About

It can be said that when someone arrives at a crossroads, they are faced with innumerable challenges and ultimately must make a decision that can impact the course of their life, or in this case, lives. Crossroads, the Road to Nowhere (RTN) comic anthology/fanzine is centered around the world of RTN. It will mainly feature Katoshi, (or rather, Kakashi Hatake reincarnated as Shinsou Hitoshi) as well as the characters and world around him.✧ The production/creation/distribution of “Crossroads” is unaffiliated with the author, Aerugonian. However transformative works (such as fanart/fanfiction) using their character/story has been approved.What is “Crossroads”?
✧ Crossroads is a for-charity, safe for work art/writing anthology focused on the story "Road to Nowhere" as well as the various fan made alternate universes and spinoff works that have been created over the years. Preorders for the anthology open November 1st and will run until Dec 31st, 2024. Our charity, as chosen by our contributor team, will be UNICEF!Zine Specs
✧ A5, perfect bound book, ~60 pages
✧ Acrylic charms/pins, sticker sheets, die cut stickers.
✧ As decided by the contributors, all profits will be donated to the charity : UNICEF.
✧ The digital version of the zine will be free/by donation, but will not be distributed until 2 weeks after physical orders have been shipped.
✧The preorder price for the zine will be ~$30 CAD for a physical zine only, to ~$75 CAD for a full bundle including a physical book and all merchandise.
✧ Shipping is not included in the above prices.
✧ Shipping costs vary by customer location.Who is Katoshi?
✧ Katoshi is the fandubbed name for the main character in "Road to Nowhere". In the story, he is Kakashi Hatake reincarnated into the My Hero Academia world as Shinsou Hitoshi.Contributors
✧ Crossroad's contributor roster will consist of artists, merch artists, and writers. We aim to have about ~20 contributors, with a roughly 50/50 split between art and writing.Zine Email Contact
✧ All correspondence via email will be sent by [email protected]

Schedule

Please note the schedule is subject to change ESPECIALLY reguarding fufillment period.

✧ formal announcement SEPTEMBER 7th, 2023
✧ interest check open: SEPTEMBER 7th, 2023
✧ interest check close: SEPTEMBER 20th, 2023
✧ mod applications open: SEPTEMBER 21st, 2023
✧ mod applications close: OCTOBER 5th, 2023
✧ mod results sent out: OCTOBER 7th, 2023
✧ contributor applications open: OCTOBER 8th, 2023
✧ contributor applications close: NOVEMBER 6th, 2023
✧ contributor results sent out: NOVEMBER 14th, 2023
✧ final date for contributor acceptance: NOVEMBER 21st, 2023
✧ concept check in opens: NOVEMBER 14th, 2023
✧ concepts due : NOVEMBER 25th, 2023
✧ contributor assignments out: NOVEMBER 28th, 2023
✧ first check in (sketch/outline): DECEMBER 30th, 2023
✧ second check in (50%): JANUARY 30th, 2024
✧ third check in (almost complete): FEBRUARY 29th, 2024
✧ final submissions: MARCH 17th, 2024
✧ preorders open: NOV 1st, 2024
✧ preorders close: DEC 31st, 2024
✧ production period: Jan - March, 2025
✧(tentative) shipping period: March, 2025✧Leftover Sales: April 2 - 22nd, 2025
✧Digital Zine Release: April 23rd, 2025
✧Final Charity Donation: May 7th, 2025

Expectations and Guidelines for Contributors

Contributor Application Guidelines
✧ Since Crossroads is a charity zine, we request that all contributors to be 16+ at the time of application.
✧ Any form of theft, such as plagiarism, or AI (Artificial Intelligence) is strictly PROHIBITED.
General Expectations
✧ Contributors will do their best to turn in check ins and final pieces upon the scheduled dates.
✧ If an extension is needed, please contact a mod beforehand.
✧ Contributors WILL NOT post their pieces until the go-ahead is given by the mods.
✧ In the event that a contributor either
A: becomes unreachable or,
B: contacts the mods in order to drop out, please note that pinch-hitters will be contacted!
✧ IF YOU NEED TO DROP: PLEASE try to do so BEFORE the 3rd check in. This is in the interest of making it easier on both the mods and pinch hitter(s).
hitters will be contacted!
✧ All contributors need to have/make a Discord account for communications.
✧ Any form of theft, such as plagiarism, or AI (Artificial Intelligence) in the creation of the zine is strictly PROHIBITED. All accepted contributors must produce their own original work for the zine.
✧Additionally, please do not post or publish your zine work outside of contributor previews until after leftover sales begin.
Contributor Expectations
✧ARTISTS
✧ Will create 1 full page piece featuring Katoshi and/or characters from Road to Nowhere, or from a related alternate universe.
✧ Please DM Alo if you wish to create a 2 page spread!
✧ 300 dpi, CMYK, A5 canvas size.
✧ Final pieces will be submitted to a Google Drive folder as either a PDF or a PSD.
✧ Final pieces should be titled: CONTRIBUTORNAME_FINAL
✧ This naming convention should be used when submitting check-ins
✧ Ex: ALO_CHECKIN1, ect.✧ WRITERS
✧ Will create a piece that reaches a total of 3k words max, featuring Katoshi and/ or characters from RTN.
✧ Please DM Alo if you think you may need leeway in terms of max word count
✧ Final pieces will be submitted to a Google Drive folder as a PDF
✧ Final pieces should be titled: CONTRIBUTORNAME_FINAL
✧ This naming convention should be used when submitting check-ins
✧ Ex: ALO_CHECKIN1, and so on.✧ MERCH ARTISTS
✧ Will create assigned merch pieces, which may be physical or digital.
✧ Please note that unless otherwise agreed upon, there will be a period where merch artists can claim their respective merch pieces
✧ Please also be aware that some merch pieces WILL BE STRETCH GOALS. This comes with the usual risk entailed in stretch goals: mainly that they may not be fulfilled.
✧ 300 dpi, CMYK. Other template guidelines should also be followed, but at minimum canvas size should be 1000px x1000.
✧ Final pieces will be submitted to a Google Drive folder as a .PNG
✧ Final pieces should be titled: CONTRIBUTORNAME_MERCHTYPE_FINAL
✧ This naming convention should be used when submitting check-ins
✧ Ex: ALO_ACRYLICCHARM_CHECKIN1Thank you for reading!

