About
“The Show Must Go On: An Oumota Canon Divergence Zine” is a physical, for-profit fanzine that will feature page art, fanfiction, and merchandise dedicated to the pairing Momota Kaito x Ouma Kokichi from the series New Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony with the theme “canon divergence”.All pieces that fall under the premise of “canon divergence” will be accepted into the project, with the moderators reserving the right to accept or reject pitches that might not be appropriate within our guidelines. You can find further elaboration as to what counts as “canon divergence” in our FAQ.Contributors to our project will be accepted via contributor applications. They will then be given a creation period of roughly four months to work on and complete polished pieces to be featured in our fanzine. This project is for-profit, meaning that we will be aiming to compensate contributors and moderators financially for the time and effort they put into the project. The amount of compensation received will depend on sales.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a zine?
A “zine” (short for “fanzine” or “webzine”) is a small, independently created and distributed magazine usually focused around a certain topic. Historically zines have been used to spread awareness on sociopolitical issues, or to publish entries in independently written comic series. In this context, our focus is Oumota.What is Oumota?
Oumota is the romantic pairing between Momota Kaito and Ouma Kokichi from New Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony, which is the third installment in the Danganronpa series released in 2017.Is the zine Safe For Work?
This will be a SFW project, but you can expect canon-typical levels of violence, cursing, and gore to be present within the zine. Given the nature of this being a ship-centric project, you can also expect physical acts of affection such as kissing, hugging, and hand-holding to show up in fanworks.There was another Oumota zine! Is this one a continuation?
Not necessarily! We do have three repeat mods from the previous project and will be doing our best to make The Show Must Go On stand out as a very distinctive separate project. However, this zine is not a “sequel” to the previous project in any sense.Will this zine feature V3 spoilers?
Yes it will, and it will likely also contain spoilers for the rest of the Danganronpa series. There will also be spoilers further down in this FAQ, so proceed with caution!Will this zine be physical or digital?
We will be offering both physical and digital options!How many contributors will you be accepting?
Our goal is to accept 20-25 page artists, 5 writers, and 4-5 merch artists, but exact numbers will vary based on the pool of applications we receive. Cosplay numbers will be largely dependent on the number of cosplayers interested.Will this be a beginner-friendly zine?
We will be accepting contributors based on who we personally feel has the style and quality of work that fits in with our vision of the project, so we can’t promise more of a focus on a beginner-friendly application process. However, we encourage everyone who is interested to apply! Please note that the mods’ decisions are not indicative of your talent or value as an artist.How old do you have to be to apply?
We are asking contributors to please be at least 15 years of age by the time contributor emails are sent out (February 18th 2024) due to the violent nature of the Danganronpa series and the likelihood of this zine to contain themes of violence or death.Will this zine feature guest creators?
Yes it will! We are inviting 5 guest page artists, one guest writer, one guest merch artist, one guest cosplayer, and a guest cover artist.Can I apply for multiple roles?
Totally! But in order to diversify the contributor pool, you will only be accepted for one of these roles if you do decide to go for multiple.I was a contributor in the previous Oumota zine, can I still apply?
Yes you can! We will not be using your previous acceptance to any projects to determine whether or not you are allowed to join this one.How will contributors be compensated?
Every contributor will be provided with, at minimum, a free digital full bundle. Our goal will be to make enough money during preorders to offer every contributor the option of a full free physical bundle, with shipping included. No matter what, contributors will be given the option to receive a portion of whatever profit we make or donate their portion to charity.What does canon divergence even mean?
Canon divergence is a broad term referring to fan works that depict anything that falls outside the realm of what happens in canon while still maintaining the general status quo. For example, the common genre of Kaede surviving past chapter one counts as canon divergence. Canon divergence can be something as small as a missing scene (that we know didn’t happen in canon) where Kokichi joins Kaito’s Monokuma fight squad in the basement in chapter one, or as big as Kokichi exiting the exisal hangar alongside Kaito (like in the popular fic “Amalgamate” by DoctorHaifisch on AO3). Our goal isn’t to tell a specific story, but cover the many different branching paths that canon didn’t take with Oumota at the forefront, so please feel free to be as creative as you want!Will this zine feature AUs such as talent swap or no killing game?
No, all pieces within this project will take place within the canon setting, just with divergences as the name implies.Where will the zine be shipped from?
We will be shipping from the Western United States.I asked a question on the interest check/application and it mysteriously showed up on your Retrospring. Why is that?
We will be submitting all questions asked via forms to our Retrospring ourselves in case there are others with your question.My question isn’t answered here!
Feel free to submit all further questions via our Retrospring, or DM us on one of our social media platforms!
