Twice per year, we reunite here.

RELEASE:

USUKUS Twice Per Year 2024-1: "Cards, with Spades to Start"

After many delays, at last: Featuring 7 fanfics and 12 fanarts by 18 dedicated creators, people have come together to celebrate one of this fandom's most beloved 'verses. From the comedic to the tragic, we hope you'll find something new to love about Cardverse!

Congratulations on another amazing Twice Per Year! We hope everyone has been enjoying the batch of new content, or if you haven't had the chance yet, we encourage you to take a look.

This publication was a bit rough going, and largely because of that, the Admin Team has decided to write this post to share with everyone the state of TPY and our (tentative) plans moving forward.

The Process

First, we'd like to explain a little about our process. At the beginning of a year, we open up a poll to take idea submissions from everyone, regardless of whether they hope to participate or not. The admins then compile these submissions into specific choices and themes for people to vote on what they'd like to see for the coming year. This is what acts as our "interest check," to see a birds' eye view of not just participants but also readers. After that, we open sign-ups for the selected theme. While we underline the fact that sign-ups are a show of commitment and there are penalties for dropping out later, we have also attempted to emphasize that these penalties are mild and temporary and mostly just to discourage noncommittal sign-ups. The admin team uses sign-ups to gauge the size of TPY (both literally in page numbers, and fandom-wise in "activity" especially in comparison to interest check numbers), and has to manually collate a spreadsheet of each participant's sign-up info and progress at every check-in. Then, the check-ins. These are checkpoints at set dates during the TPY "term" where we message participants to get an idea of where they're at in the creation process and answer any questions or concerns they may have. The actual status of the work isn't really what matters here - the more important function of a check-in is to open an avenue of dialogue with people so they don't feel shy or hesitant to message the admin team. We understand that stuff happens, and either people don't want to be a bother, or it slips their mind because they're busy with other things, so the check-ins function as, well, a check-in to see how things are going. Finally, the submissions. This is where the admins' crunch time begins, as we rush to begin production of the actual zine itself. If participants do not submit their works correctly with the template provided, then this stage can also involve chasing people down for info within a timely manner (and if responses are slow, can delay production). Unfortunately, this part has been a struggle over the last 3-4 TPYs, as participants have not consistently submitted their works as requested (mostly artists). At this point we are aware that things tend to drop into radio silence, so we'd like to briefly list what we're busy working on. In addition to participants' submissions, the sum total of a TPY publication is made up of: a cover page (whose artist is selected from the sign-up sheet); a disclaimer and thank you page; original graphics for the acknowledgements, table of contents, and contributors pages; original graphics for the SFW and NSFW category pages; and an original document template for written works. It is a large amount of work and can take time to get looking right. We also re-format and SPAG (spelling and grammar) check written works, and resize any incorrectly submitted artwork. Once everything is made and ready, it is compiled with Adobe Acrobat into a single PDF.

The Numbers

There are a couple of pain points in this process that we'd like to elaborate on.

In 2022, we took over TPY from the old team, and as such only ran one theme as we built our new system and processes. We are missing full voting and participant information from this time, but we do know that there were:

24 sign-ups, with 12 final participants (12 drop outs/potentially ghosted)

Last year (2023), TPY had:

52 votes on the themes

23 sign-ups for part one, with 19 final participants (4 drop outs)

31 sign-ups for part two, with 24 final participants (7 drop outs)

This year (2024), so far TPY has had:

43 votes on the themes

26 sign-ups for part one, with 18 final participants (8 drop outs - 5 of which ghosted)

Overall numbers are varied, but it's the ratio for each year we're looking at. For 2023, the percentage ratio from votes to sign-ups were 44~59.5%, dropping to 36.5~46% for final participation (a drop of 7.5~13.5%). These are pretty good numbers - it means roughly around half of the people who voted were planning to participate! For 2024 however, it started out strong (60%!) but dropped to 41.9% upon final submissions (a whopping 18.1% right out of the gate). But more importantly: not only did it drop below the participant threshold that the admin team has set, but there were a staggering number of people who simply vanished and did not inform us of dropping out. This was when we posted our notice saying that we were extending the submission deadline, in hopes to get word from those people on their status - which severely delayed the production of the zine. We received 2 further submissions in this way, but the rest remained MIA.

