CURRENT PHASE: PRE-ORDERS
木枯らし ("Kogarashi"): the leaf-shaking, wilting winds that mark the end of autumn, indicative of the coming winter.Kogarashi is a for-profit, angst-themed zine focusing on Nakahara Chuuya and Dazai Osamu's partnership as 'Soukoku' over the years and universes.Pre-orders will remain open until 11:59PM (EST), May 5th 2024.
Application Guidelines
Page Artist applications:A viewable portfolio must be submitted. This can be a Google Drive link, a website, or a social media page— it should display your best works together.At least one sample must feature Soukoku, Dazai Osamu, or Nakahara Chuuya. Pieces that are otherwise Bungo Stray Dogs-centric are also recommended.Submit 3 of your best samples. They should showcase your style, composition, anatomy, backgrounds, and overall skill level.
Writer applications:Three sample fics should be submitted. These can be Ao3 or Google Doc links, and they can be either published or private. Your samples can be excerpts from larger pieces (either a multi-chapter fic or a chapter of a longer fic) or a shorter, completed work.At least one sample should be a full fic.Individual samples / sample fics should be no longer than 3,000 words long, for a total of 9,000 words across all three samples.Works will be judged based on the level of grammaticality, the flow of the piece, the depth of characterization, the ability to ‘close’ a work within a specific word count, and the development of the story.You will also have the opportunity to submit a viewable portfolio.
Merch Artist applications:
A viewable portfolio must be submitted. This can be a Google Drive link, a website, or a social media page— it should display your best works together.At least one sample must feature Soukoku, Dazai Osamu, or Nakahara Chuuya. Pieces that are otherwise Bungo Stray Dogs-centric are also recommended.Submit 3 of your best samples. They should showcase your style, composition, anatomy, backgrounds, and overall skill level.If possible, previous experience in producing merch and merch samples should be submitted— while this is not required, it is highly recommended.
Project Schedule
Please note that, while we hope to be able to adhere to the project's schedule as it is currently written, it may also be subject to change.All updates to the schedule will be announced on our social media platforms as soon as any major changes become necessary.
Interest Check Open: July 2nd, 2023
Interest Check Close: August 2nd, 2023
Mod Applications Open: July 10th, 2023
Mod Applications Close: August 2nd, 2023
Interest Check Results Posted: August 12th, 2023🥃🍷🥃
Mod Application Results: August 12th, 2023Contributor Applications Open: August 21nd, 2023
Contributor Applications Close: September 21st, 2023
Contributor Application Results: October 5th, 2023
Acceptance Deadline: October 15th, 2023
Pitches Close: October 31st, 2023🍷🥃🍷Check-In #1 (~30% completion): November 30th, 2023
Check-In #2 (~60% completion): January 14th, 2024
Check-In #3 (~90% completion): February 14th, 2024
Final Submissions (100% completion): February 28th, 2024🥃🍷🥃Pre-orders Open: April 1st, 2024
Pre-orders Close: May 5th, 2024🍷🥃🍷Production Period: May - July
Fulfilment Period: August - SeptemberLEFTOVERS TBA
Contributor applications
Contributor Applications are now CLOSED. Thank you all for your interest and hard work!All application results have since been emailed out to applicants, and we are now working hard to bring this zine to life!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Questions asked through our Retrospring will be answered on the zine's Twitter, Tumblr and Bluesky accounts for maximum viewability. Any frequently asked questions will be added to this page for convenient access.
Please read this page before submitting a question.
What is a zine?
A fanzine / zine is a collection of artwork, writing (and merch items, if the zine is produced physically) revolving around a central idea or theme.
What is the theme of this zine?
The central theme of this zine is the relationship between Nakahara Chuuya and Dazai Osamu, as Soukoku. This concept stretches out over the years that they have known each other, as well as alternate universes (such as the BEAST universe).
I am under 18. Can I apply to this zine?
Currently, we require contributors to be 18+ to apply to Kogarashi due to the angst-oriented themes of the zine, canon material, and other potentially heavy topics which may be triggering to some readers.You must be 18 years old by September 21st, 2023 to be considered for a position in the project.Following the results of an interest check, a sexually explicit NSFW add-on can optionally be included in zine bundles.
Are there opportunities to apply as a contributor?
Yes! We will be looking to take on page artists, writers and merch artists as part of the project. Until the interest check concludes, we cannot say how many people we will be taking on for each role— updates to this can be viewed through our Guidelines Document.
What are the expectations for contributors?
All contributors accepted MUST have a Discord account, as this is where all internal zine communications will take place.Contributors must also be able to adhere to the zine's schedule, and are expected to be able to meet given deadlines with a required level of completion for their pieces.
How will contributors be compensated?
At minimum, all contributors will be compensated with a free copy og the digital-only zine, alongside any digital merchandise produced as part of the project.If there is enough interest to justify a physical production of the project, we hope to be able to provide all contributors with full bundles, free of production and shipping charges. If this is not the case, items will be available to buy at production costs.Any additional profits will be split evenly between the contributors.
Will you be taking on guest contributors?
Yes, we will be taking on guest contributors. Guests will be invited to the project based on responses from the Interest Check.
Are there opportunities to apply as a mod?
Thank you for your interest, but at present, we have filled all positions on our Mod team. We are not looking to add any Mod interns. In the event that a member of the Mod team is forced to leave the project, we may re-open applications for that role.
Will the zine be for profit, for charity, or free?
Based on our interest check results, 木枯らし: A Soukoku Zine will be for profit. Any funds left over after accounting for the costs of production and shipping to buyers and contributors will be split evenly between those who participated in the project.
Is this zine digital-only or physical?
Our Interest Check showed that there was enough interest in a physical edition of the zine to justify producing physical merchandise.When preorders open, both digital and physical bundle options will be available at different costs.
Will you be giving feedback on applications?
We cannot confirm an answer for this question at this time, as it will depend entirely on the number of applications received.Feedback will be offered to all applicants only if they indicate interest in receiving feedback on their application, i.e. by letting us know by replying to the application response email.