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utaprifanzine · 5 years

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Concept Pitch: Prismatic v2 + Fantasy AU Zine

(Quick reminder that secondary admin applications are also still open! So, if you’re interested in helping us out with the project outlined below, feel free to apply here!)

To start, I want to clarify that either project, regardless of it we go forward with only one or both, would not be starting until next year.

This concept pitch is being released now, rather than closer to the end of the year, because if we do go ahead with both projects, there will be a smaller round of applications in November in preparation for the main round of applications in February. This will be explained in further detail below the cut.

There is also a feedback form (link) for this pitch that we’d like to ask everyone interested to fill out. As per last time, if it gets over 70 responses then we’ll do at least one of the zines, but whether or not we do both and/or how we do them will depend on the responses.

Two main things will be decided by the responses in this form: -> Whether or not we do both projects or just one (four possible scenarios explained below the cut) -> The exact theme of the AU zine (“ ”)

The following information will be split into three categories: “Zine Content”, “Applications”, and “Possible Schedules”

“Possible Schedules” is where you’ll find all four advancement options outlined and explained, and “Zine Content” will contain the possible themes we’re looking at for the AU zine.

That being said, this will still be a strictly non-profit project (not affiliated with a charity), and the content rules set in place for the first volume of prismatic will not be changing.

However, we will allow submitted AUs to have more mature plots/themes as well as implied/referenced ships provided that the content produced for the zine does not contain those themes or those ships (i.e. if the plot for AU ends in a particular ship, that’s fine, as long as the final writing/art that goes into publication for the zine is generic. Your AU won’t be penalized in the application review for simply containing ships or mature themes).

There’s a lot of information below the cut, so we’ve highlighted the most important pieces in bold!

Zine Content

In this section, we’re going to be talking about each zine in it’s own subsection, so that it doesn’t get confusing. Prismatic first, followed by the AU zine.

Prismatic V2 (Working Title)

This would be a second volume of Prismatic. It would pick up where the first volume left off and cover the next 7 gacha and 14 events leading up to (and including) the 1st anniversary of the game. The cover, prints/merch, and overall design would be based on the “My Only Prince” UR set.

All events/gacha will be represented by a double page spread, that has an A4 illustration on the left hand side and a piece of flash fiction on the right. The MOP gacha will have four double page spreads (for a total of eight pages) that would feature four A4 illustrations and four pieces of flash fiction. The estimated page count is 60.

The gacha and events to be featured are as follows:

Gacha: Events:

Cheerful & Happy Valentines The Confused Soloist

Grateful White Day Aqua Crystal

Shining Sports Day Inspector Kurusu’s Pursuit

Fantasy Circus Professor Renarty’s Scheme

Caught in the Rain Shining Solo Series Cecil

Marine Festival Shining Solo Series Tokiya

Glittering Summer Festival Night No More Say

MOP: A Class + Cecil No More Bets

MOP: S Class Shining Solo Series Masato

MOP: Reiji & Ranmaru Resolute March

MOP: Ai & Camus Renegades in Unison

Starflowers Bloom at Night

Steal Your Heart

Shining Solo Series Ren

As far as contributors, we would have 25 writer slots and 45 artist slots, the latter including print, chibi, and cover artists.

AU Zine

This zine would feature fanmade AUs involving the Utapri characters.

There would be six featured AUs (two per idol group, so Starish, QN, and Heavens would all be represented), that would have eight pages each; four for art and four for writing. There will also be a four page story to go with the cover design, but the cover (and, by extension, the cover story) will depend on the final theme for the zine.

We’re looking to make this zine fantasy-themed, and have narrowed down three distinct themes that we could use. You can vote for your favourite one in the feedback form!

Possible Themes: -> High Fantasy: Mythical Creatures and Magical Powers -> Dark Fantasy: Monsters and Mayhem -> Urban Fantasy: Steampunk and Sci-fi

The estimated page count for the zine is 64 pages, and we would have contributor slots for 7 writers and 20 artists (incl. cover, chibi, and print). There would be three contributors working on each AU – one writer and two artists – and the creation period would also be longer.

Applications

Once again, this section will be split into two subsections for each zine!

Prismatic (“regular” applications)

Applications for Prismatic would be our main application period and would be open for three weeks (last week of Jan 2020 through Feb 15 2020).

The process would largely be the same as it was for the first issue, with separate forms for artists, writers, and cover design. However, in response to feedback from our first zine, there would be changes to the limitations on those forms.

Firstly, artists will be able to submit more than 5 samples, provided that all their samples are in one folder. There will also probably be a limit in the total number of samples/images, but that will be decided later.

For writers, we will be introducing a limit of 5000 words across all submitted samples per application. This means that the total word count of all the samples a writer submits for their application must not be greater than 5000 words.

Secondly, unlike last time, at least one of a writer’s samples must be a stand alone piece that does not exceed 1000 words, given that the pages you’d be applying for would be flash fiction pieces of 500 words or less.

The applications and review would still be done by page, so your application would only be reviewed/considered for the specific pages that you select on the form. However, since this time we know in advance that we’d be accepting print and chibi artists, artists will be able to select which positions they would like to be considered for.

