INFORMATION 

depicted yaoi: shota oni by nakayama miyuki

Digital Magazine Guidelines

These guidelines are for the digital volumes only, and may change for physical releases (if applicable)

⚣.* The first digital volume will be completely free. It will be hosted on https://heyzine.com/ as well as available for download through itchio.⚣.* This project is a magazine featuring artbook elements (such as page artists).⚣.* This magazine is inclusive to manhwa, danmei, and western BL⚣.* Each volume will feature a vintage BL/Yaoi (at least 10 years old) and a modern BL/Yaoi (within the last 10 years)

 

Contribution Guidelines

All contributors must be at least 18 years old as this zine features adult content. All content will be in English. All pieces should be BL/Yaoi themed. There may be other themes and prompts given each volume for contributions such as commentaries. Please note that a featured vintage BL/Yaoi media will be stated prior to each volume. We would like to emphasize that your piece does not need to be that series! While we will especially seek those who would like to contribute a piece featuring the media, it does not mean every single piece in that volume will be centered around it. Generative AI cannot be used for anything submitted to this project. Contributors can be anonymous upon publishing, but a social media profile will be asked for in your application. We will not be performing any deep dives on your profile; this is primarily to verify your age. Follower count will not be taken into account. Art, Cosplay, and Writing applicants should provide a portfolio with 2-3 pieces. We will be seeking to feature a variety of artists from all skill levels and art styles (we are friendly to beginner artists, so long as you can fulfill the guidelines!) Featured commentary writers should provide some sort of discussion work they’ve done before. Work can be as simple as blog posts encouraging deep discussion or professional essays. We will not be too horribly strict on this; we just want to ensure you can fulfill the guidelines. If not stated, one does not need to provide a portfolio alongside their application. For example, reviewers do not need to provide a portfolio. Participants should be able to work alongside others and should be generally comfortable enough with a variety of BL/Yaoi content that it will not impede on their participation. Harassment or bullying will mean being blacklisted from the zine, whether you are open to any kind of content or not.

 

For our specific content guidelines, please refer to this document.

 

Terms We Use

⚣.*  Achillean 
a queer slang that is the gay equivalent to the lesbian "sapphic"
⚣.*  BL 
jp. ビーエル (literally "BL") short for Boys Love - a term for the general genre of gay homosexual media, can apply to erotic gay homosexual media as well
⚣.*  Yaoi 
jp. やおい - an early term for the general genre of gay homosexual/bisexual media usually depicting young adults and adults to middle aged men
⚣.*  Shounen Ai 
jp. 少年愛 (literally "Boys Love") - an outdated term for the general genre of gay homosexual/bisexual media usually depicting prepubescent boys and teenagers
⚣.*  Fujoshi 
jp. 腐女子 - a term for girls, women and femmes who love yaoi
⚣.*  Fudanshi 
jp. 腐男子 - a term for boys, men and mascs who love yaoi
⚣.*  Fujin 
jp. 腐人 - a term for nonbinary and genderfluid people who love yaoi
⚣.*  Seme  or  Tachi  or  Top 
jp. 攻め/せめ or タチ - a term for the homosexual/bisexual man that penetrates his lover during sexual intercourse
⚣.*  Uke  or  Neko  or  Bottom 
jp. 受け/うけ or 猫/ネコ - a term for the homosexual/bisexual man that gets penetrated by his lover during sexual intercourse
⚣.*  Dom 
a term for the dominant partner in the relationship (note that dom does not automatically mean top)
⚣.*  Sub 
a term for the submissive partner in the relationship (note that sub does not automatically mean bottom)

Volume 1: Achillean Thrill

 Volume 1's Featured Vintage BL/YAOI 
Yami no Matsuei / Descendents of Darkness

 

 Volume 1's Featured Modern BL/YAOI 
NU: Carnival

 

 Volume 1's Featured Danmei 
Scum Villain's Self-Saving System

 

 Personal Commentary Prompts 
⚣.* Talk about BL in relation to the exploration of gender and sexuality. Has BL helped you or someone you know find their true self? Tell us about it!
⚣.* Talk about the suppression of sexuality in modern culture (sex shaming, increase in anti-LGBT mentalities, etc.)⚣.* Talk about a BL you feel passionate about! Convince someone to watch/read something you love!

 

 Original BL/Yaoi content 
Introduce your own BL/Yaoi content with either page art, comic, character sheets or written content!

 

The first volume is set to release by October 2025. Subsequently, the theme will be Halloween. You do not need to indulge in a Halloween theme for your contributor submission, but it is highly encouraged!

 

For our specific content guidelines, please refer to this document.

 

 SCHEDULE 

depicted yaoi: ten count by takarai rihito

 Moderation Application Period: 
February 1st - March 8th

 Contributor Application Period: 
April 5th - May 5th

 Interest Check Period: 
February 1st - March 8th

 Final Deadline: 
August 24

 Release: 
October 2025

 

 1st Check-In:  May 24
⚣.* Requiring, at minimum: art (thumbnails, sketches, rough draft); cosplay (photo ideas, proof of progress); commentary (proof of intention); writing (concept/summary/rough outline)

 2nd Check-In:  June 24
⚣.* Requiring, at minimum: art (clean sketch), cosplay (date of photoshoot or proof of cosplay), commentary (proof of progress), writing (rough draft)

 3rd Check-In:  July 24
⚣.* Requiring, at minimum: art (flat color), cosplay (unedited photos or date of shoot confirmed), commentary (ready for beta reading), writing (ready for beta reading)

 Beta Reading Period:  July 24-August 9
⚣.* Writers/Commentary will submit their stories/articles for beta reading and editing. After feedback, they will finish their piece by the final date.

