Phoenix Down Monthly / Afterdark :: FAQ
This is the FAQ post. Questions asked will show up in this post for future reference. All comments are screened, and we'll answer your question by editing this post, so you don't have to be embarrassed -- ask us anything!
Phoenix Down Monthly / Afterdark :: Frequently Asked Questions
General
+ What's with the 'Monthly'? I haven't seen monthly issues of anything!
We figured "Monthly" sounded better than "Month-and-a-half-plus-extra-for-holidays-ly". It's more like a guideline than a rule.
Submissions
+ Can I submit to both Monthly and Afterdark in the same issue? How many pieces can I submit to each? Is there a limit on the number of pieces I can submit to any given issue?
- Yes, you can submit to both Monthly and Afterdark in the same issue! The more, the merrier!
- Technically, there is no limit on the number of pieces you can submit to each / every issue. Realistically, we are highly unlikely to accept more than 2-3 pieces from any given author in a given month (we like diversity!). Honestly, keep in mind that your editors are also people: if you submit 12 pieces in a row, there's a good chance one of us will get irritable.
+ Should I be submitting work all at once, in one email, or be spamming you with individual separate emails?
If you're submitting things to both PDM and Afterdark, they should be in separate emails (to keep not-worksafe materials in not-work-related zones). Other than that, it's up to you. If it's easier to send them in separate emails, that's great. If it's easier to send them all together, that's fine too; just make sure each piece has appropriate header information.
+ If I want to submit something for the 'Classic' section which has already been posted elsewhere, am I expected to remove and/or lock it?
Nope! Only submissions that want to qualify as 'New' need to be locked prior to the issue's publication.
+ If submitting a longer one-shot (+3000 words), how do you want us to include the excerpt? Should it be its own .rtf file attached to the email, or be included within the email itself?
It would be best for us if you submitted two files - one with the excerpt, and one with the entire piece. That makes it easier for us to integrate your work into the issue. If you've already submitted it another way, however, we'll contact you to get the formats we need, so no worries!
+ If I submit a piece for an issue and it is not selected, may I edit it and re-submit the piece to a future issue? Would it fall under 'Classics' or 'New'?
- You can always re-submit a piece which was rejected -- especially if it has been edited. In fact, many of us encourage this!
- The piece still qualifies for the 'New' section as long as it has not been posted or published elsewhere.
- If the piece has been posted or published elsewhere, but is less than 1 month old, it will qualify for the 'New' section as long as you lock or remove all previous postings.
- Pieces older than one month (i.e. 'published' or posted for longer than one month) are always eligible for the 'Classics' section.
Canon
+ Will you actually reject me just for not labeling my canon / genre / rating correctly?
We are reasonable people. The only part of our header requirements that we are truly stringent on is that of canon, and this is because of spoiler issues for both your editors and our readers (see for reference: the FFVII Compilation, or FFIV: The After). Properly labeling your canon is a very minor step on your part but is a huge help on our side of the table. If you actually can't take the time to accurately label your canon, it's a big turn-off for some of our editors.
As for the other parts of the label, keep in mind that we want to believe all fans are mature enough to understand and properly label their own work. So if you submit a story labeled "Horror" and "R", that's what we're going to look at it as and publish it as. Also keep in mind that if you label a story as "Horror" and "R", but we open the file up to see a crack-filled High School AU starring the characters as pigs, we are probably going to be disinclined to select your story.
+ What if my story is AU? Or a crossover? How do I label the canon?
"Canon" should refer to the source material from which the fic/art is taken. For example, for an AU starring Squall, Rinoa, and Seifer, the canon would be FFVIII (no matter what sort of AU it is) (and yes, even if they are pigs). Keep in mind that the canon label serves two purposes. First, it protects your fellow fans from potential spoilers for games they have not yet played. Second, it allows your editors to easily organize and sort submissions. A proper canon label lets both things happen smoothly.
For crossovers or fics involving multiple canons, think of both "spoilers" and "organization" as mentioned above. For example: if a crossover fic involves characters from FFIV and FFX, you should list both canons.