But What Does It Mean

The takeaway here is the growing number of drop outs (not to mention the ghosting). Sign-up numbers are largely looking great, as it's natural for that number to rise and fall as people come and go from the fandom, get busier or have more leisure time, are interested in that term's theme or not, etc etc. The admin team's threshold is for a 20 participant minimum, as we believe this is a reasonable number for current fandom activity/popularity, in addition to allowing for a wide variety of fanworks submitted (the ratio of written works to artworks can be very skewed). Dropping below this number is concerning, as not only does it mean decreasing interest, but it also starts tipping the level of work needed by the admin team into unbalance. We're working adults, with jobs and responsibilities, and dedicate not only our personal time but also our personal money (Adobe ain't cheap) to this fandom tradition. Understandably we want TPY to be the very best it can be, but that does require others to "meet us halfway," so to speak, by participating. If not enough people do so, the work involved begins to feel less like a willing celebration to contribute to and give back to the fandom, and more like we're, well, wasting our time and effort (and money).

And while we understand life does happen and sometimes it's necessary to drop out despite original intentions to participate, the Admin Team would like to re-emphasize that if you don't believe you can fully commit (perhaps you don't have a solid idea for the theme, or you know you'll be gone on holiday for an extended period, etc.), then please don't sign-up. If you must drop out - no worries, truly, but please let us know! Don't just disappear! Conversely, we really hope that more people do consider signing up - there's no "requirements" you must meet (anyone can participate), the process is easy (all we ask is you respond to the check-ins and follow submission rules, otherwise we do the rest), and you get to be published in one of this ship's longest running events!

We hope that by making all this information transparent, we can empower and encourage people to be more willing to participate and support TPY. The Admin Team has occasionally received some absolutely lovely and kind messages thanking us, which we appreciate more than words can say, as this really is a labor of love. But we'd also love to see those feelings returned to the fandom at large, not just kept in our email inbox!

Moving Forward

Thankfully this time, we were able to get TPY out at the very end of September/start of October, but unfortunately this has messed up our timeline for the remainder of the year.

The Admin Team took some additional time to discuss whether TPY would continue or not, after this rough term, but we didn't want to just end things with no transparency and no chance for people to have their say. So we've chosen to continue for now, with some changes.

As there are only 3 months left in the year, it would be a very rushed term (not to mention end of year holidays), and we have decided that that would be unfair to hopeful participants. As such, the Admin Team has made the decision to push the voted-on theme, "Ocean's 1923" (love at sea), to the beginning of next year (2025-1).

Sign-ups will start December 1st and run through December 31st. (A further timeline of check-in and submission dates will be shared later.)

As the numbers start rolling in, and we see how that term fares in sign-up and final participant rates, we will make a final decision on the ultimate fate of TPY. If interest has simply waned over the years and people no longer wish to participate, then we would like to end TPY with dignity, and would likely hold one final wrap-up theme to top things off.

Final Words

We know this was a lot to get through, so thank you if you got this far. We are so appreciative of everyone who has touched TPY in some way - whether as a participant or a reader, you are an important part of this ship.

We understand if there's questions or comments people would like to make in response to this. Our email is always open (usukustwiceperyear (at) gmail (dot) com), or feel free to message Narcoleptic via Discord (@narcoleptic).

Status Update

Hello everyone,

The admin team is currently in the middle of compiling the zine and hope to have the release out within the next 2 weeks.

Unfortunately, there were many participants who did not submit their work with no notice of dropping out. Although our rules state we do not give extensions, as current participant count is below our preferred threshold, we are offering this FINAL CHANCE to submit your work before August 14th.

After the release, the admin team will have an important announcement to make. Please check back soon.

Thank you,

Hello all! Checking in with a reminder that the SIGN-UP FORM is open until end of day April 7th. Until then, we're here to answer a couple of questions you have left for us!

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"How many artworks can one artists make? For example, In case of a comic what is max number of pages allowed?"

Two parts to this question: One, you are welcome to submit multiple different entries (i.e. individual, unrelated artworks). We have no firm rules on how many submissions is allowed per participant. Two, for comics, there is also no rule for this [yet - if we need to make one we will], but we would caution to keep comics within 10 pages just for conciseness and ease of reading.

"Are we allowed to make a 2-page drawing? Say one of Arthur on the left page and one of Alfred on the right page? When you open the pages you see them side by side."

