Here it is, everyone...our fourth annual Secret Santa!



Please read all the information carefully, sign up, and SPREAD THE WORD. Invite your friends to participate if they're not already members!

What 'Secret Santa Exchange' Means: You create a fanwork, and you'll receive one in return. Everyone who wishes to participate will provide a few prompts that they'd like to see completed, and another community member will be assigned their prompts and will complete one of those (which one is completed is up to the person they're assigned to). When you submit your prompts, you are welcome (and encouraged) to tell me anything you are uncomfortable with or don't wish to do (pairings, genre, rating, etc), that way the prompts you're given are something you're comfortable writing/drawing.

Onto the detailed information!

  • All fanworks must be USxUK. This is not a general Hetalia fic/art exchange. It is for this pairing. Their relationship should be the focus. Other pairings may be included in your prompt (for example, it is allowed to ask for a fic that's USxUK with some SpainxRomano), but again, USxUK focused.


  • Can I ask for ____? You can ask for whatever you want- rating, genre, etc. However, please keep in mind that if you're asking for something super unusual, you might want to provide some broader prompts as well.


  • How long do I have to signup? Signups will end on 11/20/12 (a Tuesday). Assignments will be sent out by 11/27/12 (a Tuesday). I will do reminders. That gives you about ten days to sign up. YOU MUST BE A MEMBER OF THIS COMMUNITY TO SIGN UP.


  • When is the deadline? Please have your piece completed and posted by 1/20/13 (yes this gift exchange WILL run late since it was posted a month late). In that manner I suppose it's more of a winter exchange, but we'll keep the old name. You may post your fanwork any time after 12/01/12. For deadlines, I'll be using my timezone, which is US Central Standard. You can see that here.


  • How do I post it? I'll put up the posting format later, but you just post it directly to the community. You may put it below an lj-cut or link off community (to a writing journal, ff.net, deviantart, etc).


  • How long does fic have to be? At least eight hundred words. It doesn't need to be super-long of course, but we want everyone to get something that's more than drabble length.


  • Are there any extra requirements for the art? Aside from the stipulations listed above for both fic and art, no. It can be done in any medium (digital, colored pencil, copic, sketch, etc). Just remember that this is a gift, so it should look like a complete piece of art, whichever way you go about that.


  • Can I do fancomics or chapterfics? Yes. Absolutely. We have some additional rules regarding fancomics and chapterfics. I'll be doing another post about this closer to the deadline (in order to see who is taking advantage of them), but you can see what they are here.


  • What types of prompts should I give? Prompts can be anything from something vague like "America and England with butterflies," "America and England go on a picnic" to something specific like "I'd like to see a piece about America and England dealing with their differences over the Suez Canal Crisis. Angst is likely to occur, and that's fine. But I want a happy ending, and possibly, to see their relationship actually develop to the next level."


  • I have another question. Then please ask it in reply here, private message me, or email it to me at everything.is.magic AT gmail.com.


  • What if I need to drop out? Then I would ask you to please let me know as soon as possible so we can arrange a pinch hitter for you.


  • Okay, I'm ready to signup! Great, here's a sample form. Just reply to THIS post with your form. You can use the handy dandy provided html. Comments are screened.


    GIVING:
    Username:
    Email:
    Specialty (Fanfic or Fanart- If you can do both, you may list both):
    Highest Rating You'll Work With:
    Will Not Work With (Any characters, pairings, genres, scenarios, you won't do):

    RECEIVING:
    Do Not Want (Any characters, pairings, ratings, genres, scenarios, etc you don't want to receive):
    Do You Prefer fic, art, or no preference?:
    Country names, human names, or no preference?:
    Three Prompts. If all your prompts are fic only (as opposed to prompts that are able to work for both fic and art), and you're willing to receive art, please add a fourth prompt for art. Same goes for if all of your prompts are art, please add a fourth for fic if you're willing to receive fic:

    Can you pinch hit if someone drops out?:




    YOU ABSOLUTELY MUST FILL OUT THE ENTIRE FORM. THANK YOU.

