In Search of Eden: Halsin's Reverie

A charity zine about our favourite archdruid.

The Zine

In Search of Eden: Halsin's Reverie is a charity zine project set up to celebrate the beloved druid Halsin from Baldur's Gate 3. This project was inspired by the community and its warmth, and seeks to rally the love for everybody's favourite bear to help with causes in need of support.The two charities that have been chosen for this zine are Save the Children and Re:Wild.The zine is planned to be released in both digital and physical copies, with some other merch add-ons. Following community feedback, the Zine will be primarily SFW with an optional NSFW add-on for those who purchase it, the latter provided that we receive enough contributors in the NSFW category.The Zine is scheduled to be produced over the course of 6 months, with preorders launching sometime in late October, and the full release being planned for November.

The Team

FAQ

What is a zine?
It’s a fanmade, therefore not official, self-published, not widely distributed magazine dedicated to a specific fandom. It’s usually centered on a specific character, pairing, topic or AU.What’s this project about?
“In Search of Eden: Halsin's Reverie” is a charity fanzine dedicated to the Baldur’s Gate 3 character Halsin. Based on the feedback received during the interest check, content in this zine will contain art that spans across the canon BG3 universe while also including room for AUs that fall under the central theme of "Eden". Eden can mean many different things for different people.We look forward to seeing what everyone comes up with!Will the zine be free, for charity, or for profit?
This zine is a charity zine. The price of the available bundles will go to cover the production expenses and all profits will be donated to charity. The selected charity organizations are Save the Children and Re:Wild. We want to endorse the spirit of nature’s gentle steward by protecting those most vulnerable, as well as extending our help to nature.Can other Baldur’s Gate characters be included in the zine?
Yes, of course! But they shouldn't be the main focus.Can Tav / Durge be included in the zine?
Yes, but they shouldn't be the main focus.Will the zine be SFW or NSFW?
The main zine will be SFW, however, (depending on contributor submissions), we are considering a NSFW add-on that can be purchased separately or as part of the bundle.Will romantic pairings be included/allowed?
Given Halsin’s character, to ban romantic works would be antithetical to a big part of who he is. HOWEVER, we will be keeping a balance to ensure that no one pairing dominates the zine. We also would prefer that Tav/Durge pieces are written to be gender neutral as far as possible :) That said please remember this is a zine focused on Halsin - and the work should reflect that.I want to contribute. Who can contribute? How can I apply?
Anyone over the age of 18 can apply to be a contributor.Applications can be found under the Applications section above. You can apply as a page artist, merch artist, writer or moderator by filling the respective form!How many contributors will be accepted?
The number for this is currently TBD based on the number of submissions - we will try to update with this info as soon as possible!Can I get accepted for several positions?
You may apply for multiple positions, however, you may or may not be selected for all the positions you applied for. Furthermore, before applying for multiple positions, please consider carefully if you really have the time to invest in the respective responsibilities and tasks.Will contributors receive a copy of the zine for free?
Yes, contributors will receive both a digital and a physical copy of the zine for free as compensation for their work.How do you plan to communicate and keep people updated on the progress on this zine?
We plan to use primarily our Twitter account to communicate every update and progress of this project. You can find us under @HalsinsReverie.Will contributors retain the rights to their works?
The rights to the works related to this project are owned by the respective contributors. However, contributors are expected to not distribute or sell the submission piece publicly throughout the creation process. Later on contributors will be allowed to share previews and full pieces.Will you ship internationally?
Yes.Can artists and writers work together to coordinate pieces?
Absolutely! We plan to make a space in the Discord for any artists or writers who may want to look for another to collaborate with :)Is this zine pro-fiction?
The mods of this zine do not believe in harassment of individuals over fiction. That being said, the theme of "Eden" does not fall in line with heavy dead dove content, so keep this in mind when submitting your work. We also will not be accepting any submissions containing NSFW/Romantic content involving minors.If there is any confusion around this please feel free to contact us on twitter or via email!Will Dave Jones be receiving a copy of the zine?
We are honestly not able to answer this at this stage - this project is not endorsed by or affiliated with Dave in any capacity, and we would not want to make statements that we could not keep.On top of this, different people have different comfort levels with receiving such items, and if anything like this were to happen it would 1) have to be purely the sfw content and 2) have to be with approval from Dave himself. On top of this, some contributors might not be comfortable with the idea of having their work given to him.