Frequently Asked Questions

✧ What is a Fanzine/Zine?
A fanzine, shortened to “zine” for simplicity is typically a collection of fanart, fanfiction, and fan-made merchandise for a topic/theme within a fandom. In this case all works are centered around the work Road to Nowhere and the character Katoshi.✧ Is the Author, Aerugonian involved in “Crossroads”?
No. Aerugonian is uninvolved in the creation, production, and distribution of the zine. “Crossroads” is an completely fan-organized “by fans, for fans” zine project. However approval to use Aerugonian’s characters & stories in transformative works, (such as the fanfiction, fanart, and fanmade merch the zine consists of,) has been given.✧ What Currency is the Zine in?
All prices are in Canadian Dollars. (CAD). Please convert accordingly.✧ How is the zine distributed?
“Crossroads” will be distributed in the form of a physical book and a digital PDF. The digital version of the zine is currently planned to be pay what you want / minimum $2 CAD by donation and will be sent via email 2-4 weeks after physical orders have been shipped. The free download of the digital zine will be available after leftover sales. Depending on the final size of the physical book, prices may range from ~$30 CAD for a physical zine only to ~$75 CAD for a full bundle including a physical book and all merchandise. We use an online store platform such as “Big Cartel” to collect funds during a “pre-order” period. These funds are then used to pay for production, shipping, and contributor compensation costs. Any remaining profit from the preorder period will then be donated to the charity of the zine’s choosing.✧ Preorders and Fulfillment?
Preorders run from Nov 1st 2024- Dec 31st 2024. We will start the manufacturing process in January 2025. Preorders are expected to ship out in Spring of 2025. Please follow our social medias for updates.
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✧ What Charity is Crossroads working towards?
All profits will be donated to UNICEF!✧ How are contributors compensated for their time and work?A PDF of the zine will be sent to the contributors free of charge regardless of financial goals met.If a physical zine is created, we would ideally like to send all contributors a free full bundle of the project with shipping included. 1) Should we not sell enough copies to break even to include a free bundle to contributors, then we will send a free physical copy of the zine with shipping included. Merchandise will be offered at manufacturer's cost, and merchandise artists will receive a copy of their item for free. 2) In the case that we don’t meet the financial goal to cover shipping, then we will offer the free physical zine to contributors with the request that they cover shipping. Merchandise will be offered at manufacturer's cost. 3) In the case that we don't meet the financial goal to cover any part of the bundle, we will offer all items at manufacturer's cost.
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We understand that shipping things to minors may cause some issues and in which case, contributors are free to choose to decline the physical book/bundle and will receive the digital zine only. All personal information (addresses, payment info, etc.) is kept completely private, known only to Alo (alhovera, the finance/shipping/head mod). We do not solicit or distribute private contributor information for anyone.✧ How is communication managed during the zine creation?
We use email and Discord to communicate with contributors during the zine production. Having a Discord account or being willing to make a Discord account is necessary for participation. This helps the mods and contributors stay informed throughout the project duration as it will be the primary form of contact during production.✧ How is problematic content/behavior handled?
The mod team acknowledges that all contributors and moderators are human. We have lives and responsibilities outside this project and will do our best to be fair, unbiased and understanding to all contributors and mods. Some zines have failed in the past due to problematic behavior, content, or suspicious activity with the leadership team. We as the moderator team for "Crossroads" promise to be upfront and transparent with the team, as well as our supporters. If we become aware of any controversial or problematic content, hate-speech, inappropriate behavior, harassment, etc, we will not hesitate to remove the offending contributor from the project and replace them with a pinch-hitter. If it is discovered that any Mod or Contributor is not following this rule, it is grounds for removal from the project.✧ Is ship content allowed?
Ships should not be the focus of any piece created for Crossroads. Implied and/or subtle inclusions, however, are fine. No underage or incestual ships are allowed under any circumstances.

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