    We hope to see many of you participating!
    -[livejournal.com profile] haro
Hello everyone. When I set up the deadline for the anthology art last month I stupidly forgot that it would be falling on US election night. Obviously a lot of people were pretty distracted. I'm missing no less than twenty pieces of art. As such, I'm extending the deadline to tomorrow night. That gives you an extra twenty-four hours. PLEASE get your pieces in. Thank you!!

-[livejournal.com profile] haro
Hello everyone. The last date for calendar preorders was originally November eighth, but I've had multiple people contact me who are having problems getting their money to me because of Hurricane Sandy, thus I've decided to extend it. Calendar preorders will now close on the FIFTEENTH, which gives you an extra week. I have edited the original preorder post to reflect this.

ALSO! Please remember that your anthology art is due on November sixth (at midnight CST). Any art that I do not receive by that point will go to a pinch hitter.

Exceptions are the following:
-Pinch hits, which will be due on the fifteenth.
-Cover and title page artists will be due on the tenth.
-A few other people who have been given special due dates due to receiving their assignments late. You know who you are.

Lastly, we could REALLY, REALLY use some more pinch hitters. I have already given a good portion of those who signed up a pinch hit. Please sign up HERE if you'd be willing to pinch hit!

Thank you and good luck.
-[personal profile] haro
Hello everyone. The last date for calendar preorders was originally November eighth, but I've had multiple people contact me who are having problems getting their money to me because of Hurricane Sandy, thus I've decided to extend it. Calendar preorders will now close on the FIFTEENTH, which gives you an extra week. I have edited the original preorder post to reflect this.

ALSO! Please remember that your anthology art is due on November sixth (at 11:59 CST). Any art that I do not receive by that point will go to a pinch hitter.

Exceptions are the following:
-Pinch hits, which will be due on the fifteenth.
-Cover and title page artists will be due on the tenth.
-A few other people who have been given special due dates due to receiving their assignments late. You know who you are.

Lastly, we could REALLY, REALLY use some more pinch hitters. I have already given a good portion of those who signed up a pinch hit. Please sign up HERE if you'd be willing to pinch hit!

Thank you and good luck.
-[livejournal.com profile] haro
Hello everyone. November sixth is the deadline for fic anthology artwork, so it's coming up quite soon. In the event of any drops, I do need to get some potential pinch hitters signed up. If you volunteer to pinch hit, I will send you your assignment (a fic to draw for) on the seventh of November, and you will have until the fifteenth of November to complete it. Remember that your completed work does not need to be fully colored, but it should still be a 'complete' piece (i.e. lined/shaded black and white).

You MAY sign up to pinch hit even if you have not been involved in the anthology up to this point. If that's the case, please reply with the following info:

Your name:
Your email address:
Things you are not willing to draw:
Things you prefer drawing:
Max rating you will draw:
Can you do more than one piece? If so, how many?:
Anything else?:


If you SIGNED UP to be an artist already and you want to pinch hit, you just need to reply to this post with your name and email address. I can get the rest of the info from your original signup.

Thank you so much! Please direct any questions here. Comments are screened.
-[personal profile] haro
Hello everyone. I hope you're having a good Halloween.

I have some news, and it's not particularly good, but we hopefully have a solution.

Next spring livejournal is doing away with paid accounts and turning into a feed based site. That is not ideal for fandom communities like ours, and these changes are catered to the Russian side of the site (which is more personal blog and news centered if I recall).

We have had a dreamwidth mirror of [livejournal.com profile] usxuk for a long while, and we are now giving you the option of using it. We have BACKED up the community to dreamwidth and that includes all old posts. If you would NOT like your posts backed up, please either let us know and we'll delete them, or you can delete them yourself (which you can do with your open ID account).

As of right now and for the foreseeable future until we see what happens, our main hub will be on livejournal, but from now on all of our content will be crossposted to dreamwidth. You are welcome to crosspost your content there as well (or post it there and auto crosspost it here) under your dreamwidth username. With the Secret Santa coming up (yes it is happening, just with a slightly altered schedule that will go into January), this will be especially relevant.

If you do not have a dreamwidth account, accounts are free so feel free to go and nab one. You can set your DW posts to crosspost automatically to livejournal. :D

HERE IS OUR DREAMDWITH MIRROR!