+ How do I pick a canon for the FFVII Compilation? Does my fic/art count as a crossover?
Since the games in the FFVII Compilation were released separately - as individual entities - we do treat them as individual canons (again, for spoiler reasons for fans as a whole as well as organizational reasons). If your fic/art remains entirely in the FFVII-verse, we will not consider it a crossover; however, you do still need to properly label which part of FFVII canon it comes from. Overall, we will trust the judgement of the author/artist on this issue.
Here are some guidelines to use when labeling your FFVII:Compilation work:
- Identify the game most recently released (in the US) your work references. Since we view the Compilation as somewhat sequential, the most recent release that your piece touches could be assumed to include information from all previous releases. For example, many would consider a story taking place during the DoC (Dirge of Cerberus) timeline to include OGC (Original Game Canon) as well as AC (Advent Children) canon. If your story mainly deals with DoC canon, labeling it as FFVII:DoC is acceptable.
- Go through your work and identify the pieces of FFVII canon that readers/fans would be spoiled for; use these to determine your canon. For example, the example above could be listed as FFVII: OGC/AC/DoC if it significantly dealt with parts/characters from each canon.
- If your piece takes place in the FFVII world but does not specifically spoil (or involve characters from) any of the Compilation, your canon is FFVII:OGC.
- If you put only FFVII, it tells us that you haven't read our rules. This is really the only thing related to canon labeling guaranteed to make us have a fit.
Formatting and Issues
+ What is the policy on special-format fics? (1sentence fics, poetry, etc)
We accept any style / format for fiction as long as (a) it forms a coherent piece and (b) it meets the quality standards for that particular issue! In fact, some of us really like creatively-styled pieces!
That being said, we will probably only accept a few pieces per issue with unusual formats. This not only makes it easier on us, but keeps every issue diverse.
+ What about AU fics?
We do accept AU fics, as long as they're still relevant to Final Fantasy (involving familiar canons, characters, etc). Please don't be afraid to submit!
As above, we will probably only accept a few AU pieces per issue.
Phoenix Down Monthly / Afterdark :: Frequently Asked Questions
General
+ What's with the 'Monthly'? I haven't seen monthly issues of anything!
We figured "Monthly" sounded better than "Month-and-a-half-plus-extra-for-holidays-ly". It's more like a guideline than a rule.
Submissions
+ Can I submit to both Monthly and Afterdark in the same issue? How many pieces can I submit to each? Is there a limit on the number of pieces I can submit to any given issue?
- Yes, you can submit to both Monthly and Afterdark in the same issue! The more, the merrier!
- Technically, there is no limit on the number of pieces you can submit to each / every issue. Realistically, we are highly unlikely to accept more than 2-3 pieces from any given author in a given month (we like diversity!). Honestly, keep in mind that your editors are also people: if you submit 12 pieces in a row, there's a good chance one of us will get irritable.
+ Should I be submitting work all at once, in one email, or be spamming you with individual separate emails?
If you're submitting things to both PDM and Afterdark, they should be in separate emails (to keep not-worksafe materials in not-work-related zones). Other than that, it's up to you. If it's easier to send them in separate emails, that's great. If it's easier to send them all together, that's fine too; just make sure each piece has appropriate header information.
+ If I want to submit something for the 'Classic' section which has already been posted elsewhere, am I expected to remove and/or lock it?
Nope! Only submissions that want to qualify as 'New' need to be locked prior to the issue's publication.
+ If submitting a longer one-shot (+3000 words), how do you want us to include the excerpt? Should it be its own .rtf file attached to the email, or be included within the email itself?
It would be best for us if you submitted two files - one with the excerpt, and one with the entire piece. That makes it easier for us to integrate your work into the issue. If you've already submitted it another way, however, we'll contact you to get the formats we need, so no worries!
+ If I submit a piece for an issue and it is not selected, may I edit it and re-submit the piece to a future issue? Would it fall under 'Classics' or 'New'?