Unfortunately this is not allowed. As seen in previous collections, the zine is made to be viewed one page at a time, 1) in consideration for mobile users, and 2) to allow each artwork to be shown individually. While it is possible for it to be created for two-page viewing like a book, this is not something we're planning to do at this time. THAT SAID, please remember that submission sizes are semi-flexible for artwork. You may submit a landscape-oriented piece of art, and though it will be resized to fit within 2 inches of standard letter size (8.5"x11"), you can still lay out your work as though it were two pages!

Have you drank water today?

Uhhhh I have now, thank you for the reminder! 😅

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Progress Check-ins

We are requiring all participants to check in with the admins for progress updates over the next 3 months. We will contact you on the dates below to confirm recommended progress. This does NOT mean that we expect you to have reached these checkpoints by the time we check in. People work at different speeds, and we do not wish to rush genius.

Check-in #1: May 7th, 2024 - 25% complete Check-in #2: June 7th, 2024 - 50% complete Check-in #3: July 7th, 2024 - 75% complete

FINAL DUE DATE: July 31st, 2024 at 11:59 PM PST ───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

Regarding Drop Outs

If you have to drop out of the event at any point, that's totally okay! Life happens, or sometimes motivation wanes. Just let us know via Discord (@Narcoleptic), email, Twitter DM, or Tumblr Ask so we can adjust for you. However, please note that if we notice you've dropped out of 2 consecutive events, we reserve the right to bar you from the following Twice Per Year event (next soonest half of the biannual year). You can reapply for the one after! (I.e. If you dropped out of 2023-2 and 2024-1, you will be barred from 2024-2 and eligible again for 2025-1.) This may sound harsh, but please understand that as much as we want adjust for everyone's schedules, it is also fair of us to have an expectation that the work will be finished. We encourage you to reapply again for the next half. ADDED RULE: If you have decided to drop out, but have a change of plans and are able to return, we'll gladly have you! Just let us know via the contact methods above. This will not count against you as a drop out.  ───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

SIGN-UP FORM

⮞ CLICK HERE ⮜

2024 Theme Winners & Event-Specific Rules

Poll results are in, and you guys have chosen "Cards, with Spades to Start (Cardverse)" and "Ocean's 1923" for 2024's events! As a reminder, here are the definitions of these two themes.

"Cards, with Spades to Start": Themes based on the Cardverse AU (the Spades King America and Queen England outfits by Himaruya from the Arte Stella artbook bonus card deck).  "Ocean's 1923": Themes based upon love at sea. This includes pirates, navy militaries, and oceanic creatures (merfolk, sirens, krakens, etc.) Each half will have its own rules and requirements, to keep things in-theme and on-topic. See below for the first half's rules. ───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

Event-specific Rules

Part 1: Cards, with Spades to Start General - Progress updates are required monthly for the next 3 months before works are due. More details on this will be announced in the sign-up form. - Please review the general rules here: https://usukustwiceperyear.tumblr.com/rules About Cardverse - Arthur (or England) and Alfred (or America) must be the rulers of Spades, no other suit. --- If other kingdoms are under the jurisdiction of Spades, then this can be allowed. - Arthur/England and Alfred/America are typically given the "Queen" and "King" roles respectively, as matching the Arte Stella cards, but these titles are not restrictive and both or either can be called any role interchangeably regardless of gender, i.e. Alfred can be Queen, King, Emperor, etc. - Physical, magical spade-shaped marks on the body (i.e. a tattoo) are common fanon to denote the next in line for royalty, but this is not required. Birthright, inheritance, coup d'état, etc. are all valid ways of putting Arthur/England or Alfred/America as rulers of Spades in lieu of marks. - Magic can be used within this AU theme, but this is not required and works can be traditional human AU, nationverse, sweet devil, etc. or any combination of the above. - Works do not need to be set in medieval kingdoms or historical times. Spades can also be a figurative kingdom (i.e. Magical Strike AU with "Spades" as the company name), set in modern day royalty, or otherwise. If you have further questions, do not hesitate to ask the mods! Writer-specific Rules - Arthur/England and Alfred/America can start off in different kingdoms at the beginning, but as listed above, must be the rulers of Spades by the end. - One, both, or neither can be established royalty at the start, but as listed above, must be ruling as "monarchs" of Spades by the end. Artist-specific Rules - Because of the amount of people who did not do this last event, it will be reiterated to please make sure that you ADD A DESCRIPTION AND TITLE with the art that you create so that it has some context for the audience. IF YOU DO NOT DO THIS, we will NOT ACCEPT the art piece and will ask you to resubmit it with the description. --- The description does not need to be elaborate; one or two sentences is fine. - For works done in color, the traditional colors of Spades (shades of blue and purple) must be used somewhere in the piece. - It is not required to use the Arte Stella outfits for either Arthur or Alfred, however it must be clear that they are the rulers of Spades by other means if not their clothing or tattoos.