Thank you so much! Please direct any questions here.
-[livejournal.com profile] haro ('iggy' on dreamwidth)

Answered Questions:

Can I post something on dreamwidth and not post it to lj?: You can for standard posts, but community projects like Secret Santa fanworks must be posted on lj as well for right now.
Tags:
Announcing...




The 2013 USxUK Calendar is a twelve month calendar featuring art from twenty-five extremely talented members of the USxUK fandom. Artists were chosen by the members of [livejournal.com profile] usxuk, and all of them have gone above and beyond in creating gorgeous pieces of art.

The calendar features artists from over ten different countries, all contributing beautiful works to celebrate this beloved pairing.

Click the cut to find out more! )
Hello everyone! Here are the winners for our anthology artists. Congratulations to everyone who auditioned. You are all awesome. I have listed your name as well as the art you will be in charge of beneath the cut.

And the winners are... )

Requirements:
Cover art- there are no real requirements except USxUK, but it would be fantastic if you could somehow work the three themes- yesterday, today, tomorrow into the piece.
Yesterday- Your artwork must depict USxUK in a time that takes place before (or during) the year 1950.
Today- Your art must take place during the time period of 1951-current.
Tomorrow- Your art must take place in the future, whether the very near future or the far distant future.

The piece will need to be 8 1/2x11 VERTICAL (so like a piece of typing paper). It should be 300 DPI (if you're not sure how to do this, please ask), which will create a high quality image. It does need to be colored. ALL OF YOU HAVE UNTIL NOVEMBER 10TH TO COMPLETE YOUR ART AND SUBMIT IT TO ME. Please send it to me at everything.is.magic AT gmail dot com.

Good luck and congratulations!
Hello everyone! Here's the voting for the USxUK Short Story Anthology artists!

VOTING WILL CLOSE AT 11:59 CST ON OCTOBER FIFTEENTH. Winners will be announced shortly after.

You must vote for three artists. PLEASE rank them, as they will be awarded points by ranking.

Other Rules:
a) You must be a member of this community to vote.
b) You may vote for yourself if you truly feel that you deserve it.

Art is under the cut! Warning for some blood and nudity... )

Comments are screened. Good luck to everyone!
Hello everyone! This was meant to go up a bit earlier, but I wanted to get the assignments squared away first. We are going to be having auditions for COVER ART for the short story anthology. This will be a MUCH speedier process than the calendar auditions, so please read carefully.

Schedule:
October 10th- Cover artist auditions open
October 13th at 11:59 P.M.- Auditions close and voting opens
October 15th at 11:59 P.M.- The winner is announced.

All times are in US CST. The reason this is such a speedy process is because, of course, I want the artist to have as much time as possible to complete their work. The winning artist will have until NOVEMBER TENTH to complete their piece.

YOU MAY AUDITION TO DO THE COVER ART REGARDLESS OF WHO YOU ARE. If you are a writer in the anthology, you can still audition. If you're an artist in it, you can still audition. If you're not at all involved in the anthology, you may audition.

What will I need to draw if I am selected?:
There are no real requirements except USxUK, but it would be fantastic if you could somehow work the three themes- yesterday, today, tomorrow, into the piece. The piece will need to be 8 1/2x11 VERTICAL (so like a piece of typing paper). It should be 300 DPI (if you're not sure how to do this, please ask), which will create a high quality image. It does need to be colored.

What do I need to do to audition?:

Please read the following carefully.

This is what you'll need to provide:

-Name. Self explanatory.

-Email Address. The comments are screened, so you don't need to space it or anything. Just write it as is. It makes it easier for me to send emails.

-Do you have a website/deviantart/art journal? You may link this here if you wish, but it is not required.

-Please provide two samples of art. At least one sample must be Hetalia art (preferably OF America and England, although that is not necessary), and at least one sample must be a full color piece. Please choose art that you feel shows your skill! The art for the cover must be G-PG (kissing, cuddling, shirtlessness, etc are fine. But nothing risque), but you can use higher rated art for your samples. R-18 is fine for the audition. Pieces do not have to be drawn in 2012. They can be older if you wish.