Guidelines
☾ We ask that all contributors be 15 years of age or older by the time contributor emails are sent out (February 18th 2024)!☾ We will be open to considering many different forms of canon divergence for this project. The sky’s the limit! However we will ask that interpretations that violate our SFW guideline not be proposed, and also that all pitches be something that you can comfortably and proudly execute within the page size and word count constraints provided.☾ This zine will contain themes of violence, death, and gore on par with the level shown in Danganronpa. However, gratuitous violence or excessively graphic gore will not be allowed. If you have any questions about what that looks like, the mods are open to discussion on what will fit within the guidelines of our project.☾ We will have a zero-tolerance policy for plagiarism. If it is discovered that you plagiarised either items on your portfolio by tracing, heavily referencing without credit, or outright stealing the artwork of others without permission, you will be immediately banned from the zine with no chance of reacceptance.☾ Works created with the use of AI, either for inspiration or for the actual creation of your piece, will not be featured in our project. We strongly advise that you do not include them on your portfolio either.☾ For the duration of this project, we will be asking that you please keep your piece completely private until you are given express permission to share it! This includes sharing WIPs, asking a trusted friend to beta read or offer art critique, or using your piece for compilations on your public socials. However, with explicit mod permission you may include your works on private portfolios. Once the project has completed, your piece is yours to do with as you wish, including posting to your social medias or selling on your personal merch store.☾ Bigotry, bullying, and harassment will not be permitted within the project, or amongst the contributors. Any contributors who violate this guideline will face removal from the project in the interest of curating a safe and comfortable workspace for everyone involved.☾ If you have any criticisms of the mods, we are completely open to hearing it! Please feel free to message any one of us at any time with concerns or fears and we will do our best to respond adequately. We will ask that disputes be handled privately first and foremost.☾ All the contributors we bring onto the project will be immensely talented creators who already have the styles and quality of work required to make this project the best it can be. Having said that, our art, writing, and merch feedback mods will specifically be present in order to give advice and second opinions on all pieces throughout every stage of the process. We will kindly ask that contributors please be communicative and, even when working outside of our schedule, still show us plenty of WIPs so that we can give you feedback as needed. We will also request that everyone be open-minded and know that our only goal is to help you grow as contributors!☾ Please make sure to strongly consider your current workload and schedule before applying to this project! In applying to the zine you are committing to follow our schedule and guidelines. Life happens, and we will of course be providing extensions for anyone who needs them, but all we ask for is strong and timely communication, as well as a general adherence to our schedule.
Schedule
➴ Launch - November 12th 2023
➴ Interest Check Opens - November 12th 2023
➴ Interest Check Closes - December 31st 2023
➴ Contributor Applications Open - January 7th 2024
➴ Contributor Applications Close - February 7th 2024
➴ Contributor Result Emails Sent - February 18th 2024
➴ Pitches Due - February 29th 2024
➴ Check-In One Due - March 29th 2024
➴ Check-In Two Due - May 13th 2024
➴ Check-In Three Due - June 13th 2024
➴ Final Deadline - July 13th 2024
➴ Preorders Open - August 3rd 2024
➴ Preorders Close - September 3rd 2024
➴ Production - TBD
➴ Shipping - TBD
Mod Team
Toxic
Writing & Social Media
Hi there! My name is Toxic, I use she/they, and I have the honour of being on this project as the writing/social media mod. I'm a huge enjoyer of zines and have modded previous projects such as Luminary of the Stars: a Kaito Momota Zine and Unfinished Symphony: A Kaede Akamatsu fanzine! I've also participated in numerous projects as a writer, and you can find my full list on my carrd. Overall I've been extremely passionate about Oumota ever since they took me by storm in 2021 and I'm super excited to see where this project goes!
Zeph
Merch
Hello, I am Zeph (he/they) and I'm the merch mod for the zine. I have experience modding for 1, 2, Showtime! as the head mod and DR Critical Dice as the merch mod. I've also participated in other zines as a page or merch artist and like to make chibi drawings and merch in my free time. Oumota is a fun ship and I find their dynamic interesting so I'm excited to see what everyone comes up with for this zine. 💖
Cael
Art & Cosplay
Hey everyone, I'm Cael, she/her, and I'll be the one responsible for Art Mod duties on this zine! I've been on the zine scene as a contributor since 2018, in various zines for Danganronpa as well as other fandoms, and have been an art mod on the previous Oumota zine (With Passion and Purpose) and currently am art modding for DR Critical Dice zine! I've been in the Danganronpa fandom since 2017 and first started posting Oumota content at the start of 2019, amusingly with missing scenes & canon divergence, so this theme has me excited! Can't wait to see your art!
Paper
Format
Hey! You can call me Paper (she/her/they). I will be working as the format mod for this project. I’ve been in a couple of zines before, including as the Graphics/Formatting mod in Oumota Zine: With Passion and Purpose. Over the years I’ve participated in different fandom projects as an artist, writer, organizer and cosplayer, and love seeing the results of what passionate fans can come together to create! Oumota has been an all-time favourite ship since I first got into the fandom.
Craig
Finance
Hiya, I'm Craig, I use he/they pronouns, and I'm the finance mod for this zine! I've been a huge Oumota fan since 2018, and I was the head mod on the first Oumota zine (With Passion and Purpose). I've modded multiple other zines since then, typically in writing, shipping, and finance mod roles. After five years, Oumota still means everything to me, and I'm super excited to be working on this zine!
Spectra
Graphics
Hello, I’m Spectra, she/her, and I’m the graphics mod for this zine! I was previously art mod on Let's Magical Cooking!: A Magical Girl Cookbook-style Fanzine and am currently art mod on Crazy Rainbow: A One Piece Coloring Zine. I’ve also been a page artist on several other zines (full list on my Carrd), including the previous Oumota zine. I got into DRV3 late 2018 and was sucked into the Oumota fandom soon after. If you’ve seen a magical girl crossover, 99% chance that's my fault 😉. I’m very excited to get the chance to work on this zine!
Cora
Shipping
Hello! I'm Cora (he/she/fae/they) and I'll be the shipping mod for this zine! The other kind of shipping, in this case. I've contributed to a few zines before, but this is my first time getting to work as a mod and I'm quite excited for it. I'm primarily a writer, and you can find more of my info in my carrd! I got into Oumota sometime in 2019 and they've been like a stubborn mold that I can't get rid of ever since. I'm thrilled to be a part of this zine and to create more works about these two 💜