Mea Culpa (Latin for "through my fault") is a pay-what-you-want non-profit digital zine exploring the potential bad endings of the Ace Attorney franchise.Contributor application emails will be sent on March 4th
Mea Culpa is a digital zine exploring potential "bad endings" and "game over" scenarios in the Ace Attorney franchise. For this zine, those are any non-canon endings to a case that can be interpreted as a "bad end" for the main cast. Whether Phoenix accidentally gets his client a guilty verdict after too many penalties or a villain succeeds in killing a beloved character, we aim to showcase a variety of endings not explored in canon. These outcomes are generally negative, and the overall tone of the zine is likely to match.This zine currently plans to include 25 page artists, 15 writers, and 4-6 digital merch artists. Contributors will create a piece centered around their idea of a bad ending for a case of their choosing. We hope to represent a variety of cases.Mea Culpa will be a non-profit zine. Any money earned will be donated to a reputable charity of the mod-team's choosing that will be announced at a later date.
Sailor - Head Mod
she/they
Howdy, I'm Rebecca/Sailor and I'll be the head mod for this zine! Angst is my specialty and my favorite thing to do when I write is make people cry, so as soon as I got the idea for this, I knew I had to do it! I'm honored to be working with such a great team and can't wait to bring this to life! These games have my whole heart, especially Franziska von Karma and Athena Cykes. I’ve written for a few zines before, and you may know me from moderating a few other events in the community as well. When I’m not writing, you can usually find me psychoanalyzing the von Karma siblings, cosplaying, or playing Resident Evil.
Elle - General Mod
any pronouns
Hey y'all! Elle here. I'm new to zine modding, but I've run some small events in other fandoms in the past, and I've got some academic publishing experience that I hope will help out here! I've been writing for upwards of fifteen years, though it's been a while since I've done the creative stuff. I have Ace Attorney to thank for dragging me back into it! Typically, I most enjoy writing about cozy, mundane little moments in the nebulous parts of canon, like the 7yg and post-AA6, and the AA4 cast has my whole heart. This zine is a great opportunity for me to check out some more defined parts of the games and maybe even focus on some different characters, so I’m very excited to be part of it alongside this excellent team!
Jess - Writing Mod
she/they
Hey y'all, Jess here! This is my first time moderating a fanzine, and I'm working towards an undergraduate degree in creative writing. I've only been in the Ace Attorney fandom for a little less than two years but I've been writing fanfic for longer than Phoenix was disbarred. "What If" scenarios have always been some of my favorites to explore, bad or otherwise, so the concept of this zine really spoke to me. Also, if you need any book recommendations, hit me up.
Espy - Art Mod
they/them
I'm Espy, I'm a recently-graduated artist, and I'm very excited to be an art mod for the first time! I've contributed to some amazing Ace Attorney zines over the last year or so and I'm stoked to see what this insanely talented community comes up with for this one.
Kit - Graphics/Formatting Mod
he/it/kit/they
Hey, I'm Kit or Kitsch & I'm a junior graphic design major, but i also like to draw my silly little guys from my silly little lawyer game. If you have seen my art before, there's a good chance it included at least one of the Gavins bc I am unwell and call Kristoph Gavin my pathetic, fucked up babygirl. If you're wondering why this zine idea appealed to me so much, my two favorite books are 'Atonement' and 'Frankenstein.' That should answer any quesitons you might have about that. If you have any questions about the design or formatting for the zine though, send them my way and I will do my best to answer them
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Contributor Results Sent | March 4th |
| Contributor Acceptance Deadline | March 11th |
| Pitches Due/Creation Process Begins | March 12th |
| First Check-In | April 8th |
| Second Check-In | May 13th |
| Third Check-In | June 10th |
| Final Pieces Due | July 8th |
| Zine Release | Fall 2023 |
What format will the zine be in?
This zine will be digital only and our mod team will be taking measures to make it fully accessible for consumers.
Graphics/Formatting Mod Note: I am a disabled graphic design major so I have done extra studies to make sure my designs can be as accessible as possible. If there is a feature you believe could be adjusted for accessibility, let me know directly!How much will the zine cost?
This zine will be available with pay-what-you-want pricing. Consumers will have the option to have the zine for free if they wish, but (subject to interest check results) digital merch add-ons may only be available with payment. Contributors will receive the zine and any add-ons for free. Any proceeds raised will be donated to a charity of the mod team's choosing that will be announced at a later date.What games will be featured in this zine?
Based on 150+ responses from our interest check, the games which will be included in the zine are:Main Trilogy (AA1-3)
Apollo Justice (AA4)
Dual Destinies (AA5)
Ace Attorney Investigations (AAI)
Ace Attorney Investigations 2 (AA2)
The Great Ace Attorney: Adventures (TGAA1/DGS1)
The Great Ace Attorney 2: Resolve (TGAA2/DGS2)Who's moderating this zine?
This zine is being run by Sailor, Elle, Jess, Espy, and Kit. You can find info on us and links to our social media by clicking the button labeled "mods" at the bottom of the page!Who can participate in this zine?
Based on potential subject matter and mood of this zine, we ask that all contributors be at least 18 by the time results are sent. We will also not be accepting contributors that create offensive content (homophobic, transphobic, racist, ableist, etc.). We also request creators who have created incestuous or adult/minor age gap content not apply as the moderating team is not comfortable being exposed to such content in portfolio and social media review. If we learn a contributor has breached these guidelines before or after they are accepted, they will be removed from the zine. We will not be answering any questions related to this decision.Are AUs allowed in this zine?
Because of the nature of this zine, all pieces will be canon-divergent in some way, but still in line with canon reality. Other AUs will not be allowed.Will this zine contain spoilers?
This zine will contain spoilers for the games listed above. The front of the zine will contain a table of contents to allow consumers to skip the sections for games they might not be familiar with, but contributors should be wary of what spoilers they might see discussed in the discord server if accepted.Is shipping allowed in this zine?
Due to the nature of this zine, we understand there is potential to leverage certain pairings for angst. That said, shipping should be secondary to the main focus of the piece and should be cleared with the mod team in advance. Ships containing heavy abuse, incestual themes, pseudoincestual themes (ex. adopted relations), or minor/adult pairings based on ages when the characters meet will not be allowed in this zine.Will this zine have any gore?
While there may be allusions to greater violence and disturbing events, this zine has a guideline of canon-typical blood and violence (up to the level of Dual Destinies). Anything exceeding that will not be allowed.Will this zine allow sensitive content such as suicide, substance abuse, and other forms of abuse?
This zine will allow for non-explicit exploration of the above themes. Writing or art depicting any such act explicitly will not be allowed, but implied/referenced content may be allowed with mod approval. We wish to avoid trivializing these issues or having them present in a large number of pieces to explore a multitude of potential "bad ends". Discussion of these themes in the zine's discord server will only be non-explicit and in relation to the pieces being made, and will be required to be spoiler tagged/warned for. The zine itself will contain a table of contents in the front accurately warning for triggering content in any pieces that contain it.What do I do if my question wasn't answered here?
You can DM us on Twitter, send us an ask on Tumblr, send us a question on Retrospring, or send us an email! You can find our links at the top of this page!