Overall, we do not want to limit someone’s expression of horror, but we are invested in making sure that this zine can captivate a wider audience. The primary focus is still shuake and exploring their relationship.

See below for some more information on how we define horror, and what the limitations are for content. If you have any questions, please send them via our tellonym!

About Knife's Edge

This is a not-for-profit zine. This means that any profits from the physical and digital sale of the zine will be donated to a TBD charity.This zine is considered Safe For Work. When it comes to horror, the phrase "safe for work" may be defined a little differently. For us, it means:

  • No pornography

  • No excessive gore - think somewhere around a soft M rating in a video game (additional details in the section below)

How does knife's edge define horror?

We want to leave ‘horror’ up to interpretation - it is a very broad genre, and we want to include as much as possible so long as it exists within the “rating”. We’re talking kitschy to slasher. Here are some examples:

  • Shuake-fied recreation of an existing horror movie poster

  • Monsters/cryptids

  • Psychological horror - (for example, exploring the implications of semester 3/Mementos, or the Jail Scene ;) )

  • Body horror (within limitation - see below)

  • Paranormal

  • Slasher horror (within limitation - see below)

What are the limits & rules for content?

FOR POTENTIAL PARTICIPANTS:

  • If it appears in the game, it’s good to go (think: bullet wounds, knife wounds)

  • Symbolic viscera (like an anatomical heart) is okay, but disembowelment and amputation will require mod approval (the level of realism plays a role)

  • Participants will be asked upon acceptance to provide 3 pitches for what you'd like to draw or write. Moderators will select one pitch for the participant to move forward with. This is to make sure there is balance in content across the zine, and that resulting works fall within the rating we've designated.

  • During check-ins, ALL content shared will be required to be tagged with appropriate content warnings. Any images shared will be required to be spoilered. This allows each participant to moderate their own comfortability with horror elements.

  • Gore-related content being submitted during check-ins will be submitted in its own channel. Roles will be used for participants to opt-in to having visibility into the gore related channels.

FOR THOSE INTERESTED IN PURCHASING:

  • When the zine becomes available for purchase, all potential content warnings will be listed so you can decide for yourself if this zine is something for you

Who can participate in knife's edge?

AND WHAT WILL THE SELECTION PROCESS LOOK LIKE?

  • We will be selecting people blind. This means we will only look at the art and writing samples that are given to us without additional digging into the person’s social media presence or identity. We do not condone harassment or censorship of anyone who applies or is selected to participate.

  • Everyone who participates must be at least 18 years of age

  • Everyone who participates must have access to discord and be able to join the zine server for the sake of keeping everyone organized and informed in one place.

  • The applications will be open for about 1 month before participants will be selected. Please see the schedule on the main carrd page for details.

  • This zine will include art and writing

what will the format and extras be?

  • A5 size

  • This zine will be sold digitally, and we plan on a physical copy of the zine as well.

  • Additional TBD merch will also be available for purchase

tellonym questions & answers

Q: Does it have to be the actual Joker and Akechi or can it be a different version of them? (shadows, cognitives, shapeshifters, illusions, etc.)

  • It can absolutely be any of what you listed. As long as it is them, a representation of them, or an aspect of them.

Q: What does it mean when you said you don't condone censorship on the participants? And, an additional question, how much experience is required in both drawing and writing? As in, does it matter how long a person has made their works?

  • To put it simply, it means that we don't want any fandom discourse or headcanon judgement on any participant that is selected. Just a fancy way of saying be nice and respectful to the people you'll be working alongside for the zine :)

  • There is no prior experience or length of time creating requirements to apply.

Q: How many words do you want the writers app to be?

  • You're welcome to submit any existing fic you've written, and there is no requirement to write something for the application. We will be asking for 3 samples in total.

  • Word count is 300-3,000 (you are also welcome to provide a well-rounded snippet as opposed to an entire fic)

  • We will require that applicant samples have at least one example of horror or shuake!

Q: What is the art for an artist application judged on? Does the application need to include art with horror elements?

  • We ask that at least one of your examples is either shuake OR horror. This and the following rubric will be provided at the time of application as a reminder:

  • Overall Composition: Do all of the elements of their samples make sense together?

  • Color/Highlight/Shading: Does the artist understand basic color theory and have a good grasp on sources of light and shadow in their pieces?

  • Do they show horror quality: Does it seem like the artist will be able to perform within the theme of the zine?

  • Overall Quality: Did the artist clearly put effort and time into their pieces?

Q: Stance on NSFW sample pieces?

  • You may use NSFW sample pieces for your application. We ask that you also include SFW as well :)

  • When filling out the applicant form, please add any proper content warnings for links to NSFW sample pieces.

Q: Do artists have to draw what the writers wrote or vice versa?

  • No, artists and writers will be working and submitting independently of each other.

Q: If an artist/writer were to drop out, can we suggest a guest appearance?

  • If someone were to drop out, we wouldn't mind hearing of a possible willing replacement to fill the gap. However, there is no guarantee we would move forward with that replacement.

  • We ask that every applicant review the schedule (which is posted on our carrd) and only apply if they genuinely believe that they can meet the check ins and deadline. Of course, things happen outside of our control, but we want to limit number of potential drop outs as much as possible.