For questions unanswered, email us at: [email protected]

Mod Apps (CLOSED)Artist Applications (CLOSED)Writer Applications (CLOSED)Merch Artist Applications (CLOSED)

Contributor Guidelines

I. General Guidelines
I.I. All applicants must be 18+ upon applying. While the main zine is SFW, the game itself is 18+, and the zine will be managed and produced by primarily adults. This rule is in place for your own safety and the consideration of those who will be working on the zine.I.II. All contributions must be new works created specifically for the zine - previous works cannot be reused.I.III. All contributors are required to have a Discord account by the time of acceptance for communication purposes as all zine communication will be held on the Discord server.I.IV. Contributors are expected not to show their piece outside the Discord server unless permitted by the mod team. We will announce when previews can be posted and when full pieces can be shared.I.V. Contributors are expected to reply to any questions from the mod team within a 4 day period. This is a soft rule but please be mindful of the timeline.I.VI. Participants who miss two (2) check-ins will be removed from this project. Early check-ins are allowed and we are generally flexible, so please just communicate with us if you need more time. If you are working on a collaboration you're only required to share your half of the piece.I.VII. All contributors will receive a physical and digital copy of this zine. If funding permits, we also hope to send a full bundle, inclusive of merch to all contributors. Please note contributor compensation may be limited depending on shipping restrictions in your country, but we will try our best to work with you.I.VIII. This is a charity zine - all profits will be donated to the charities listed under our About section.I.IX. Contributors may be removed for breaking the guidelines or for engaging in disrespectful behaviour in OR out of the project. Examples of disrespectful behaviour include but are not limited to: plagiarism, harassment, hateful conduct (racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, etc.) and bad faith towards other contributors or moderators in this project.I.X. AI content is strictly prohibited for any and all pieces, whether art or writing. We will investigate any art suspected of being made by AI whether in full or in part, and if we discover you have used AI in your piece, this is grounds for removal from the project.I.XI. The Zine's theme is "Eden". Eden means different things to everyone. A place, a person, a feeling. This zine hopes to explore many different interpretations through the lens of our beloved druid.II. Check in Schedule
- 1st July (25% Completion)
Writers: Written outline for piece
Artists: Rough concept/sketch of piece
We will be checking formatting here to ensure they meet the guidelines.- 22nd July (50% Completion)
Writers: Piece should be halfway written
Artists: Line art should be complete- 12th August (75% Completion)
Writers: Completed draft should be done. Beta-reading will begin.
Artists: Colouring and rendering should have started.- 9th September (Final Submission)
Submissions due for both writers and artists.III. Artist Guidelines
III.I. Please warn us in the last section if you will be submitting NSFW art as part of your portfolio - this is allowed, we'd just like to know in advance when opening files.III.II. You may use any medium (that can be translated to print) for your piece, however, your portfolio and submissions should then include pieces done in this medium. If you are choosing a traditional medium, please ensure beforehand that you have a means of uploading high quality scans of the media in question.III.III. Page Artists will be required to create 1-2 submissions (single page or full spread) and must choose from the following types of illustrations if accepted:
- Single page illustration
- Double page illustration (full spread)
- Two-page comicEvaluation Criteria
- Artistic style
- Cohesion
- Colour and lighting
- CompositionIII.IV. Spot Artists will be paired with a writer and expected to create 2-4 smaller illustrations (half-page images, object art or chibis etc.). Collaboration and communication are required.Evaluation Criteria
- Artistic style
- Colour and lighting
- Composition
- Shapes and lines
- Object artIII.V. While we cannot accept every applicant to the zine due to production constraints, we may offer a place as a pinch artist. As a pinch artist, if another artist drops out of the zine midway, we will contact you to produce a piece.Please consider your availability in the coming months and let us know what your minimum turnaround time is before you accept this role, as due to the nature of the position, you may not have as much time to complete a work.IV. Merch Guidelines
IV.I. As a merch artist you will be creating two stand-alone pieces. Merch may be either digital or physical.Evaluation criteria
- Artistic style
- Colour and lighting
- Shapes and lineworkIV.II. For merch, you may choose from the following types:
- Prints
- Stickers
- Charms/Standees
- Pins/BadgesIf you have a type of merch you'd like to make that isn't included in this, please speak to a mod to ask!IV.III. No previous merch design experience is required, however, your art samples must show a general understanding of translation to physical product.V. Writer Guidelines
V.I. Please warn us if you will be submitting NSFW or triggering content as part of your portfolio. These are allowed to be included but we would like a heads up for our evaluation team.V.II. All pieces must be written in English - however, for those writing in other languages, if you are able to manage a translation, we will try to work with you as best we can with our editing team.V.III. Writers will be required to submit a piece of literature. They may or may not work with a spot artist depending on the length and topic of their piece.Evaluation Criteria
- Basic grammar and vocab
- Characterization
- Narrative strength
- Story beat and flow
- Writing styleV.IV. Depending on the amount of applicants, writers can submit one or more of the following:
- Fanfiction (2k words maximum - longer pieces will need approval from writing and layout leads)
- Poems
- Short stories
- Journal entries