We have tallied and merged your suggestions, and are now voting for the theme/trope/topic of 2024's events!

Voting closes February 29 at 11:59 PM PDT so be sure to get your votes in before then. If you have any questions, send us a tumblr ask or hit us up on Discord.



RELEASE:

USUKUS Twice Per Year 2023-2: "Across the Universe"

We are now accepting submissions for the theme/trope/topic of 2024's events!

⮞ CLICK HERE ⮜

2024 Event Timeline

The dates have shifted a bit from last year's, so make sure to double-check!

First Half Theme/Topic Suggestions Open: February 13 - February 20 (1 week) Theme Voting: February 21 - February 28 (1 week) Announcement + Sign-Ups: March 1 - April 1 (1 month) Everything Due: June 31 (3 months) Everything Collated: July 1+ (1 month break)

Second Half Announcement + Sign-Ups: August 1 - September 1 (1 month) Everything Due: November 31 (3 months) Everything Collated: December 1+

2023-2 "Across the Universe" Status

Life hit the admins pretty hard over the last month (job loss, moving, etc. etc.) and so work on the collection has been much slower than anticipated. Current estimation of progress is around 85%.

Hey TPY participants,

Congratulations are in order!! Your hard work has paid off and we have received all your amazing submissions. We are so, so excited to see everyone's creations and we know you are too!

The admin team has just got back from holiday, so we haven't yet had time to thoroughly check we've gotten all the information we need from you. What this means is that we may still reach out and contact you with some questions.

But, if you don't hear from us, no news is good news! The collection will begin production here in the next day or so, and should be ready for release hopefully within 3 weeks from now. (More detailed ETA to come.)

If you have any questions for us, or realised you forgot something, or whatever, as always do not hesitate to reach out either via Discord (@verusmayaii or @narcoleptic) or email ([email protected]).

Hey there participants, the time has come for the final check-in (dun dun)! Messages will be sent out later today via Discord and e-mail, so please take a peek at your soonest opportunity.

We're just confirming submission instructions to make sure final submissions go as smoothly as possible! The rules can be double-checked on our Rules page as well.



Final submission date and time is December 31st, 2023, at 11:59 PM PST!

Hey there participants, messages will be sent out via Discord (if ID provided) and e-mail (if no Discord) for the second check-in November 15th. We're just asking a couple of questions to see where people are at with their creations!

Keep an eye out for a Discord DM from either @verusmayaii or @narcoleptic, or an e-mail from usukustwiceperyear (at) gmail (dot) com!

We hope to hear back sometime within the week. If we don't hear from you, we will try an alternative method of contact.

Hey there participants, messages will be sent out via Discord (if ID provided) and e-mail (if no Discord) for the first check-in this Sunday, Oct 15th. We're just asking a couple of questions to see where people are at with their creations!

Keep an eye out for a Discord DM from either @verusmayaii or @narcoleptic, or an e-mail from usukustwiceperyear (at) gmail (dot) com!

We hope to hear back sometime between next Wednesday 10/17 and Friday 10/19. If we don't hear from you, we will try an alternative method of contact.

Sign-ups for the second event of 2023 ("Across the Universe," other media fusions) close in one week (Oct 2nd, 11:59 PM PST)!

INFO & RULES HERE:

⮞ CLICK ⮜

SIGN UP HERE:

⮞ CLICK ⮜

Interested but still on the fence? Go ahead and give it a shot - we'd love to have you! Even if you sign up and things don't work out this time, there's always next. The important part is our love for this ship, the fandom, and all the incredible people we've met along the way.

It will be taken into consideration inasmuch as it depends how many people volunteer. If you are the sole volunteer, then you win by default pending approval from the admin team, but if no one applies then we randomly select an artist from the sign-ups and ask if they are willing to be the cover artist (and keep re-selecting if necessary).