THE FOLLOWING STIPULATIONS ALSO APPLY FOR SUBMITTED ART:
1) Art must be 600kb or under. This will help the voting post from overloading people's bandwidth.
2) Art must be no larger than 800x800 pixels, again for the above reason.
3) ART MUST NOT FEATURE YOUR WATERMARK OR SIGNATURE. This is to preserve anonymity. If someone is concerned about thievery they may do one of the following-

-Give me a lower res image to post.
-Put a watermark on the art that in no way reveals your identity (i.e. NOT the watermark you normally use on your art).

AUDITIONS MUST BE IN BY SATURDAY OCTOBER 13TH AT 11:59 PM CST.

Lastly, feel free to link this to artists you think might be interested. There's always a chance they won't see this post, after all!

COMMENTS ARE SCREENED.

Ready? Now fill out the form!




Hope to see lots of great auditions!
-[livejournal.com profile] haro
Hello. This is the first of two moderator posts that I'm making tonight.

The following people have NOT replied to their fanart assignment email. Please reply as soon as possible.
[livejournal.com profile] sillyjasdero
[livejournal.com profile] blameitonanders

If you did not get the email, let me know ASAP so we can figure out a way to get it to you. Thank you!
Hello everyone. Sorry for the short delay, but ALL ART ASSIGNMENTS FOR THE ANTHOLOGY HAVE NOW BEEN SENT OUT. If you signed up to be an artist and did NOT get an assignment, please let me know immediately.

How did you match artists and authors up?
If you listed authors, I tried to give you one of your picks, and I also tried to give you your first pick. I did this on a first come first serve basis, so if for example artist one chose author three as their first pick, they got that over artist twenty choosing author three as their first pick. If I could not match you up with an author you listed, I pulled someone else who still matched your specifications. :)
Can I contact the author I'm drawing for?
Absolutely. You're welcome to contact the author and work with them on your piece. If you'd like to contact your author via email, please reply to the assignment email I sent you and I'll give you their contact info.
What should the DPI on my image be?
There is no required DPI, but the higher, the better. I require 300 DPI for the calendar images, and that's a really good size to aim for. I don't mind being sent large files at all, so don't worry about that.
What exactly do I draw?
You can draw a scene from the story or a 'title page' for the story. Either is fine.
8 1/2x11 in inches or centimeters?
Inches, definitely. That's 21.59x27.94 in centimeters.

Good luck on your art. I can't wait to see the results!

-[livejournal.com profile] haro
Hello everyone. A lot of you didn't tell me your lj username in your fanfic submission email. This is my fault because I forgot to require it, but I've ended up kind of... confused because of that.

IF YOU ARE ON THE LIST AND HAVE EMAILED ME YOUR FIC, PLEASE LET ME KNOW (AND TELL ME THE NAME YOU LISTED):
[livejournal.com profile] fmavatard
[livejournal.com profile] aria_dc_al_fine
[livejournal.com profile] soarit
[livejournal.com profile] sppandaaa
[livejournal.com profile] castlegurl101
[livejournal.com profile] rewritten
[livejournal.com profile] childishsadism
[livejournal.com profile] devocake
[livejournal.com profile] shibbyone
[livejournal.com profile] emmylynnelee

This is really, really important. Please reply ASAP. Artists who listed the authors they were interested in drawing for listed them by their lj usernames, so I need to know yours. Thank you!!

ALSO- If you sent me your fic and I did not reply, that means I did not get it. PLEASE let me know if this has happened.

Comments are screened.

-[livejournal.com profile] haro
Just as a heads up, we're still taking artist signups for the anthology. Signups close on OCTOBER FIRST.

Go here to sign up!
Hello everyone! Just a reminder that your fanfiction entries for the anthology project are due MONDAY, and artist signups also close on that day.

Good luck to everyone!
Here is the info for anthology artists, as well as the signup post.



