you to tell us what kind of AU categories you’d prefer to depict, and will assign collab partners according to their similarities in taste.The collaboration partners will then collaborate on pitches they would like to draw and write for, which will be reviewed and accepted by the mods after the pitch check-in.

Schedule

Team

Icon by @hekxate

Cha @akhikosanada

I'm Cha and I'm this zine's head mod, finance mod, writer mod. I'm a translator and content writer by day, fanfic author by night, Sylvix stan 24/7! I'm so glad to once again be working with an incredible team and bring this beautiful project to life for my favorite ship.

Experience
Head mod, writer mod, finance mod, formatting mod for Lost & Found: a FE3H zineWriter mod, finance mod, formatting mod, astrology mod for Fell Stars, Fated Skies: a FE3H astrology bookFinance mod for the 2022 Sylvix Fan CalendarFinance mod for Enlightened: A Gojo Satoru zineFinance mod for the Jujutsu Kaisen Travel Zine

Jodie @missdurianne

Hi friends! I’m Jodie, this zine’s artist, production and shipping mod! I absolutely love these losers… and yes, I mean Sylvain and Felix but I also mean this mod team. When I’m not moderating or running my store, I’m suffering.

Experience
Artist and Merch Mod of Lost & Found: a FE3H zineHead, Artist and Merch Mod of Fell Stars, Fated Skies: A FE3H Astrology BookArtist mod for Project Persona: A Persona x Vocaloid FanzineArtist Mod For Turnabout Tarot: An Ace Attorney Tarot DeckThe owner of a successful kickstarter, Languages of Love.

Shim Loo @shim_loo

I’m Shim Loo, this zine’s artist and graphics mod! I'm a bad texter who listens to an unhealthy amount of audiobooks and works out too much in my freetime. I have a cat who bites me a lot and grew attached to fire emblem because the combat made me feel smart.

Experience
Artist mod for Fell Stars, Fated Skies: A FE3H Astrology Book.Page Artist Contributor for various zinesDegree in Studio Art

Icon by @punchyfakegamer

Eth @gautired

I'm Eth, the writer and beta mod for Almost, Always, and I think Sylvix is pretty neat! I secretly yearn for the AU where I can shed my human skin and be ten Yampers in a trenchcoat.

Experience
Writer/social media mod for Long Live: A Faerghus Four Charity ZineWriter/social media mod for Cavalier: A Sylvain/Ingrid Charity ZineAdministrator of RP forum iAntiVIRUS

Icon by @Ixcarus_

Vibird @feroxai_

Hiya! I'm this zine's social media mod. I've been in Sylvix Hell since the beginning. In my spare time I exalt the message of our lord and saviour, Carl-bot, the superior discord management bot.

Experience
Social media mod for Lost & Found and Fell Stars, Fated Skies zinesHead mod for @calendarfe3h, a FE3H event and project bulletinTwitter events: Felix Bday Bash 2020, FE3H Sibling Week and Sylvix Week 2020Discord Management: Sylvix Squad & FE3H AU Bang

Kayt @replikayt

Hello! I’m Kayt, the intern mod. I never learned how to mod a zine! Sooo… that’s why I’m here! I’m excited to use this opportunity to learn! I’ve been a page and/or merch artist for a few zines, including Lost & Found and Fell Stars, Fated Skies run by this team!

Pear @itspearbae

I'm Pear, a chronic over worker who enjoys tackling an assortment of creative endeavors. In "Almost, Always," my role is to be the best coffee bringer, playlist maker, and emotional support fruit that Fódlan has ever seen.

Applications

Application forms

• Artists
• Merch Artists
• Writers

Portfolio requirements

Page Artists
6 to 8 drawings or paintings, featuring both portraits and full-body designs, including at least 1 sample featuring Felix or SylvainAt least 2 pieces with finished, illustrated backgroundsNo sketch or progress pieceIf applying to the NSFW zine, please add at least one NSFW samplePortfolio pieces may be digital, traditional, or a mixture of both
The artist mods will pay close attention to backgrounds, composition, anatomy, and color work.

Merch Artists
6 to 8 digital files of merchandise designs - these designs can be stickers, enamel pins, washi tape, whatever merchandise examples you havePlease turn in examples that are plain images like .jpegs, .pngs, or .pdfs so they can be easily openedProduct photos welcome - we would love to see examples of your finished products (we will not judge the photography)
The artist mods will be looking for pieces that demonstrate an understanding of merch design. Legibility, design choices, and style are all things that will be considered.

Writers
3 PDF samples of your best works in a Google Drive folder, including at least 1 Sylvix sample (or Sylvain-focused / Felix-focused pieces if you do not have Sylvix samples)At least 1 “one-shot” piece (excerpts from large stories/chaptered stories are acceptable for the 2 other samples, as long as they can read in a self-contained manner)Including samples featuring AU settings is recommended but not mandatoryEach sample must be strictly 3,000 words or lessIf applying to the SFW book, please keep all your samples SFW; if applying to the NSFW zine, please include at least 1 NSFW sampleAdd at the beginning of each sample the total word count and appropriate content warnings, especially for the NSFW samples (ex: 2,850 words - CW: light BDSM, choking, knife play…)Make sure not to leave any way to identify you in your samples: no signature, AO3 account, Twitter username
The writer mods and the writer jury will pay close attention to characterization, grammar and syntax, pacing, and style consistency.