Late answering this, though hopefully it can still help anon and others for future events:

USUKUS Twice Per Year 2023 Part 2: "Across the Universe"

Themes based upon the fusion of USUKUS and other media franchises. This can include other AUs, such as Star Wars, Good Omens, Skyrim, and other TV shows/films/videogames. (* Due to the recency of the "Based On A Book" event, unfortunately we are disallowing book-based franchises. Please contact an admin if you would like to base your work on a series that originated as a book but is now multimedia, i.e. has a TV show.)

SIGN-UP FORM

⮞ CLICK HERE ⮜

Form closes on October 2 at 11:59 PM PST.

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General Rules

General - Progress updates are required monthly for the next 3 months before works are due. We will contact you on the dates below and give you some pointers on recommended progress. This does NOT mean that we expect you to have your work completed at time of check-in. People work at different paces, after all!

Check-in #1: October 15, 2023 - 25% complete Check-in #2: November 15, 2023 - 50% complete Check-in #3: December 15, 2023 - 75% complete

FINAL DUE DATE: December 31, 2023 at 11:59 PM PST

Regarding Drop Outs - If you have to drop out of the event at any point, that’s totally okay! Life happens, or sometimes motivation wanes. Just let us know via Discord (@narcoleptic or @verusmayaii), email (usukustwiceperyear (at) gmail.com), Twitter DM (@usukusnetwork), or Tumblr Ask so we can adjust for you. - However, please note that if we notice you’ve dropped out of 2 consecutive events, we reserve the right to bar you from the following Twice Per Year event (next soonest half of the biannual year). You can reapply for the one after! (I.e.: If you dropped out of 2023-2 and 2024-1, you will be barred from 2024-2 and eligible again for 2025-1.)

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Event-specific Rules

About Crossovers/Fusions - Every submission must be based on an existing media such as a manga, anime, videogame, film, or TV show. - The work must include America and England as the focal characters and elements of the selected media. Characters from the medium itself are NOT ALLOWED to be included directly in your work.         >> Example: If Pokémon is the selected media, England and America can engage in a Pokémon battle and exist within the known Pokémon world. However, they cannot interact with the canon cast (Ash, Red, Team Rocket, etc.) - The selected media must be submitted to the admin team ahead of time so choices can be reviewed and approved. If you want to change your choice at any point in time during the creation period, please let us know as soon as possible so there is time to re-review. - The admins reserve the right to reject any media chosen by creators and categorize works as NSFW at our discretion. - If there are any questions regarding crossovers/fusions you may have, please don't hesitate to message the admin team via Discord (@narcoleptic or @verusmayaii), email (usukustwiceperyear (at) gmail.com), Twitter DM (@usukusnetwork), or Tumblr Ask. We're happy to help!

Crossover/Fusion Rules - All variations of USUKUS are allowed, including but not limited to 2P, Nyotalia, Nekotalia, etc. - Non-English language media is allowed, however, the submitted works must be in English.         >> We encourage you to select media that has an English option (dubbing, subtitled, iteration, etc.) so that people can appreciate your work as both a fanwork for USUKUS and the respective media. - Please try your best not to spoil any important plot, story, or character elements from the selected media. This is at your own discretion. - If the media you wish to select contains explicit material (referenced drug use, sexual activity), any work made for it will be marked as NSFW regardless of if your work contains any NSFW elements or not. >> If you are an underage writer or artist, any media selected that contains NSFW elements will NOT be accepted.

Writer-specific Rules - If your selected media includes terminology that is not otherwise discernible from the text alone, please do your best to elaborate/explain in the story itself for people who may not be familiar with your selected media. Likewise, if there are any unique aspects to the media's world or its functioning, please do your best to elaborate/explain in the story itself. Do not assume the reader knows anything.         >> World Example: If Genshin Impact is the selected media, then explain its in-universe magic system, especially if applicable America and England within your story.         >> Terminology Example: If Star Wars is the selected media, then explain in-universe proper nouns like the Force, Jedi, and Sith, especially as it relates to America and England within your story. - OCs are allowed to be used as long as they are not the critical focus of / do not have a significant impact on the story.

Artist-specific Rules - Outfits, iconic poses, specific locations/scenes, are all allowed, however, please use discretion when considering any spoilers for the viewers. - Please use any direct visuals listed above at your discretion as this can be considered plagiarism.

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