AU Zine

If we go ahead with the AU zine, there would be two opportunities to apply as a contributor.

The first application period would be held over the entire month of November, and would only be for interested applicants to submit their AU ideas to the zine. We would be holding this round of applications separate to “regular” applications in order to pin down which six AUs will be featured in the zine, so that we can allow interested contributors to apply for both zines at the same time in February, during the main/second round of applications.

As mentioned before, there would be three people working on each AU, but one of these three will be the creator/owner of the AU. They can be either the writer or one of the artists and would also be submitting samples of their own work alongside their AU information, since they would also be required to be a contributor, should their AU be chosen for the zine. We would not be accepting AUs without their creator.

To submit an AU idea, applicants would need to provide the following information on their AU:

-> a character relationship chart -> rough outline of at least three plot/story arcs (among these, there must be at least 1 main plotline and 1 subplot) -> character designs for each member of the group to be the focus of the AU (can be rough sketches/concepts) -> description/explanation on the lore of the fantastical elements of the AU (dependent on the type of fantasy we settle on for the theme) -> basic worldbuilding (incl. social hierarchies, environmental information, general landscapes and territories, historical information relevant to major plot points/places/characters) -> brief backstory for each member of the group in focus

(It’s also worth noting that the submitted AUs must be noticeably different from any similar existing official utapri AUs or collaborations. i.e. you can’t submit a vampire AU with the QPot Sweets Vampire designs and you can’t submit a Pirate AU that has the same plot as Pirates of the Frontier)

(you will also be allowed to submit an AU that you’ve already posted content for online. However you will be required to produce new content for it should it be accepted into the zine)

The idea behind having all these requirements, is to show us that you, as the creator, have fleshed out the AU enough so that a writer or an artist can easily write or draw something for it using the information that you already have. The two contributors that would be working with you to produce content for the zine are not responsible for creating/fleshing out your AU for you and should ideally be able to work from the information you already have.

You will also not be expected to uphold a high level of quality for the positions that you are not applying for. That is to say, if you submitted your AU and are applying as the writer for it, don’t worry about the quality/skill level of your artwork. Likewise, if you’re applying as an artist, don’t worry about the craftsmanship of your writing.

(We’re also looking into providing templates for people to use for the AU application, to make the process easier).

After the six AUs have been picked, the types of AUs (i.e. Starish Vampire AU, Heavens Pirate AU, etc.) and the remaining positions for each would be announced before “regular” applications in February and interested contributors would be able to apply for those positions at the same time as Prismatic. Both would be available on the same application form.

However, unlike Prismatic, the owners of the AUs will not be announced until after the main application period is over, to prevent people from applying to contribute to a particular AU just because a specific person created it.

Possible Schedules

The whole idea behind running two zines at once was to not only allow more people to participate, but also to avoid running a zine where the contributor slots were too few and too limited (as is the case with the current concept for the AU zine).

My original planned schedule was to run both at once, have pre-orders for both open at the same time, and have both release on the same day for the sake of simplicity - however, this hypothetical schedule received a rather mixed response, particularly in regards to selling both zines at the same time.

In response to this, I’ve instead planned out four possible schedules going forward: two where both zines are done, and two where only one of the zines is done. In terms of feedback, I’m asking anyone interested in either contributing or buying the finished product to read over schedules and consider which one you think is better, then let us know on the feedback form!

Ultimately, this is purely a passion project for the fanbase, so it does matter a lot to us what you all think is best.

Schedule #1: Both Zines Run at the Same Time This was the original concept, where both zines were run, went up for pre-order, and were released at the same time. The rough schedule was: -> November: 1st round of applications (AU ideas only) -> December: AU ideas reviewed -> late January – February: Main applications for Prismatic & AU zine are opened, closed, and reviewed -> March 1st: creation period begins -> late April: Prismatic final submissions -> early-mid May: AU final submissions -> late May: pre-orders open (both zines) -> mid-June: pre-orders close (both zines) -> mid- July: both zines release

Schedule #2: Both zines are released separately

The idea here was in response to the concern of having both zines for sale at the same time and scheduled for release at the same time being counterproductive to the success of the project, given the utapri is still a relatively small fandom in the west. For this variant, the schedule remains the same, right up until pre-orders open: -> late May: pre-orders open (Prismatic only) -> mid-June: pre-orders closed (Prismatic only) -> mid-July: Prismatic releases -> mid- August: Prismatic contributors can post their works online -> mid-September: pre-orders open (AU only) -> mid- October: pre-orders closed (AU only) -> mid-November: AU zine released (US orders sent) -> mid-December: International AU orders sent

*Note: the delay in shipping between US and international orders would be due to Jinx being in the US from mid-August to mid-December. No-one wants to ship internationally from the US. It’s a nightmare.

Schedule #3: only Prismatic runs

In this case, the schedule would remain the same as it is in schedule #1, except that any AU-only related dates would be taken out, since Prismatic would be the only zine running.

Schedule #4: only the AU zine runs In this case, the schedule would remain the same as it is in schedule #1, except that any Prismatic-only dates would be taken out, since Prismatic would not be running.