Rules and Info:
1- You will receive your assignment by OCTOBER FIFTH at the latest. You will be sent the completed story at this time, and you'll draw from there.
2- Your completed fanarts will be due by OCTOBER THIRTY-FIRST. This deadline is so everything is complete by the time Secret Santa assignments go out.
3- Your fanart does NOT have to be colored, but it should at least be a 'complete' piece, as in the lines are clean and visible and it does not look half done.
4- Work should be at least 800x800, and keep in mind that this is part of a 'book' and thus will be on an 8 1/2x11 vertical page. It might be best to give it a greater height than width.
5- You MAY sign up as both a fanfiction writer and a fanartist.
6- You also may do art for your own story. Please let me know in reply here if you'd like to do that.
7- We had a lot of writers sign up. This is awesome! But because of that there's a chance that some artists may need to pull double duty. If you can do more than one piece, please let me know in your signup form.
8- You may list up to TEN participating authors that you'd like to draw for. I will try my best to match you up with one of those authors, but if I cannot, rest assured that I will not give you anything that's listed in your 'not willing to draw' section.
9- I will post 'how to submit' info once all of the assignments have gone out.

Ready to sign up? Please fill out this form and reply with it:
Your name:
Which authors you'd like to do (up to ten):
Your email address:
Things you are not willing to draw:
Things you prefer drawing:
Max rating you will draw:
Can you do more than one piece? If so, how many?:
Anything else?:


Comments will be screened so no one else will see your info. Once I get your reply, I'll add your name to the participants list below the cut!

Participating artists... )

Please direct any questions to this post, and I hope to see lots of participation!
-[livejournal.com profile] haro
Hello everyone! Here's the submission information for your anthology project fanfictions. It's pretty simple, but please read it carefully nonetheless. I'm super impressed with how many people have signed up by the way. This is going to be awesome!

1- ONCE YOUR FANFIC IS COMPLETE please send it to everything.is.magic @ gmail.com (remove space).
2- Please include the following information- a brief summary, a rating, any warnings, a title, the theme you're filling for (yesterday, today, or tomorrow), and the name you would like to be listed under in the anthology.
3- Please attach the fic one of the following ways- a .doc, a .docx, an html file, or by sharing a google doc file with me. Please do not send me a .txt or a .pdf. If you cannot get the fic to me in any of the required ways, let me know and we'll work something out.
4- Your BETA'd fic must be to me by OCTOBER 1ST, 2012 at MIDNIGHT CST. It is EXTREMELY important it be in on time, so I can get artist assignments sent out ASAP.

Remember that you have until September 10th (a week from now) to sign up if you haven't already.
Hello everyone!

We emphasized the importance of having your fic beta read before submitting it to the anthology project. Because of that, we're going to offer up beta reading services to all of you participants!

Beta Readers!

1- This is where you sign up to offer your services. The applications will be open for all to see, so writers can contact you if it looks like you may be providing what they're looking for.

2- You do not have to agree to beta for everyone that asks you. If you're uncomfortable beta-ing for someone or you simply don't have the time, that's fine (however, if it turns out you don't have the time to beta anything, whether due to lack of time or having too many requests already, let me know so I can take you off the list. You can email me at everything.is.magic AT gmail.com, or you can just edit or reply to your original comment). As such, even if you think you're only going to be able to beta a couple of things, feel free to still reply. Your offer could still end up being invaluable to someone!

3- That being said, agreeing to beta read for someone is a commitment. Please do not agree to beta for an individual and then back out, unless you absolutely have to.

4- You do not have to be a participant in the Anthology Project to be a beta reader.

Any member is welcome to offer up beta services.

Here's the form. Please reply to this post with it:

Name:
E-mail address:
Ratings accepted: (G to NC-17): If there's any particular form of mature content that you're not willing to beta, even if you're OK with beta reading higher-rated fics then please make a note of this.
Pairings accepted: You don't have to list every single pairing (although you can if you want to) but if there's a specific pairing or type of pairing that you won't beta for, then please make a note of it.
Genres accepted: Again, you don't have to list them all (unless you're *extremely* picky :) ) but if there's a specific genre of fanfiction that you're not willing to beta then please make a note of it, e.g. no AUs.
Anything else you won't do: Think of this in the same way you did your 'do not wants' in the signup form
What can you/would you like to be helpful about?: Characterization, plot, grammar, style, etc. Some people are only interested in being a grammar beta, some only a characterization beta, some both. Let us know what you specialize in here!
Anything else you'd like to add?:


Handy-dandy HTML!