- You can always re-submit a piece which was rejected -- especially if it has been edited. In fact, many of us encourage this!
- The piece still qualifies for the 'New' section as long as it has not been posted or published elsewhere.
- If the piece has been posted or published elsewhere, but is less than 1 month old, it will qualify for the 'New' section as long as you lock or remove all previous postings.
- Pieces older than one month (i.e. 'published' or posted for longer than one month) are always eligible for the 'Classics' section.
Canon
+ Will you actually reject me just for not labeling my canon / genre / rating correctly?
We are reasonable people. The only part of our header requirements that we are truly stringent on is that of canon, and this is because of spoiler issues for both your editors and our readers (see for reference: the FFVII Compilation, or FFIV: The After). Properly labeling your canon is a very minor step on your part but is a huge help on our side of the table. If you actually can't take the time to accurately label your canon, it's a big turn-off for some of our editors.
As for the other parts of the label, keep in mind that we want to believe all fans are mature enough to understand and properly label their own work. So if you submit a story labeled "Horror" and "R", that's what we're going to look at it as and publish it as. Also keep in mind that if you label a story as "Horror" and "R", but we open the file up to see a crack-filled High School AU starring the characters as pigs, we are probably going to be disinclined to select your story.
+ What if my story is AU? Or a crossover? How do I label the canon?
"Canon" should refer to the source material from which the fic/art is taken. For example, for an AU starring Squall, Rinoa, and Seifer, the canon would be FFVIII (no matter what sort of AU it is) (and yes, even if they are pigs). Keep in mind that the canon label serves two purposes. First, it protects your fellow fans from potential spoilers for games they have not yet played. Second, it allows your editors to easily organize and sort submissions. A proper canon label lets both things happen smoothly.
For crossovers or fics involving multiple canons, think of both "spoilers" and "organization" as mentioned above. For example: if a crossover fic involves characters from FFIV and FFX, you should list both canons.
+ How do I pick a canon for the FFVII Compilation? Does my fic/art count as a crossover?
Since the games in the FFVII Compilation were released separately - as individual entities - we do treat them as individual canons (again, for spoiler reasons for fans as a whole as well as organizational reasons). If your fic/art remains entirely in the FFVII-verse, we will not consider it a crossover; however, you do still need to properly label which part of FFVII canon it comes from. Overall, we will trust the judgement of the author/artist on this issue.
Here are some guidelines to use when labeling your FFVII:Compilation work:
- Identify the game most recently released (in the US) your work references. Since we view the Compilation as somewhat sequential, the most recent release that your piece touches could be assumed to include information from all previous releases. For example, many would consider a story taking place during the DoC (Dirge of Cerberus) timeline to include OGC (Original Game Canon) as well as AC (Advent Children) canon. If your story mainly deals with DoC canon, labeling it as FFVII:DoC is acceptable.
- Go through your work and identify the pieces of FFVII canon that readers/fans would be spoiled for; use these to determine your canon. For example, the example above could be listed as FFVII: OGC/AC/DoC if it significantly dealt with parts/characters from each canon.
- If your piece takes place in the FFVII world but does not specifically spoil (or involve characters from) any of the Compilation, your canon is FFVII:OGC.
- If you put only FFVII, it tells us that you haven't read our rules. This is really the only thing related to canon labeling guaranteed to make us have a fit.
Formatting and Issues
+ What is the policy on special-format fics? (1sentence fics, poetry, etc)
We accept any style / format for fiction as long as (a) it forms a coherent piece and (b) it meets the quality standards for that particular issue! In fact, some of us really like creatively-styled pieces!
That being said, we will probably only accept a few pieces per issue with unusual formats. This not only makes it easier on us, but keeps every issue diverse.
+ What about AU fics?
We do accept AU fics, as long as they're still relevant to Final Fantasy (involving familiar canons, characters, etc). Please don't be afraid to submit!
As above, we will probably only accept a few AU pieces per issue.