In addition, here we would also have the option of either running a double volume of the AU zine (i.e. take all the specs outlined for the content and double it) or producing two volumes, each with a different theme. If this is your preferred schedule, make sure to vote for which option you’d prefer!

And that wraps up our concept pitch! Thank you to everyone who’s read this far and please consider (if you are able and have the time) to fill out the feedback form to let us know what you thoughts are for this project!

Sincerely,

The Utapri Fanzine Team

#utapri #uta no prince sama #shining live #uta no prince shining live #utapri fanzine #concept pitch

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alloaroworlds · 5 years

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I’ve spent this weekend putting together a mockup zine layout to try and get a handle on what it is we’re looking to make and what our size limitations are. This isn’t a formal sign-up post; I just want to give folks a break-down of where I think this project is going and what we need to consider.

While I suspect that the most use and promotion of this will be digital, I think a good goal is to create something we can release under a Creative Commons license so anyone can freely print it off and hand it out at events/meetings. I can make PDF versions suitable for professional printing (you take it to a print shop and have them print and saddle stitch it) and at-home printing (print double-sided, fold pages together, staple outside edge unless you have a really long stapler) in addition to an interactive PDF, so that’s not a problem, but it does impact how long this will be.

(My intention is to have a landing page on my WordPress site telling people how to print and bind it, along with any credits and contributor information we can’t fit in the zine itself, and a link to said page in the zine.)

The easiest-but-still-readable size for a document that’s going to contain some amount of text, I think, is A5 - or an A4 page folded in half, more correctly. That means we can have four, eight, twelve or sixteen pages (one, two, three or four sheets of paper, folded, printed both sides). At sixteen pages, we’re really pushing it in terms of the whole “print at home or school and self-assemble” aspect, so I’d consider that the absolute maximum, and twelve is probably better. Anything more than that I think is better held over for a second issue.

So, if we go for twelve, by the time we take out the cover and a credits/contents/licensing/links page, we’ve ten pages left.

Now, using a not completely-tiny type size and leading in the following mockup, I get roughly 300 words per page or 240 per title/header page:

(Yes, I used my own stories. I dislike Lorem Ipsum because it’s harder to get a sense of true paragraphing. I also hate not keeping lines together at the start/end of paragraphs, but it wasted far too much space.)

A two-page spread, with header and author credit, gives us 540 words. A three-page article gives us 840 words. With ten pages, we’re looking at two three-page articles and two two-page articles, or one three-page, three-two page and a one-page article. Whatever we’re writing, it’s going to be short (hence my feeling that we’ll likely have to push it out to sixteen pages). If we insert images or add pull quotes to break up the text, that gives us even fewer words!

Now, given that this is meant to be an introduction to allosexual aromanticism, I think the content we’re looking at for the first issue includes:

How to make your a-spec community welcoming for allo-aros (@crimsonsquare and I are calling dibs)

Why allo-aros need aro information separate from asexuality (my thinking here is the Standard Allo-Aro Experience Narrative and a demonstration of how it impacts us: the I didn’t know that I’m aromantic because it’s so often regarded as an asexual experience story)

An article with terminology explanations and definitions (allo and allosexual, queerplatonic, etc)

An article on how to avoid allo-aro antagonism/microagressions/amatonormativity

An article or articles on allo-aro identity and the difficulty in finding our sense of identity?

Short 50-100 word pieces from allo-aros talking about what being allo-aro means to us (these are good for filling up half-used pages)

Anything else folks want to pitch, because if it doesn’t fit in here we’ll do as many issues as folks want to make things for

We could also consider doing a print edition that’s more compressed and a digital edition with longer articles and more pieces, if there’s a lot of interest. I know a few of the suggestions above could be covered from multiple angles by multiple allo-aro folks, so if this is the case, a longer/complete digital edition may be the best way to go. Or discarding the print version of this entirely and sticking with digital-only, perhaps?

We also need cover art (it’d be really cool to have something from an allo-aro artist) and a title. I have a few awful puns in mind (Hallowed Arrows? Alloyed Arrows? Allocating Arrows?) but suggestions are so welcome on this point.

I’d also like at least one other editor, if anyone’s interested in volunteering. If folks want to translate the zine content into the language of their choice, let me know because I’m happy to place the translated content into the zine layout and host the translations on my WordPress site.

I would clarify that this project will be run entirely on a volunteer basis: nobody is paid and all creators retain full copyright over their work and can publish it anywhere else they feel like at any time they feel like. (But please consider that by submitting, you’re giving me the the right to a) possibly have your work translated into another language and b) publish your work under a Creative Commons license for free and unrestricted non-commercial distribution offline and off.) Folks can be published under whatever name they like (real name, pseudonym, Tumblr username); the only real requirement is that you identify as, in part or in full, as allosexual-aromantic or a member of the allo-aro community.

I’m not yet at a point where I’m ready to take submissions; I’ll do a formal, fancy post when I am. What I’m doing now is just talking about the limitations, the process, what I think could work for a first issue, early expressions of interest, and then seeing what folks think.

So. What do folks think?

#the allo aro zine tag #undescribed #mod chatter #alloaro #aroallo #text #long post #very long post

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