Writers!

1- It is your job to contact a beta reader. Look through the applications of those who have offered their services so you can decide who you think would work best for your needs. You may want to pick a backup as well, just in case the first person you contacted can't offer their services.

2- When you contact them, make sure to tell them a bit about your fic in the initial email. Pairings, rating, genre, should all be in there too. Do NOT just send your fic to the beta reader without letting them know first what they'll be beta-ing.

3- EMAIL the beta. Do not reply here to them.

4- Don't contact a beta at the last minute and expect them to have it back to you within hours. Give them some time.

5- Please have your fic beta read before submitting. That's why we're offering this, for those who don't have a go to beta reader already.

Direct any questions to me, in reply to this post, private message, or email (everything.is.magic AT gmail dot com.)

We hope this helps a lot of you out! Good luck.
-[livejournal.com profile] haro
Hello everyone! After much delay, here's the info on the writing project, as well as the signup post.



What is the writing project?:
-It's an anthology style project to be completed by members of [livejournal.com profile] usxuk. The completed project will be released in a downloadable format for free, and if there is enough interest/we have the resources, we may consider selling a print copy of it.
-The novel will feature short USxUK stories by the authors of this community+ hopefully a piece of art (a black and white inked drawing will be fine, it does not need to be colored) to go with each piece. Artist signups will be at a later point, so please look out for them.
-The stories will be based around three themes- yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Please read the rest of the post for more info on them.

As a writer, what do I have to do?:
-SIGN UP. I will keep signups open for two weeks (until September 10th). After which, if you have not signed up, your work will not be in the anthology. It's important that I know exactly how many people are participating with quite a bit of time to spare, so we know how many artists can sign up. As a note regarding art: You will ABSOLUTELY be able to do both fic and art if you wish.
-Choose a theme. The anthology will be divided into three themes.

Yesterday- Any story that takes place before (or during) the year 1950.
Today- Your story must take place during the time period of 1951-current.
Tomorrow- Your fic must take place in the future, whether the very near future or the far distant future.

Both canonverse and AU are fine. If you're writing an AU that is in 'another world,' just pick what you believe would be the equivalent time wise. For example a fairytale world would likely be 'yesterday.'

Obviously, fanfics should be USxUK.

I will be opening TEN slots for each theme. If those slots are all filled, I'll open additional slots in each one. Please select quickly so you can have the theme of your choice. I've opened up more slots. :)

-Complete a fanfiction that is a maximum of 3,000 words long, and no less than 800 words by the due date of OCTOBER 1ST 2012, giving you about five weeks. Once you have completed your fanfic you are to send it to me. I will have more info up on how to send me the completed fanfic later. You WILL be able to publish your fanfic on livejournal, ff.net, wherever after the writing project is 'published.' But please don't do it before! We want this to be filled with spiffy, all new fics.
-Have your fanfiction beta-ed well. As this is being 'published' in a sense, it's very important that you have your story checked over for spelling and grammar errors. I will put up a volunteer beta post in a week or two so those who don't have one can locate a beta to use. Think of this as a gift to your fellow fans, so please put your best into it.
-If you sign up and find out that you need to back up, PLEASE let me know as soon as possible.

I want to sign up!

Awesome. Just reply with the following information:

Your name:
Which theme you'd like to do:
Your email address:


Comments will be screened so no one else will see your email. Once I get your reply, I'll add your name to the claims list below the cut!

Participants so far... )

As usual, please direct any questions to THIS post. Thank you! Hope to see a lot of participation.

-[livejournal.com profile] haro
Here it is! Our second award post of the night, this time for USxUK SUMMER CAMP. Drumroll please? We have A LOT of prizes to hand out, and we're trying to keep the awarding as fair as possible. Please look under the cut regardless of whether you think you placed or not, because we do have some other awards to hand out, and we also have the raffle winner! Direct any questions to this post. Comments are screened, but we will unscreen any comments that are just congratulations and other such things. :)

Everyone who participated in this event, whether it was through submitting fanworks or commenting, was wonderful.


And the winning campers are... )
.

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