 

 MODERATORS 

depicted yaoi: bongchon bride by son gaepi

 Head Moderator our head moderator is tasked with overseeing this project and making sure the moderator team is doing their job properlyHello!! I've been a fan of Yaoi since I was a wee lad....after talking about it for years my husband finally convinced me to jump in and actually do it! I hope you all enjoy what everyone has to offer for BLMAG!!!!Recent or favorite BL/Yaoi: Ai no KusabiFirst MLM ship/slash: Harry x Tom (Harry Potter)Zine/Project experience: Memento Mori: A Curse of Strahd Fanzine (Admin), Sweet Passion: IDV Zine (Admin), IDV Cat Zine (Admin), Oops!All Autistic (Art Mod), Starlighter Sakura (Socmed)

 SFW Moderator our sfw moderator is tasked with monitoring all sfw and general audiences contentI must be silly, or I will scream. Please be nice to me because I will cry. QvQRecent or favorite BL/Yaoi: anything by Naono Bohra and Minekura KazuyaFirst MLM ship/slash: DanVer from DMCZine/Project experience: Infinity With You (2024), Co-Head & SocMed Mod; NOT A SAINT (2023), Writer; Cancel Me, Daddy! (2022), Writer;『Diamond Sea』(2021), Writing Mod & Writer

 NSFW/Dead Dove Moderator our nsfw/dead dove moderator is tasked with monitoring all nsfw and dead dove contentHello fujin folks! I'm Alula and I've been in love with men being in love with men for not as long as you'd think (; I'm thrilled to be able to offer my expertise and assistance for such a cool project!Recent or favorite BL/Yaoi: Scum Villain Self-Saving System or Ten Count or Don't Be CruelFirst MLM ship/slash: KagaKuro (Kagami/Kuroko) from Kuroko no BasukeZine/Project experience: The Carnival: A Nu:C Zine (Head Mod), Heat of Our Hearts: KRBK Omegaverse Zine (Head Mod), Scum Villain Fairy Tale Zine (Head/Writer Mod), Black Butler Bang (Head/Writer Mod)

 Graphics/Formatting Moderator our graphics/formatting moderator is tasked with creating graphics for everything surrounding our project as well as formatting this carrd and our magazineHello! I'm so excited to be here. I've been an avid Yaoi fan since childhood so I grew up with classical Yaoi that most probably don't even remember anymore haha I'm so glad that there is such a diversity and huge amount of Yaoi content nowadays that people can enjoy and experiment and express their queerness with!!Recent or favorite BL/Yaoi: Minami-kun Wants to be Teased by that VoiceFirst MLM ship/slash: NaruSasu (Naruto x Sasuke)Zine/Project experience: YuanQingYuan Clubhouse (Mod); Melting Pot, Dungeon Meshi Zine (Writer); True Blue, Yanqing Artbook (Head, Graphics/Formatting Mod); Ready, Set NIKKI, Infinity Nikki Fanzine (Head, Graphics/Formatting Mod)

 Writing Moderator our writing moderator is tasked with overseeing written content and making sure the writers are delivering their pieces properly, as well as doing final proofreadingHullo! I'm Ette and I'm super excited to be here. I've been a fan of BL and yaoi for as long as I can remember.Recent or favorite BL/Yaoi: Red MansionFirst MLM ship/slash: I think it was Natsu/Sting from Fairy TailZine/Project experience: Writing Mod of Fortunate Skies: A Chennett Zine, One and Only: An Ayaitto Zine, Tokihanatsu: A Mononoke Zine, and 10+ other projects

 Visual Media Moderator our visual media moderator is tasked with overseeing visual content (artwork, photography, cosplay, etc.) and making sure the creators are delivering their pieces properly, as well as doing quality checksHi I'm Ray! I started reading crazy evil yaoi manga in middle school on the family desktop. Am I allowed to say that? I love yaoi <3Recent or favorite BL/Yaoi: hehe... MY OCS!!!First MLM ship/slash: GinHiji (gintama) my legacy classic yaoiZine/Project experience: recently organised SLAKE HOUSE and Noahs Ark

 Discord Moderator our discord moderator is tasked with overseeing our project's discord, as well as emotionally supporting the moderators, they're our therapy dogHowdy! I'm here to lend a helping hand where needed! We love guys being dudes.Recent or favorite BL/Yaoi: The first yaoi my husband exposed me to was ai no kusabi 👍First MLM ship/slash: Zant x GanondorfZine/Project experience: Sweet Passion IDV Zine (Assistant / Digital Mech Mod) , Project Chao Zine (Intern), Memento Mori: A Curse of Strahd Fanzine (Assistant)

 SOCIAL MEDIA 

depicted yaoi: happy kuso life by harada

⚣.*  Tumblr 

⚣.*  Bluesky