Resplendent: A Cdrama Zine

ABOUT RESPLENDENTThis zine is dedicated to the broad, wonderful world of Chinese language dramas; from modern to costume, from historical to wuxia. We're a team of passionate drama fans who wanted to find a way to celebrate this (in our opinion underappreciated) source of media with other fans.Our zine does not have a specific theme outside of celebrating Chinese dramas, but we do have some guidelines. Keep reading!SCHEDULE:Our schedule is located HERE. We hope to not have to change anything on the schedule, but if there are any changes made, we will announce them on twitter, tumblr, bsky, and our carrd.THE BOOK ITSELF:This book will be limited to PG-13 (T going by AO3 ratings) and below content. We are aiming for an A4, perfect bound book of around one hundred pages.PROCEEDS AND FORMAT:Our zine will be offered as a printed book with merchandise bundles.  PDF sales may be available at a later date.Proceeds will be divided between two charities that have been carefully selected by our team.Shan Shui Conservation Center(Per their website: Founded in 2007, Shan Shui Conservation Center is a Chinese NGO dedicated to species and ecosystem conservation to resolve the problem of human and nature coexistence. We focus our work on the endangered species like the snow leopard, giant panda and snub-nosed monkey in western China, and also urban ecosystems. By community-based conservation practices and citizen science research projects, we explore conservation innovation and crystalize solutions, to achieve an ecological equality world.)Chinese for Affirmative Action(Per their website: Chinese for Affirmative Action (CAA) was founded in 1969 to protect the civil and political rights of Chinese Americans and to advance multiracial democracy in the United States. Today, CAA is a progressive voice in and on behalf of the broader Asian American and Pacific Islander community. We advocate for systemic change that protects immigrant rights, promotes language diversity, and remedies racial and social injustice.)OUR TEAM:@haro (admin/shipping and receiving)
@zali (moderator/social media)
@beth (moderator/social media)
@calamity (Chinese language consultant)
@rose (graphics)
@kitsu (formatting)

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONSAPPLYING:Who is eligible to join the zine?:Any artist or writer who wants to show their appreciation for Chinese Dramas. We are an all ages book, so any author or artist is welcome to join as long as they love Cdramas.When do applications open and close?:Applications open on July 31st, 2025 at midnight US CST. We will post a link to the form on all of our social media at this time.Applications close on August 28th at midnight US CST. We will have a countdown clock set up for this in the application post so you won’t accidentally miss the deadline!What kind of fanworks do we need to have prepared in order to apply?:Both writers and artists must submit three samples. At least one of these samples must be related to a Chinese Drama.If you are a writer using a multi-chapter fic as one of your samples, please let us know a few specific chapters or scenes you favor in case we don’t have time to read the entire thing (unfortunately it may not be possible to read lengthy fics from everyone applying, so we’re asking you to tell us what you like best from your piece).Both your fic and art samples can be uploaded to any online platform you wish to link us to, as well as to our google drive via the google form.NSFW content is okay for the samples, but it will not be allowed in the book itself if you are accepted.CONTENT:If you are accepted as an artist, you will be required to complete one fully colored, complete work. Both digital and traditional mediums are allowed. You are allowed one page. As of right now we don’t have any plans for spreads. There MAY be options for additional pieces as smaller insets in collaboration with fanfics.If you are accepted as a writer, you will be required to complete an English language fanfiction of 1,000-3,000 words. Fanfic can be written in any literary style as long as it fits our other guidelines.All content must be PG-13 or below. You’re welcome to show a little skin, but it should be something it would be appropriate for a minor to see.ABSOLUTELY NO USE OF GENERATIVE AI IS ALLOWED, IN YOUR SAMPLES OR YOUR ZINE SUBMISSIONIf you have a question as to if a specific idea is okay, please ask.WHAT DOES 'CHINESE LANGUAGE DRAMAS' ENCOMPASS?:Any drama in a Chinese language. This means that dramas produced in Hong Kong and Taiwan are also accepted, as well as dramas produced in a Chinese language that is not Mandarin.Movies and animated shows are not accepted. Fanwork based specifically on the novels that were adapted into Cdramas are also not accepted. This means that yes, for example, you can draw art of Wei Wuxian, but it needs to be the version of his character featured in The Untamed as opposed to the Mo Dao Zushi novel. This also applies to dramas based on donghua and comics. The drama version must be what is featured in your fanwork.EVERYTHING ELSE:Will there be any incentives?:All artists and authors will receive a free copy of the full zine bundle.How many people will be accepted?:We’re aiming for at least forty artists and twenty writers.Will there be guest artists and writers?:Yes! They will be announced later.I’m interested in providing one of the merchandise options, how would I go about telling you that?:There will be a spot for that on the application.How will the selection process work?:Our team will work together to discuss the quality of our applicants in style, technique, and in the case of fanfic, characterization, and work as hard as we can to choose the creators whose work we think will work best for the zine.Will everyone get to do a fanwork from the drama of their choice?:Ideally. We do understand that there may be dramas that have several fanworks. This is okay! However, in the event that we do have a very large amount of certain dramas featured, on the application form we will have a spot where you can put the top three to five dramas you'd be willing to create for (if you have a preference, you can put them in order). If there are only one or two dramas you are up to drawing or writing for, this is not required.Do NOT be discouraged from applying because you think the dramas you want to create for will be super popular. The more the merrier. We really want to see your application!Can participants post their work?:Participants have full ownership of their work. Once preorders have closed and the zines have been shipped out, they may do whatever they wish with it (posting the full piece, selling prints of it for profit, etc.)Will this ship zine internationally?:Yes, we are shipping from the US and will ship anywhere in the world. In the case of tariff increases, we will work with an international moderator to potentially ship out non-US orders from a non-US destination.When do preorders open?:January-February. Please check out the rest of our schedule here.OTHER QUESTIONS:Contact us CDRAMAZINE AT GMAIL.COM or via our tumblr.

SCHEDULE:07/31/2025: Applications for Artists and Authors Open
08/28/2025: Applications Close
09/10/2025: Acceptance Emails Sent
09/15/2025: Announcement of Participants
12/15/2025: Participant Due Date. Zine goes into production.We’ll be aiming for preorders to open by early to mid January, with February at the latest depending on the arrival of prints and merch samples.