The Shadow You Cast

Zine
Title:	The Shadow You Cast
Publisher:
Editor(s):	c0ralsky, SpeedyElite, kiriichu
Type:	Fanart, Fanfiction
Date(s):	2019-2021
Medium:	PDF, Print
Fandom:	Kingdom Hearts
Language:	English
External Links:	Twitter Tumblr carrdarchived
Zine Cover
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The Shadow You Cast is a zine focused on the character Vanitas from the Kingdom Hearts games.

About

The zine was announced on July 24, 2019, with an interest check gauging for demand and feedback. The interest check was closed early on July 28, 2019, due to overwhelming response. Contributor applications for artists, writers, and poets opened on July 31, 2019, and closed on August 23rd. The project's social media account reported 100 applications by August 14, 2019, during the applications period. By the end of applications, a reported 169 applications were submitted, 81.5% artists, 16.7% writers, and 1.8% poets.

Preorders went live on December 1, 2019. The following is an approximation of the pricing tiers:

• Tier 1 - Digital Zine, Paper Box Cutout
• Tier 2 - Digital Zine, Physical Zine, Mini Prints, Stickers
• Tier 3 (Limited to 100) - Digital Zine, Physical Zine, Mini Prints, Stickers, Button, Acrylic Standee

The Tier 3 bundle sold out on multiple occasions and had to be restocked, then capped to 100 orders by December 12, 2019. A giveaway for this bundle was run from December 14, 2019, to January 2, 2020. The winner of this giveaway was Twitter user Pashi_Foxy. Preorders closed on January 2, 2020.

Packaging was expected to begin on June 15, 2020, but the project faced delays on May 27th, and shipping was pushed back. In the meantime, the project's digital store reopened for Tier 1 bundles only for all of July 2020. Further delays were made due to the mod in charge of quality checking the zines was now busy with full time work and unable to ask for helpers due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

On September 17, 2020, a thread was posted explaining the reason for the significant delays. The mod tasked with packaging and finances left the project and fandom early for personal reasons, leaving the head mod to weather the rest of the process alone, combined with further stresses of personal problems caused by the pandemic. The head mod promised that the packages would be shipped in the next few weeks.

The first physical orders were sent out on October 5, 2020. Digital sales closed orders on October 9, 2020, to take a break until leftover sales.

Leftover sales went live on April 15, 2021, selling leftover merchandise and misprints. All physical items were sold out by April 17th. Digital sales would continue to the end of the month.

On May 19, 2021, the project closed with a donation announcement of $2,083.32 USD to The Trevor Project.

Project Schedule

	Start	End
Interest Check	July 24, 2019	July 28, 2019
Contributor Applications	July 31, 2019	August 23, 2019
Preorders	December 1, 2019	January 2, 2020
Shipping	October 5, 2020	-
Leftover Sales	April 15, 2021	April 30, 2021

Contributors

The following names were taken from the project's social media account.

Page Artists

• rouwan
• fisheemammal
• _milliott
• spacejamtwo
• Nico Yarou
• Tele (acidicchoArts)
• 週末 (shmz042)
• Walter (WaltYaMart)
• Raikachu
• AClockworkClown
• Moe (terraswill)
• a0rii
• linvanlin
• kenzichi
• Nico (tinyshoopuf)
• CaptainPalu
• wanologic
• MorningSeaFoam
• kipper (kipskiff)
• PIN6 (onlytoeight)
• dolly (dreameaterven)
• Destiny-Islanders (DaPandaBanda)
• Hackwolfin
• EmtheLimey
• sarukuiyamato
• uultima_
• rina (todoyamas)
• Peatootin

Writers & Poets

• oathbreaker
• bribird_wings
• noa_rat
• sid3walk
• clavisvanitatum
• Jennie (venvans)
• vanitashours
• nichi (waywardriot)
• Toppie (toppiegames)
• Bookwarmally
• FAEDEMYX
• shoulderpads-mcgee2
• pinkvanitas
• Eskandar (eskandarrohani)
• Speedyelite - Writing Mod

Mods

• c0ralsky (softfaekitty) - Project Lead, Art Mod
• Speedyelite - Writing Mod
• AltomareCity - Writing Mod, Poetry Mod
• kiriichu - Server Organization, Merchandising

Gallery

• 

  Zine Cover

• 

  Tier 3 Bundle Listing

Fan Reception

The following posts are a sample of posts retweeted by the project's social media account about the zine.

Exekyl wrote on Twitter

Got my @VanitasZine order in!!! Already set up the standee and added the button to the pinboard AAAA

Savy wrote on Twitter

Woot at last my copy of the @VanitasZine is here!! Can’t wait to look & read through it thank u to everyone who worked on it Vanitas deserves way more love!!

Blimpcat wrote on Twitter

BBBBYBYBBU W 💜💜💜

Thank you @aquuavir for gifting me the @VanitasZine  !! ;_;;;;;; AHHHh. ILY!!!

The design & print quality of the zine itself is STUNNING; so well thought out and professionally made! GG to the mods, artists and writers!!! + I am obsessed with the standee. 💜

Beth wrote on Twitter

@VanitasZine Thank you so much for your hard work to get this zine out!!! I'm swooning over all the new quality Vinitas merch to join my collection! 😍

Moe wrote on Twitter

things i got in the mail 😋 thank you so much @VanitasZine and @FromAshes_Zine for having me! it was an amazing experience 😭😭😭 special gracias to @RequiemPluie

for the goodies too 🥺🥺 tysm ily

jix wrote on Twitter

@VanitasZine It’s come home! I couldn’t afford the full set but still thank you so much!! Looking forward to reading it all thoroughly

vaguely unhinged wrote on Twitter

my contributor copy of @VanitasZine arrived ~ part of the book got bent up in the mail but miraculously all the prints were safe 🙏

so uh.. zine ft book pile hahah 💕

Nana wrote on Twitter

Much love to @VanitasZine! Vanitas is my absolute fav KH character & I freaked when I saw a fanzine dedicated to him. It makes me so happy to see so many fellow Vani fans out there!😭💕 The fan merch & illustrations are all incredible! I can’t wait to sit down& read the fics!🥰